Former Section V girls basketball star takes Division I coaching position

One of Monroe County's all-time great girls basketball players has taken on a new role in her post-playing career.

Megan Shoniker, who starred for Greece Arcadia High School in the mid-2000s and led the team to its lone NYSPHSAA title in 2004, has accepted the women's basketball head coach position at the University of New Hampshire , a Division I program that competes in the America East conference.

Shoniker was introduced as the program's new head coach during a press conference on Thursday, following an official announcement last month.

"We had a huge pool and some great candidates … but Megan Shoniker stood out above everybody," UNH Director of Athletics Allison Rich said. "She has fantastic experience at multiple institutions, was an outstanding player, and has worked in every aspect of coaching and leading a team. We’re really excited to have her on board here.”

"I'm extremely passionate, I'm energetic, I'm competitive, but I'm also extremely positive," Shoniker said, when asked to describe her coaching style. "My whole goal with these young women is to inspire them and motivate them, and put them in the best possible position to be successful, not just on the court but in life."

During her interscholastic career, Shoniker was a four-time All-Greater Rochester selection and the Monroe County Division II player of the year three times. During her freshman year, Shoniker averaged 16.3 points, 5.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 steals as the 24-1 Titans marched to the Class AA state title.

Shoniker graduated in 2007 as Monroe County's all-time leading scorer with 2,216 points.

After Arcadia, Shoniker played four seasons at the University of Rhode Island, where she holds program records in minutes played, free throws made and field goal attempts. She then played one year professionally in Belarus.

Shoniker’s coaching pursuit began at St. John Fisher College in 2012 where, as a graduate student, she assisted the women’s basketball program in various capacities. Stops at Canisius, Binghamton and Rhode Island followed before Shoniker was tabbed as New Hampshire’s next head coach.

The Wildcats finished 9-20 in 2023-24 and have not posted a winning record since 2017-18.

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: Former Section V girls basketball star takes Division I coaching position