Erin McAleenan became the head coach of the Lions women’s basketball team ahead of the 2015-16 season, taking over the reins of the program after 29 years with Bill Pangos at the helm.
She has led the Lions to tremendous success in recent years, including their first playoff win in 11 seasons in 2019. She earned York’s coach of the year award that same season.
In addition to her work with the Lions, she is also part of the coaching staff for the Canadian junior national team and was on the sidelines for the U19 national team that competed at the 2019 FIBA U19 Women’s World Basketball Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, helping Canada finish in sixth place.
McAleenan came to York from the University of Lethbridge, where she was the head coach of the Pronghorns for three seasons. In her time in Lethbridge, she guided the program to its best record in 18 years in 2012-13 while also creating an alumni association and developing the local Jr. Horns Basketball Club.
She has plenty of national and international coaching experience, including as an assistant coach with the Canadian cadette women’s team in 2015. She was also the head coach of Alberta’s U17 Canada Summer Games team in 2013 and an assistant coach for Canada’s Pan Am Games team in 2011.
Prior to entering the coaching ranks, McAleenan had a four-year playing career at Acadia University, where she graduated with a bachelor of science degree. She went on to receive her education degree from Trent University and then her master’s in coaching from the University of Alberta. She spent six years as a high school teacher in Port Hope, Ont., before beginning her post-graduate degree.
