After spending three years as an assistant coach at Western Nebraska Community College, Shayane Poirot was elevated to the head coaching position after the resignation of Ryan Davis in May.

                Shayane Poirot, who played for the Cougars in 2022 helping them to the Final Four of the NJCAA tournament, is excited for the opportunity to guide the Cougars.

                "I am incredibly excited and honored to lead the women's basketball program," she said. "The history, tradition, and legacy of basketball at WNCC is truly special, and I am grateful to have been part of that legacy as a player and an assistant coach. Now, as head coach, I look forward to building on that strong foundation and continuing the program's tradition of excellence."

                Davis, who guided the program the last two years, said the program is in strong hands with Poirot.

                "Shayane is very ready to lead the program," Davis said via text message. "Over the last two years, she had her hands in recruiting, individual workouts, game and practice planning, scouting, and scheduling, just to name a few of the main duties she will take over fully now. Her mind for the game, hard work, and organization give no doubt about where she will take her team."

                The former Cougar player and assistant coach said she learned a lot under head coaches Chad Gibney, Isaac Lu, and Davis.

                "Over the past three years as an assistant coach, I have learned a lot. Working under Coach Lu and Coach Davis gave me the opportunity to observe different coaching styles, leadership approaches, and ways of operating a successful program," she said. "I am especially grateful to Coach Davis for the trust he placed in me, and for allowing me to take on significant responsibilities throughout the past two years.

                "One of the most valuable lessons I learned during that time was the importance of building meaningful relationships. Strong relationships are at the heart of creating a positive team culture, developing trust, and ultimately achieving success both on and off the court. Those experiences have helped shape my philosophy as a coach and prepared me for this opportunity."

                Poirot played one year at WNCC under Gibney, helping the Cougars finish in the final four at nationals. After 2022, she spent a year playing at Western Carolina before returning as the assistant coach for the Cougars for the past three years.

                After going 20-11 last season, coach Poirot said the Cougars expect to have strong depth next year thanks to the players she and Davis have recruited.

                "We are excited to welcome back a strong group of sophomores who understand the expectations and what it means to represent WNCC," she said. "We have also added a talented and hardworking recruiting class from both the United States and abroad. More importantly, we have brought in outstanding young women who will be a great fit for our program and community."

                "Our identity will be rooted in what has made Western Nebraska basketball successful for years: we are going to guard, compete, and play with pace. Beyond the court, we are committed to excellence in the classroom and being actively involved in our community. We want to develop not only successful basketball players, but also responsible students and leaders."

                Poirot officially started June 1 and her first line of business as the new head coach was conduct a youth basketball camp and an elite camp. She said the Elite camp was a chance to identify and evaluate future Cougars who can help carry on the tradition of WNCC basketball."

                Poirot said she wanted to thank everyone for this opportunity to guide the Cougars.

                "I would like to express my gratitude to my fiancée, Jasmine, for her unwavering support throughout this journey," she said. "I also want to thank Coach (Ryan) Burgner, Doug Jones, Coach Gibney, Coach Lu, and Coach Davis for their guidance, mentorship, and belief in me over the years. Each of them have played an important role in my development as a coach and as a person. I am also grateful to everyone who has contributed to helping me reach this opportunity. I would not be in this position without the support, encouragement, and trust of so many people along the way, and I am truly thankful for each of them."

Coach Davis leaves WNCC handing over reigns to assistant coach

\                Ryan Davis left WNCC with a heavy heart, but family considerations made the decision clear as he returns to the Kansas City area.

                "Lorrie (my wife) and I had some discussions about what the future looked like and right now basketball just did not fit our goals for a family, which is our priority," Davis said via text message. "It's with a grave heart that I'm leaving the program because I really loved where Coach Shay and I had things going. It was a bit of a scramble year one and we built things back up to getting back to truly contending for the region."

                In Davis' two years at WNCC, he compiled a 45-17, including a 25-6 record in 2024-25. Davis came to WNCC in the summer of 2024 after being away from college coaching following the discontinuation of athletics at Sheridan College prior to COVID.

                During his tenue at WNCC, several players earned major accolades.

                "In two seasons, our players had some amazing individual accomplishments," he said. "Adelina Urtane was All-American and Region IX South Player of the Year, Ella Chesta-Carty was Region IX Player of the Year, Charisma Johnson was defensive Player of the Year, Laura Montiel was Region IX all-time career steals leader, and Zozefine Sipolina became WNCC's all-time career 3-point leader."
               
                Davis reflects back on all the memories he generated while guiding the women's basketball program.

                "My favorite memories are the relationships I made. There were little talks with the players and Shayane that led to transformational buy-in that an outsider doesn't see," he said. "There were a lot of those in year one. I think my lasting memory is how willing our players were to jump in the boat with a coach they didn't know that first year. That was a really special season. Something that really makes you feel appreciated and valued is when a player looks at you in a certain way that makes you know they respect you and will sacrifice for the team. They should all know they can make their coach feel valued, too, by the way they buy in."

                His plans after WNCC are simple, as he will do some basketball-related work and start a mobile dog daycare business.

                "I plan on getting back into local basketball on a couple levels by doing individual workouts and high school basketball in Kansas City area. My wife and I are also starting a mobile dog daycare company out of our property," he said.

                Lastly, Davis said people make a place special and WNCC certainly had that.

                "People make a place special. We had the support not only from the community but also the administration during my two years," he said. "I want to thank President (Greg) Dart and Ryan Burgner for the opportunity to lead the program. I also want to thank Shayane Poirot for all her selflessness and hard work; she is a star. The program is in good hands."