WINSTON-SALEM, NC — Salem College Director of Athletics Trish Hughes announced today the hiring of former Spirits standout Quntashea Lewis as the head women's basketball coach for the Spirits.
A press conference introducing Lewis to the Salem College community will take place at 4 p.m. Monday, April 1 in the Salem College Student Center. The public is invited to attend.
Lewis comes to Salem from Mount Saint Mary College where she served as assistant women's basketball coach. In her one year with Mount Saint Mary, she helped lead the program to its most successful season ever with a 23-6 overall record which included advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
"We are very excited to have Quntashea as our new head coach to lead our women's basketball program into its next chapter," Hughes said. "She is a rising star and her ties as an alumna to Salem College make this particular hire even more special. We are excited about the future of our women's basketball program under her leadership and we are excited for her to lead our program to competitive success in the USA South Conference."
Lewis, who is one of only three players in Salem history to score 1,000 career points, graduated Salem in 2016 with a major in exercise science and a minor in coaching.
Upon returning to her alma mater, Lewis said she is looking forward to growing a program she is strongly connected to.
"I am both thankful and excited for this opportunity. I have a genuine love for the Salem College community as well as this basketball program," she said. "It's so exciting that I have been given the opportunity to pay it forward to a place that that means so much to me. This community has played such a huge part in shaping me into the women I am today."
Prior to her position at MSMC, Lewis served two years as a graduate assistant at Eastern Mennonite University, where she assisted in player development and recruiting. While coaching at EMU, she earned her master's degree there in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in organizational leadership.
While at Salem, Lewis was named Team MVP, Great South Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Salem College Anne Woodward Student-Athlete of the Year, D3 Hoops All-Region 3rd Team and NC Collegiate Sports Information Association 1st Team College Divison All-State as a senior. In her final campaign with the Spirits, she led the Great South Athletic Conference in scoring, averaging 20.7 points per game. Lewis was also second in league rebounding (13.1pg) and steals (2.2pg).