After playing for Queen's Women's Basketball from 2002-07 when she was an OUA East First Team All-star, CIS All-Canadian nominee, and University Award of Merit recipient, Claire Meadows (Artsci/PHE'07) returned to the Gaels as Head Coach in 2021. She previously coached at the University of Saskatchewan, University of British Columbia Okanagan, and with the Canadian National Junior Women's Basketball Team.

Meadows talked to GoGaelsGo.com about her time at Queen's, returning to her alma mater, and hosting the 2022 U SPORTS Women's Basketball Final 8.

What was it like to come back to your alma mater as head coach?

To come back to my alma mater as head coach was a very special moment for me. I loved my time at Queen's as a player. Since my playing days, Queen's Athletics has done an excellent job transforming the facilities and department into a high-performance training centre. The program has found great success in recent years and to have the opportunity to lead this team in this environment it something that I do not take for granted.

Do you have any memories that stand out in particular as a player?

I have many memories from my time here as a player. Of course, there are a lot of playing memories but I definitely cherish all the moments off court the most. To this day, some of my closest friends are those who I played with. We travelled well back in the day, and I have a lot of great memories from all of our road trips, particularly anytime we went to Thunder Bay. We always made the most of our time together.

What was the transition like from playing to coaching?

There is always an adjustment period when you are changing roles. I was very fortunate as a player and young coach to be put in many different leadership positions that helped with the transition from playing to coaching. To add, I was very fortunate to have a few different mentors work with me to aide in that transition.  

How excited are you for the team to be hosting and competing in the U SPORTS Women's Basketball Final 8?

Our program is thrilled to be hosting the U SPORTS Women's Basketball Final 8. This is a tremendous opportunity for our student-athletes to be able to compete in the championship on their home court. It's also a huge opportunity to showcase our program and facilities to the basketball community.

What are your long-term goals for the program?

My long-term goals for this program are to consistently contend for national titles and develop leaders who will give back to their communities when they are finished in our program.

Tournament passes for the U SPORTS Women's Basketball Final 8 are on sale now and can be purchased here.