The new women’s basketball head coach at the University of New Hampshire has been handed a program this year that she plans to take to a new level. Her name? Megan Shoniker.
She was raised in Rochester, New York, and grew up in what she called a “sports family.” Most, if not all, of her family were either teachers or coaches, so the role as a coach was something that has always been ingrained in her blood. Later on in her life, she received a full Division I scholarship to play at the University of Rhode Island and then went on to obtain a coaching position at her alma mater. She said her experiences are the key to what she hopes to bring to a successful team this year.
Shoniker stated that the team’s main priority this year is to “establish a winning mindset” among her team and staff. She wants them to approach the game of basketball with an understanding and a seriousness of what they do on the court. This, of course, leads to them understanding what it takes to be a winner.
“It doesn’t happen overnight or on a gameday, it really happens over the hours, weeks, and months leading into those moments,” Shoniker said. The team’s motto is to “stack those days.” Essentially, it’s making sure that everyday is a good day for the team and that it happens back-to-back. Shoniker said that her main goal when it comes to closing on their season this year is to look back on the start of the season and the end of it, and see the immeasurable progress this team has made.
Shoniker’s ideal practice atmosphere is players with a “business-like mindset,” she said, “a very serious way in which we approach things. Our preparation is serious, our preparation is business-like, but at the end of the day, I want that to result in having fun.”
Ultimately, she said she believes the team is there to get better and improve, but they are also there to make lasting connections. Shoniker wants to seek a connection with the team and wants them to have each other’s backs. She said she wants to create a familial environment that everyone benefits from.
Restructuring a new program can seem daunting, but Shoniker said she had an idea of which staff she already wanted to include on her team. She “wanted people who came from winning programs or who have been a part of a winning program.” That “winning mindset” she wants ingrained so badly throughout her team is already a skill that her new coaching staff has acquired.
One of her main priorities when it came to recruiting her new coaching staff was finding people who had a “servant” mindset when it came to their players. It is the “staff’s job to get them better, help them grow as people, and use basketball as their vehicle to do that.” The process for which she was searching for new recruits is much the same. Shoniker wanted kids who are winners, who are selfless, and wanted to be a part of something bigger than themselves. The same goes for her coaching staff as well.
“In this 2025 class in particular, be the reason why. Do you want to be the reason why this program goes from the bottom to the top? It takes a unique mindset to want that, to not be afraid of challenges, to not be afraid of things that are hard, and to not be afraid of things that are adverse,” Shoniker said. She believes that her current players have all of these elements. The potential is there to provide an exciting season to watch.
With establishing a new team comes the issuing of new rules as well. On the academic side of things, there are mandatory study hall hours for all freshmen and any player with a GPA of a 3.0 or below.
Shoniker said, “If they aren’t doing it in the classroom, then they won’t have the opportunity to do it on the court.”
In terms of basketball, she said that she doesn’t want any “9-5ers.” Shoniker’s two most important rules she has created for the team are communication and respect. Those two rules are a deal-breaker for her when it comes to her players and staff.
When asked, “Why you?” Shoniker’s response was simply, “I think I was picked because I’m ready.” She talks about the similarities between UNH and URI and how there are “a ton of things that jump off the page that are similar.” She came from URI, which was built into a winning program. Of course, another reason Shoniker believes she was picked for this role is “her amazing and fun personality.” She’s personable and knows that in this job, the head coach wears multiple hats. It’s a good thing her hat closet is extensive.
