One of the nation’s most passionate coaches, IUPUI Head Coach Shann Hart is entering her seventh season at the helm of the IUPUI women’s basketball team. The Jaguars’ program has been near the top of The Summit League since the arrival of Hart, reaching the conference tournament semifinals or better in four straight seasons.
The 2005-06 BCA Coach of the Year, Hart led the Jags to the brink of the NCAA Tournament, reaching The Summit League Tournament Championship game two years ago.
Hart became the program’s all-time leader in Division I victories with her 60th career win at IUPUI on Dec. 6, 2008. She recorded her 200th career win on Jan. 16, 2010, and is currently third on IUPUI's all-time wins list..
For the fourth straight season, an IUPUI women’s basketball player has been chosen first-team all-conference, as Julia Whitted received the accolade prior to the 2009-10 season.
In 2008-09, Hart helped Jernisha Cann become the most prolific player in IUPUI women’s basketball history, as Cann became the first player in IUPUI history to eclipse both the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound barriers. Cann eventually became The Summit League’s all-time leading rebounder as well. For the second straight season, both Cann and Whitted were selected First Team All-Summit League and Cann won her third straight Summit League Defensive Player of the Year award, a first in conference history.
Prior to the start of the 08-09 season, Hart saw senior Jernisha Cann become just the seventh player in Summit League history to earn five straight Summit League First Team selections. Whitted was also picked to the first team.
During the 2007-08 season, Hart guided the Jaguars into the championship game of The Summit League Tournament, coming within 20 minutes of a NCAA Tournament appearance. It was the third straight year Hart has coached the Jaguars at least into the tournament semifinals.
For the third consecutive season, Hart coached a First Team All-Conference performer in Jernisha Cann, who also picked up Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight year. Cann also became the first Naismith Trophy Watch List candidate in Hart’s tenure.
Whitted was also recognized on The Summit League First Team, becoming one of the nation’s most-improved players during the 2007-08 season., while Nicole James earned All-Freshman Team honors.
In the 2007-08 campaign, the Jaguars matched the ‘05-06 squads’ school record for wins with 17; the 33 games played set a new school record.
The 2005-06 season marked IUPUI’s arrival as a Summit League contender, as Hart guided the Jaguars to more overall and conference wins than the entire 2004-05 and 2003-04 campaigns combined, going 17-11. The team’s 17 wins set a school Division I record, while their 11 wins in Mid-Continent Conference play were the most in school history. The squad’s 10-game turnaround from 2004-05 tied them for the fourth-best improvement among all NCAA Division I schools.
For her efforts, Hart was named the Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year. The Black Coaches Association also recognized her as the Female Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the season.
Hart’s squad garnered numerous postseason honors, including the selection of Jernisha Cann as the Mid-Continent Conference Sixth Woman of the Year. Kia Hayes was named to the Mid-Con First Team, while Cann and fellow freshman Tanika Mays were named to the All-Newcomer Team.
Before arriving at IUPUI, Hart coached American University from 2000-04, leading the Eagles’ women’s basketball program to a remarkable turnaround. In just three years, she turned a team that went 4-23 her first season to one that went 18-11 during her third campaign. The women’s basketball program increased their team g.p.a. every year under her leadership and also had at least eight Academic All-Conference honorees each season. 100 percent of the student-athletes who completed their eligibility graduated.
Prior to her time at American, Hart served four seasons as Head Coach at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, leading the Seahawks to three 20-win seasons and became the winningest women’s basketball coach in school history. St. Mary’s compiled a 77-32 (.706) overall record during Hart’s tenure. Her teams captured three regular season and two Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) tournament championships and made a pair of NCAA Division III Tournament appearances. During Hart’s final season, St. Mary’s finished the year 23-4 and ranked 18th in the country in Division III.
Hart began her collegiate coaching career in the 1990-91 season where she served as an assistant coach for five years at the University of Richmond. In 1995-96, she was an assistant coach on the Central Florida team that won the Trans American Athletic Conference (TAAC) Tournament Championship and appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
The Newport News, Va.-native graduated from Norfolk State University in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and Marketing. Following graduation, Hart spent five seasons coaching at the high school level. She led teams from Denbigh and Menchville High School to five consecutive district championships. Hart has served as director of numerous girls basketball camps in Maryland and Virginia. In 1998, she served as coach of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Washington Mystics team tryouts and performed the same function with the Houston Comets in 1999. Outside of coaching, Hart has volunteered at the Salvation Army’s Boys and Girls Clubs. She is a former board member of both the Black Coaches Association and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and currently serves as a conference captain for the WBCA.
