Shantay Legans

Shantay Legans was hired as the University of Portland men’s basketball head coach in March of 2021 after he led Eastern Washington to the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Legans carried that winning pedigree to The Bluff where he guided the Pilots to 19 wins and the program’s first postseason victory at the NCAA level in 2022. Legans matched the fourth-most wins in a season since Portland joined the Division I ranks in 1958.

Other highlights from his inaugural season at Portland included a road win against NCAA Tournament participant San Francisco, a 7-7 West Coast Conference record, and a six-game win streak late in the season. Legans was also able to bring back the top seven scorers and all major contributors to the 2022-23 roster, in addition to a talented class of transfers and incoming freshmen.

At Eastern Washington, Legans helped lead the Eagles to five of the program’s seven all-time postseason appearances during his 12 years on staff. In his four years as head coach in Cheney, he compiled the best overall (.605) and conference (.726) winning percentages in school history. As head coach, he also guided the Eagles to an NCAA Tournament appearance, Big Sky Coach of the Year honor and two conference championships. Legans also served on the NCAA Rules Committee and CollegeInsider.com's Eracism Committee for promoting equality and inclusion in collegiate athletics.

He was one of 25 finalists for the 2021 Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award which goes to a coach who not only achieves success on the court but who displays moral integrity off the floor. Legans was also among the 25 finalists for the Ben Jobe Award presented to the top NCAA Division I minority coach.

Legans was ranked 11th on ESPN's "40 Under 40" list of the top 40 college basketball coaches under the age of 40 in 2020. In addition to the Eagles' success on the floor, the men's basketball program achieved a team GPA of 3.40 or above in each of his four seasons in Cheney.