Brian Cheng of Victoria, B.C. was named the Mustangs women’s basketball head coach, following a national search.
Cheng joins the Mustangs after a successful reign as head coach with the University of Victoria Vikes women’s basketball team for the past ten seasons. He led the Vikes to a CIS championship in 2003 and an impressive overall conference record of 120-91. The position is effective immediately.
Cheng was named Canada West and CIS Coach of the Year in 2010. Prior to his head coach position at Victoria he spent five years as an assistant coach under Kathy Shields, winning CIS Championships in 1998 and 2000.
“I am very excited to be given the opportunity to lead the University of Western Ontario Women’s Basketball Program. Many things impressed me during my visit to Western,” Cheng says.
“I was amazed by how beautiful the Western campus was. I already knew that Western is ranked as one of the top academic schools in the world. But what I was most impressed was the camaraderie, the support and leadership of the athletic department. After my visit I knew that Western is committed to excellence.”
Cheng will inherit a talented young squad that finished 19-3 last year and was nationally ranked for most of the season. The Mustangs feature a strong core of returning players and an outstanding recruiting class to once again make them National contenders.
Cheng adds, “Steph Barrie and his staff have worked hard and done a fantastic job building the Women’s Mustang Basketball Program to be one of the best in the country. We have many talented and special players here. I look forward to the challenge of taking the program to the next level.”
“We are pleased to welcome Brian to our Mustang coaching staff,” Therese Quigley, Director of Sports and Recreation Services says.
“He brings a wealth of experience and success at the CIS level. Brian is an outstanding fit for our program on all levels as we continue to build our women’s basketball program here at Western.”