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The University of New Brunswick Saint John Seawolves women’s basketball team will have a new head coach leading the way heading into the 2024 offseason.

After 13 seasons with the women’s basketball program, and over 20 years coaching at UNB Saint John, head coach Kevin Munroe will not be returning for the 2024-25 season. Taking over for Munroe will be longtime Kennebecasis Valley High School (KVHS) Varsity Girls Head Coach, Moira Gagnon.

Gagnon, who has been the head coach of the Crusaders/Blue Knights since 2013, reveled at the opportunity to take over the women’s program at UNB Saint John, stating, “the opportunity to coach at a higher level is an opportunity I’m keen to take on.”

Gagnon’s coaching resume is bountiful, as she has won four New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association Senior Girls Provincial Championships in her 20 years of coaching high school girls between KVHS and Rothesay High School (two at each institution), and was the 2012-13 NBIAA Coach of the Year. Gagnon’s basketball resume extends beyond the high school ranks as she was also a high-profile player, playing at Dawson College (CEGEP) before playing four years at UNB, helping her teams to two Atlantic University Athletic Association championships (1977-78 and 1978-79) and two National Championship births, while being named Female Athlete of the Year (Colin B. MacKay Shield) at UNB during her tenure.

“Coaching at UNB Saint John is extremely appealing,” said Gagnon about the decision to take the job. “As a UNB alumnae and a former varsity athlete, I am excited to be a part of this basketball program. I had a great experience playing at UNB and see this coaching opportunity as a chance to give back and hopefully provide the athletes with a fun and successful experience.”

UNB Saint John Director of Athletics, Natasha Kelly, acknowledges that the time and effort Munroe put in over his years will be nearly impossible to replicate, but is happy that a coach of Gagnon’s calibre was willing to accept the position.

“Kevin had an impressive coaching career with the Seawolves leaving a legacy of passion, unwavering commitment to UNB Saint John and a staunch focus on the academic success of his student athletes,” said Kelly about Munroe. “Through Moira’s playing and coaching careers, she understands the challenges that our student athletes can face while competing. It was a privilege to work with Kevin over the years, and I wish him all the best. We are excited to work with Moira and I am certain she will foster a positive environment in which our student athletes will thrive competitively while optimizing the student athlete experience.”

The 2023-24 varsity basketball season saw former KVHS Varsity Boys head coach, Paul Vaughan, take over the program en route to being named Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) men’s basketball Coach of the Year. Working with Gagnon at KVHS for over a decade, Vaughan knows exactly what the department can expect from Gagnon taking over the team.

“I’m excited to be working alongside Moira again,” said Vaughan. “During our time together with the KVBA and at KVHS she has always been someone I could go to for advice and honest feedback. We might have different coaching styles, but we share the same core values and vision for what an elite basketball program should be. She is also one of the most competitive people I know. I cannot think of a better addition to the Seawolves basketball family.”

The 2023-24 Seawolves women’s basketball team showed strong improvement on court, surpassing their previous season’s win total by four and found themselves leading the eventual ACAA Champions, the UKC Blue Devils, at halftime of their ACAA quarterfinal matchup. Every player on the team is eligible to return for the 2024-25 season, part of the reason Gagnon jumped at this opportunity.

“I watched several of the games this past season and saw a group of athletes that have good chemistry and a strong desire to play hard,” said Gagnon about the potential for next season’s roster. “I see it as an opportunity to build on what they already have.”

Gagnon knows the bones of this team is primed for a breakout, and the term she has used from the beginning has been “potential”. Something she knows this team has plenty of.

“I believe this roster has a lot of potential and I look forward to helping them reach it.”

With the 2024-25 ACAA basketball season slated to begin in late October, Gagnon admits there is not a lot of time to get aligned with her new team, but has steps in place to get the ball rolling.

“My first priority will be to get to know the individual players; what motivates them, their strengths, and some areas of play we need to focus on,” said Gagnon. “Another priority will be to share with the team my expectations and goals for this first season. As a team, we will work together to determine the strategies to reach these goals. As we get into our preseason workouts, individual skill development will be a focus and the importance of consistently executing the fundamentals.”

The Seawolves will open official open gym times and try outs in mid September, with their first regular season game tentatively scheduled for October 25^th when they travel to St. Thomas University, with their first home game scheduled for November 2^nd against the Mount Allison University Mounties.