Sarah Besselink was appointed head coach of the University of Calgary Dinos women's basketball program on April 16, 2025.
Besselink is the ninth head coach in program history. She joined the Dinos from the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, where she spent five seasons on the coaching staff, including four as lead assistant coach. She has also worked in the provincial coaching ranks, most recently serving as head coach of Ontario's under-15 girls' basketball team.
Joining the coaching staff at her alma mater in 2020, Besselink played a key role in keeping the Gee-Gees a perennial national championship contender within the highly competitive Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East division. In her four seasons as lead assistant, the Gee-Gees compiled a regular-season record of 65-15, including a 19-3 campaign in 2024–25 that saw the team win the OUA championship and claim a bronze medal at the U SPORTS national championship.
Besselink's responsibilities included overseeing individual film and on-court sessions, preparing scouting reports and tactics, organizing and communicating schedules, and supporting recruitment. She also contributed to alumni engagement and summer camp programming.
Over the past three summers, Besselink led Ontario teams to three podium finishes at the Canada Basketball National Championships, capturing two gold medals and one bronze. Ontario won gold in her first year as head coach of the under-15 girls' team.
A native of Kingston, Ont., Besselink played guard for the Gee-Gees from 2013 to 2019. She was named to the OUA East All-Rookie Team in her first season, then overcame a torn ACL in her second year and knee surgery that forced her to miss the entire 2017–18 season. Over 92 regular-season games, she averaged 9.2 points per game and earned OUA Second Team All-Star honours in both 2016–17 and 2018–19. During her playing career, Ottawa made two national championship appearances, earning a U SPORTS bronze medal in 2018–19.
A former U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian, Besselink holds an honours Bachelor of Human Kinetics (2018) and Bachelor of Education (2020), both from the University of Ottawa.
All-Time Calgary Dinos Women's Basketball Coaches
Pat Dewar
Dr. Jean Leiper
Theresa Maxwell (1972-75)
Marilyn McNeil (1975-79)
Donna Rudakas (1979-90, 1991-94)
Jane Anne Smith (1990-91)
Shawnee Harle (1994-2012)
Damian Jennings (2012-2024)
Sarah Besselink (2025-Present)
Dinos Women's Basketball Coaching Record History
