Shannon Sword has been announced as the new Assistant Coach and Director of Operations for the Youngstown State women's basketball program, a move that brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success to the program.
A Coaching Legacy Returns to the Valley
Sword’s journey in college basketball spans more than two decades, beginning as a player at Cleveland State University where she scored over 1,000 career points and earned multiple Horizon League All‑Academic honors.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Sport Management in 2004, she pursued a master's in Educational Leadership and Administration from Ashland University in 2008, laying a foundation for her transition into coaching.
Her coaching career started as an assistant at Manhattanville College in 2005‑06, followed by a stint at Youngstown State from 2008‑10, where she contributed to the program before moving on to Ashland University, helping the team to a 33‑game winning streak and a national runner‑up finish in the NCAA Tournament.
From 2012 to 2023, Sword served as head coach at Ursuline College, amassing 172 victories and becoming the school's all‑time winningest coach. Under her leadership the team captured G‑MAC regular‑season titles in 2015‑16 and 2016‑17, a tournament championship in 2015‑16, and earned the program's first NCAA Division II tournament berth. She also mentored three G‑MAC Players of the Year, three Freshmen of the Year recipients, and 15 all‑conference selections, and was inducted into the Ursuline College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.
Now returning to Youngstown State, Sword will oversee day‑to‑day operations while also contributing on the sidelines, bringing her strategic acumen and player development expertise to a program eager to build on its recent momentum.