By Colton Pankiewicz, Sports Editor
Canisius women’s basketball head coach Sahar Nusseibeh stepped down from her role at the school, in plans to become the head coach at Eastern Michigan University, the school announced Thursday.
In three seasons as the head coach of the program, Nusseibeh totaled 32 wins, coming off of a 17-win season that led them to the MAAC semifinals in 2024. The 17 wins were the most in the women's basketball campaign since 2019. Her 32 career wins are the fifth most in program history.
"We hired Sahar here in the summer of 2021 to re-energize our women's basketball program and she has done that," Canisius athletic director Bill Maher said in a news release Thursday. "During her time leading our program, she has improved the team steadily while also being a positive influence within the athletic department, our campus and within the Buffalo community. Sahar was a tremendous mentor to the young women in our basketball program and she worked extremely hard to reconnect with our women's basketball alumnae. We are grateful for her contributions to Canisius and wish her well in the next chapter of her coaching career."
Nusseibeh becomes the ninth full-time head coach in Eastern Michigan women's basketball’s history and the first active hire since 1998.
"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as Eastern Michigan University's Head Women's Basketball Coach," Nusseibeh added. "I thank Scott Wetherbee, his leadership team, as well as President Smith for their trust in me and the amazing staff that will join us. We cannot wait to get started. We will lay a foundation rooted in love, trust, and respect. We will be intentional in all we do, as we work to build this program to new heights. This program will strive to epitomize success on the court, in the classroom, and throughout our community. Greenlight...Go. Let's soar!,” said Nusseibeh.
Nusseibeh has experience coaching in the MAC, spending three seasons (2013-2016) as an assistant at Bowling Green and two seasons at Miami University (OH.) (2019-2021).
Canisius players met with their now-former coach on Thursday where they were given the news of the departure.
With Nusseibeh gone, Canisius has already begun the search for their next coach. They now have both the men’s and women’s basketball head coaching positions vacant.
Pictures courtesy of Chloe Cohen-Breen