Colby College announced this week that Adrienne Shibles, a Maine Basketball Hall of Famer, has been appointed head coach of the women's basketball team, marking her return to the state after a brief period away.
A Storied Career
From 2008 to 2021, Shibles coached Bowdoin College, guiding the Polar Bears to eleven NCAA Division III tournament appearances and two national championship finals in 2018 and 2019. Her final record at Bowdoin stood at 281 wins against just 68 losses, yielding an 80.5 percent win rate.
Prior to Bowdoin, she spent a decade at Swarthmore College, where she led the team to an NCAA tournament appearance in 2001, and earlier had a brief but challenging tenure at Dartmouth College from 2021 to 2023, finishing with a 5-49 record over two seasons.
Shibles also served as associate director of athletics at Bates College beginning in 2023, a role that deepened her connections to the college's athletic community.
A Homecoming With Purpose
A native of Knox, Maine, Shibles returns to the region where she built her reputation as a player at Bates College, scoring over a thousand career points before transitioning to coaching. Her longstanding ties to Maine's basketball landscape are expected to resonate with recruits and fans alike.
Amanda DeMartino, Colby's Athletic Director, praised Shibles for her proven recruiting ability and alignment with the college's values, stating that her experience and character make her an ideal fit for the program's next chapter.
The hiring comes as Colby looks to build on recent momentum in its women's basketball initiatives, aiming to leverage Shibles' extensive network and success in developing competitive, well‑rounded teams.