After playing NCAA Division 1 basketball for two years, Kanani Coon is coming home.
The Kelowna native and Okanagan Mission Secondary graduate will join the UBC Okanagan Heat women’s basketball team for the 2025-26 season.
She returns to her hometown, and home country, after spending the last two years playing for the University of California Santa Barbara Guachos.
"Kanani is someone we recruited out of high school and are very happy she is coming home to play here at UBCO," said Heat head coach Bobby Mitchell.
"A player like her coming home shows where our program is at and says a lot about the entire team. Kanani will join a strong group and makes us better instantly."
Coon played 29 games for the Gauchos over two years, including 21 games this past season in which she averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.
That included a career-best 11 points and five rebounds in a game against UC Davis.
Prior to her collegiate career, Coon was a BC provincial all-star while playing for the OKM Huskies in 2022-23, averaging 24 points and nine rebounds per game in her senior season.
"Kanani has size and versatility at both ends of the floor and we anticipate her having an immediate impact as she is a very good fit to our style of play," added Mitchell.
“Her ability to score and put pressure on defences will free up more opportunities for everyone. We are very excited to get to work this off season as a group."
The Heat are coming off a fourth straight trip to the Canada West playoffs after posting a 7-13 record in the Pacific division last season.
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