Lindsay Sharman was named the head coach of the William Smith basketball program prior to the start of the 2005-06 season. In 17 seasons at the helm, she has compiled an impressive 242-199 record (.549). Sharman has directed her Heron teams to three Liberty League regular season championships, two 20-win seasons, two NCAA tournament appearances, a Liberty League tournament title, and an ECAC Upstate tournament championship.
Sharman’s charges have earned 42 All-Liberty League awards (13 first team, 17 second team, 12 honorable mention) as well as seven Liberty League All-Rookie Team selections. She has tutored four conference rookies of the year (Erin Cunningham ’10, Mollie Danahy ’11, Melanie Patterson '17, Brooke Jarvis '24) and two players of the year (Marisa Vespa ’08, Mia Morrison '19). Vespa went on to garner first-team All-American honors from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and played professionally in the Danish Women’s Basketball League. Morrison was a third team D3hoops.com All-American and played professional basketball in Costa Rica and Bosnia. Parisi earned All-America honorable mention honors in 2021-22.
In 2022-23, Sharman led William Smith to a 7-18 record with a 5-13 mark in the Liberty League. Her Herons were third in the conference in rebounds and blocked shots and second in the conference in defensive rebounds. She produced two players that sat top-10 in scoring and rebounding. Sharman also produced two All-Liberty League selections, two USBWA Rochester Area selections and five Liberty League All-Academics. Sharman mentored senior Lauren DeVaney, who was named the second runner-up for the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar of the Year Award.Â
Sharman led William Smith to a 14-12 record in 2019-20, the program's fourth straight winning season, and returned the Herons to the Liberty League Tournament. William Smith led the conference in rebounding (45.6/g) and rebounding margin (+9.2/g) and ranked fourth in scoring margin (+4.6 ppg).
In 2018-19, Sharman led the Herons to a 17-9 record, including a 12-6 mark in the Liberty League. William Smith won its opening round game in the Liberty League Tournament to advance to the semifinals before falling on the road to the top seed. Morrison completed her distinguished career ranked in the top five on the program's career lists for points (2nd, 1,584), rebounds (5th, 845) and blocked shots (2nd, 89).
In 2017-18, the Herons won four of their final five regular season games to earn a berth in the Liberty League Tournament for the second straight season. The late season surge started with a spectacular 94-83 overtime win against Clarkson, a game that saw the Herons trailed by as many as 19 points. Power forward Mia Morrison led the team in scoring and rebounding on her way to first team All-Liberty League honors for the second straight season. Sharman's squad featured a talented and promising first-year class that included two Liberty League All-Rookie Team selections. Seven Herons earned a spot on the Liberty League All-Academic Team.
The 2016-17 season was a successful one for the Herons. On the court, the team posted a 17-9 overall record, marking a seven win improvement over 2015-16. William Smith opened conference play with a seven-game winning streak and finished league play in second place with an 11-5 record. The Herons' success was rewarded with two spots on the All-Liberty League first team, an All-Rookie team selection and the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year award. It's the fifth time in the past 13 seasons that Sharman has been part of the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year. The 2016-17 Herons brought the same determination and commitment to its academic pursuits, posting a 3.576 GPA, the 10th highest in Division III. Eight members of the team were named to the Liberty League All-Academic Team, the most in program history.
In 2013-14, William Smith posted a 19-7 record, earning Sharman and her assistants the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year Award. Between Dec. 7 and Jan. 25, William Smith enjoyed a 13-game win streak. The team ended the regular season by winning five of its final six games, finishing third in the Liberty League standings.
A year earlier, William Smith posted a 17-10 record and came within three points of a spot in the NCAA tournament field. The Herons tied for third place in the Liberty League with a 10-6 mark, and entered the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed. William Smith stunned defending conference champion, top-seeded Vassar, in the semifinals 69-58. In the championship game, the Herons came up just short of their seventh league title, falling to St. Lawrence 51-48.
In 2010-11, William Smith (16-11) was beset by injuries during its non-conference slate, but Sharman's squad put together a 10-4 run through the Liberty League regular season to earn a share of the conference title. The Herons narrowly missed a spot in the NCAA field, falling in the league championship game.
The 2007-08 William Smith squad produced its best record in more than a decade, finishing the campaign with a 25-4 mark. Sharman's Herons captured the Liberty League regular season crown and then won a pair of home games in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Sweet 16. She was named the Regional Coach of the Year by both the WBCA and D3hoops.com. Sharman also earned Coach of the Year honors from NYSWCAA, while she and her assistants were tabbed the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year.
In 2005-06, Sharman's first as a head coach, she led William Smith to a 22-6 record, the Liberty League regular season and tournament championships, and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Her efforts were recognized with the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year award.
Sharman also spent two seasons as the William Smith golf team's head coach and one as an assistant coach.
An All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) selection, Sharman is one of the top players in Kalamazoo history. She graduated 11th on the school’s career scoring list with 718 points, and was just the fourth player to record more than 500 rebounds (505). Sharman averaged 7.1 ppg and 5.0 rpg, playing in 101 contests. She served as a team captain during both her junior and senior seasons.
During her four seasons, Sharman helped Hornets to a 56-47 record, including back-to-back 18-8 seasons to close out her career.
A 2001 graduate of Kalamazoo, Sharman earned a bachelor’s degree in human development and social relations. She also spent a semester studying Mexican history, language, art, and culture at Universidad Autonoma Benito Juarez de Oaxaca.
Before joining the Heron coaching staff, Sharman served as an assistant coach for the girls’ varsity basketball team at Brookline (Mass.) High School.
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