Former SU assistant coach Kristen Sharkey hired as head coach at Buffalo
Former Syracuse assistant coach Kristen Sharkey (left) was hired as Buffalo's new head coach after she played with the Bulls from 2010-15. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Sports Editor
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Former Syracuse women’s basketball assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Kristen Sharkey has been named the University at Buffalo’s head coach, the school announced Friday.
Sharkey played for the Bulls from 2010-15 under then-head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. After her playing career ended, Sharkey was Legette-Jack’s assistant coach at UB for seven years — where she was a part of four NCAA Tournament appearances. She then followed Legette-Jack to SU for her first three seasons with the Orange, where they reached one NCAA Tournament in 2024.
Sharkey was instrumental in recruiting Dyaisha Fair to Buffalo in 2019, where she finished in the top six nationally in points per game in all three seasons in Queen City. Fair then transferred to SU in 2022 and guided the Orange to the NCAA Tournament Second Round in 2024.
As a player at Buffalo, the 6-foot-1 Sharkey was a two-time All-Mid-American Conference selection and ranks 13th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,264 career points.
The Buffalo head coaching job opened after former head coach Becky Burke, who succeeded Legette-Jack at UB, was hired as the head coach at the University of Arizona on April 9. Nine days later, the Bulls hired their new head coach in Sharkey.
