Western Carolina women’s basketball and head coach Kiley Hill have added former Indiana University graduate assistant Shayna Gore to the Catamount assistant coaching staff, it was announced this week.
Gore replaces former assistant coach Megan Brown who spent four years on the WCU staff, first as the director of basketball operations and as an assistant coach.
“Energy creates opportunity. That is one thing that stood out during the entire process to hire Shayna,” said Hill. “Her energy and zest to be part of the coaching staff, humility, and willingness to serve others, along with authentic, genuine, and honest personality were factors that made her a great fit for Western Carolina.”
Hill added, “Having been part of tremendous programs in high school, club, and college as both a player and a coach, there is no doubt she can be a rising star in the profession. We are excited to be part of the next stop in her professional journey as a Catamount.”
Gore spent the past two seasons (2021-22, 2022-23) as the graduate assistant on staff at Indiana University. Over her two years on staff, the nationally-ranked Hoosiers compiled a 52-13 record and won the 2022-23 Big Ten Conference regular-season championship. IU twice made the NCAA tournament during Gore’s time on staff, hosting the opening two rounds in 2022-23 as the No. 1 national seed.
While in Bloomington, Ind., Gore worked closely with a pair of All-America selections in Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year Mackenzie Holmes, and first-team All-Big Ten selection – and WNBA draft pick – Grace Berger.
“I couldn’t be more grateful and excited for this opportunity that lies ahead at Western Carolina,” said Gore. “I instantly clicked with Coach (Kiley) Hill and his staff, along with the team when I took a visit to campus, and I felt right at home. It felt right on my heart and after seeing the area, it reminded me of home in West Virginia. I’m forever thankful for the experience and opportunities Indiana provided me over the last two years and I am confident that these will carry over to Coach Hill and his program. I can’t wait to get on campus and hit the ground running. Go Catamounts!”
Gore earned her start in coaching as the head girls’ basketball coach at St. Albans High in St. Albans, W.Va., patrolling the sidelines for two seasons as the youngest head coach in the state of West Virginia. Her impact was felt right away as St. Albans downed both the No. 5 and No. 9 teams in the state in her rookie head coaching season.
Her experience includes working as a basketball trainer at Complex 7, a fitness facility in Proctorville, Ohio, and coaching the West Virginia Thunder 2026 Gold team in the spring of 2021 in three tournaments, advancing to the championship bracket with a second-place finish in one.
Originally from Logan, W.Va., Gore was a four-year standout at Marshall University from 2015-19 where she was a three-time Conference-USA selection, earning first-team plaudits as a senior. She averaged 20.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and shot 38 percent from the 3-point line. Gore finished her collegiate career with 2,081 points, ranking third-best in program history and sixth all-time in C-USA history. She recorded two of the Marshall’s top 10 best single-season scoring efforts including fourth with 642 points in 2018-19 and 568 in 2017-18, tied for the ninth-best in program history.
Playing as a guard, Gore finished as the Thundering Herd’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals made in a career with a program-best 303 career triples made. Marshall twice advanced to the postseasons during her tenure, earning an invitation to the WNIT in 2015-16 and a bid to the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) in 2018-19.
Gore, the West Virginia Gatorade State Player of the Year in 2015 and a four-time first-team All-State selection, closed her prep career as the all-time leading scorer at Logan High School with 1,991 points.
A 2019 graduate of Marshall University with a degree in health science, Gore earned a master’s degree in public affairs at Indiana University in 2023.
