A former Division I/professional player, and a four-year coaching vet at UC San Diego, Heidi Heintz has been announced as the new Saint Mary’s women’s basketball Assistant Coach.
“Heidi’s experiences will bring a vast amount of value to our program, helping enhance our offensive scheme,” said head coach Paul Thomas. “She has an incredible eye for coaching the details which fits nicely within the Saint Mary’s College women’s basketball culture. She is considered one of the top assistant coaches on the West Coast.”
As an assistant coach with the Tritons, Heintz led UCSD to unprecedented success, including a 30-1 overall record last season and a perfect, 22-0 mark in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The Tritons were also the CCAA Tournament Champions and hosted the NCAA Division II West Regional. During Heintz’s time in San Diego, she helped guide the team to a 107-18 overall mark and a 78-6 record in conference-play. In fact, UCSD won the regular-season title and reached the NCAA Tournament in all four years of her tenure. Her accomplishments led to a WBCA Thirty Under 30 recognition this past March, a program which awards 30 of the top women’s basketball coaches at all levels aged 30 or under.
Before her time with the Tritons, Heintz spent a year as the Director of Basketball Operations and Video Coordinator with her alma mater, UC Davis. The season prior, she served as the junior varsity basketball coach at Ballard High School in Seattle while simultaneously coaching an AAU Youth Academy team at Hoopaholics Academy.
Heintz spent the previous two seasons playing professionally in Europe with the ChemCats in Chemnitz, Germany in 2012-13 and the Forssan Alku Club in Finland the year before in 2011-12. She led the ChemCats to a Bundesliga II German Championship after averaging 11.3 points, on 56 percent shooting, and 4.3 rebounds per game in 28 contests.
Heintz began her college career at University of San Francisco and was named to the West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team after her freshman campaign and was the team’s Defensive Player of the Year the following season. Her final two years of eligibility were spent at UC Davis. There, she was a two-time member of the All-Big West Conference Second Team and also earned Big West All-Academic and Big West All-Tournament Team honors. She graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise biology with a minor in psychology.
The Spokane, Wash. native was also played four years of varsity basketball at Central Valley High School before graduating in 2006.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to join the Saint Mary’s women’s basketball program and Gael community,” said Heintz. “I am excited to be a part of such an impressive program and academic institution. I look forward to working with the wonderful players, staff, and athletics department and contributing to their established foundation of success.”
https://smcgaels.com/news/2019/6/26/wbb-heidi-heintz-hired-as-assistant-womens-basketball-coach.aspx
