Basketball Manitoba would like to acknowledge the accomplishments of female basketball players, recognize the influence of women leaders, and advocate on equity for women and girls in sports. Women in sport should be celebrated year-round for the legacy and impact they have left and continue to create for young girls.
Basketball Manitoba is excited to introduce a new weekly social media initiative called "Women in Basketball Wednesdays." This feature will showcase various coaches, officials, board members, league coordinators, and volunteers that make up our basketball community. Every Wednesday, Basketball Manitoba will be posting one individual to feature on our social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
If you would like to nominate an influential female coach, official, league coordinator, or volunteer, for this type of recognition, please contact Tiffany at tiffany@basketballmanitoba.ca.
Women in Basketball Wednesday - Michele Sung
Michele Sung (nee Hynes) enters her eighth year as head coach of the Bison women's basketball team in 2021-22. It hasn't taken Sung long to turn the Bisons into a more competitive Canada West contender. Four years ago, the squad made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and they repeated that feat every season since.
Under Sung's watch, veteran guard Taylor Randall was named a conference all-star for three straight seasons (2017-19), while rookie guard Lauren Bartlett and fourth-year forward Addison Martin also took home hardware following the 2019-20 campaign. Barlett was named to the All-Rookie team, while Martin was the recipient of the Tracy MacLeod Award which celebrates courage in overcoming adversity. She also became the first player in team history to receive such an honour.
A product of Millgrove, Ontario -- a hotbed for women's basketball in Canada -- Sung attended St. Mary High School, which is widely known as a basketball factory. After a successful career at St. Mary, Sung chose the U of M for her post-secondary basketball career beginning in 2006.
Sung played five years with the Bisons, completing her university basketball career in 2010 while also obtaining a Bachelor of Kinesiology degree. During her time with the team, she racked up an impressive resume. She was an Academic All-Canadian as a freshman in 2006-07, as well as team captain for three consecutive seasons, beginning in 2007-08. One of her biggest accomplishments as a Bison occurred following the 2009-10 season, when she received the Sylvia Sweeney Award – presented to a player who demonstrates outstanding achievement in basketball, academics, and community involvement.
Sung's head coach while with the Bisons, Pam Danis, also helped to instill a passion for community outreach within the team. Danis was just starting her work with Aboriginal communities at the time of Sung's commitment and the squad would have a number of team events at Skownan First Nation, with Sung helping as a mentor coach during her entire Bisons tenure.
Following her playing days as a Bison, Sung spent a year with ZKK Partizan Basketball Club in Belgrade, Serbia, but was drawn back to the U of M because she wanted to finish her second degree (in engineering). It was during this time that a number of coaching opportunities were presented to her in the province. One of Sung's earliest coaching opportunities was with the 17U Manitoba female provincial team, where she was an apprentice coach for two years under former Bison women's basketball head coach and U of M Athletic Director Coleen Dufresne, as well as veteran coach Don Thomson. The 2013 edition of the provincial team won a Bronze medal at the Canada Summer Games.
Sung also added national team experience to her resume shortly afterwards, becoming an assistant coach with Team Canada's Paralympic Basketball Team as well as a performance analyst with Team Canada's Development Team. She was also named to the U17 women's national team that represented Canada at the FIBA World Championships in 2016.
Michele is a current member of the Basketball Manitoba Board of Directors where she is able to help set the overall direction of the sport along with her Board colleagues.