Memorial University and the Department of Varsity Athletics welcome Mark English as head coach of the women’s basketball program. 

Mr. English, a Memorial university graduate and a former standout with the Memorial men’s basketball team, will begin his tenure with the Sea~Hawks on June 8. Mr. English leaves the University of Prince Edward Island after one year at the helm of its women’s basketball program where that team had its most successful season in more than 10 years and made it to the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) women’s basketball title game. Prior to that Mr. English had been an assistant coach with the Lakehead University men’s basketball program from 2011-14, including a second-place finish in the Canadian Intercollegiate Sport championships in 2013. 

“I am humbled and excited to be given the opportunity to lead the Memorial University women's basketball program,” Mr. English said. “As an alumnus of Memorial, and a former Sea~Hawk, it is a very special honour and I cannot wait to get started.”

Dr. Karen Murphy, Memorial University’s athletic director, is excited for the future.

“Mark’s passion to return to Memorial and re-establish Sea~Hawks women’s basketball as a program of excellence is impressive,” Dr. Murphy said. “Mark has a clear vision for the direction of our program and he brings inspiring teambuilding skills and impressive technical abilities to make that vision a reality. His energy and enthusiasm are infectious and his commitment to athletic and academic excellence is a fit with our values at Memorial Athletics. I am confident Mark will create a positive environment in which our student-athletes will thrive and reach their potential.”

A native of Branch, Newfoundland and Labrador, Mr. English is no stranger to basketball in the province. Since 2010 he has served every summer as a head coach in the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial team program. In the 2010-11 AUS season, Mr. English served as an assistant coach with the Sea~Hawks men’s basketball program under current Memorial men’s coach, Peter Benoite. Mr. English served as the head coach of the Gonzaga High School basketball team from 2008-11. From 2005-08 he represented Memorial as a student-athlete with the men’s basketball program.

Mr. English expects to name his coaching staff in the near future.