Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Kristen Sharkey was named the 14th head women's basketball coach in school history on April 18, 2025. Sharkey comes to Buffalo after three seasons on the staff at Syracuse University, most recently serving as associate head coach.
In her time at Syracuse, Sharkey helped guide the Orange to back-to-back postseason appearances, reaching the Super 16 of the WNIT in 2023 and advancing to second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2024.
The 2023-24 team was tabbed to finish ninth in the Atlantic Coast Conference and proceeded to finish 24-8 overall with a 13-5 ACC record, tied for second in the league standings. Syracuse peaked as high as No. 17 in the Associate Press Top 25 Poll and earned a first-round win over Arizona in the NCAA Tournament, before falling to UConn in the second round. Sharkey was instrumental in the recruitment and development of Dyaisha Fair, who became the sixth player in program history drafted to the WNBA when she was selected 16th overall by the Las Vegas Aces and graduated as the third all-time leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,403 career points.
Across seven seasons at UB, she helped build the Bulls into a perennial contender in the Mid-American Conference. Buffalo made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2018.
In her first year on the sidelines, the Bulls won the MAC Tournament and secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament – both program firsts. She mentored All-MAC First Team selection JoAnna Smith and MAC Tournament MVP Stephanie Reid.
After a 29-win season, the 2017-2018 UB squad became the first team in school history, and only the second in MAC history, to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Buffalo advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with upset wins over South Florida and Florida State and finished the season ranked No. 21 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll.
In her final season in Buffalo, the Bulls posted a 25-9 record and won the MAC Tournament, securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five years. Fair was an AP Honorable Mention All-America and All-MAC First Team selection and MAC Tournament MVP and Georgia Woolley was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.
She helped develop nine All-MAC players during her time as an assistant coach including 2019 WNBA draft pick Cierra Dillard who was selected 22nd overall by the Minnesota Lynx. Summer Hemphill earned All-MAC Freshman Team honors in 2017 and was an All-MAC Second Team selection in 2019 and 2022 while being named to the Katrina McClain Award Watch List and the Preseason Cheryl Miller Award Watch List during her UB career.
As a player under Legette-Jack, Sharkey started 85-straight games to end her UB career, leading the Bulls to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in over 15 years.
A two-time All-MAC selection, Sharkey averaged 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds as a senior. She ranks 13th on UB’s all-time scoring list with 1,264 career points and also ranks in the top 15 in career games played (120), rebounds (758), free throw percentage (.772), free throws made (305) and blocked shots (98).
A native of Manahawkin, NJ, Sharkey graduated from Buffalo with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and earned her MBA from UB in 2021. Sharkey and her wife Rosie have a daughter, Rory.
