Sharon Rissmiller

University of Portland women’s basketball alum Sharon Rissmiller returned to The Bluff as an assistant coach in April of 2019. Rissmiller spent the previous four years as the director of operations at Oregon State.

“We feel like we have made an incredible hire with Sharon,” Meek said. “Not only does she have head coaching experience of her own, but she also directly comes from an elite national level program at Oregon State. She will be instrumental in the development of our culture and growth at the University of Portland. Sharon is a University of Portland alum with a plethora of experiences that make her a fantastic addition, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our basketball family.”

“I am really excited about this opportunity to work with coach Meek,” said Rissmiller. “He is well respected, a wonderful person and a proven winner. As a former player, it is an honor to join in supporting his vision for the future of Pilots women’s basketball, and it’s also a dream come true to be back on The Bluff.”

In Corvallis, Rissmiller coordinated the team’s logistics for the past four years, helping the Beavers make an unprecedented run to the 2016 Final Four. Oregon State won three-straight Pac-12 titles from 2015-17, and they’ve made the Sweet 16 in four consecutive seasons.

Prior to joining the Beavers, Rissmiller spent seven seasons as the head coach of Pacific (Ore.), leading the team to back-to-back winning seasons in 2012-13 and 2013-14. She also led the program to one of the best seasons in school history in 2008-09, when Pacific finished third in the Northwest Conference en route to its first appearance in the league’s postseason tournament since 1996.

During her time with the Boxers, Rissmiller coached six All-Northwest Conference players, including a pair of two-time honorees.

Before taking over at Pacific, Rissmiller spent three seasons as head coach of Tacoma Community College, heading up a substantial turnaround in the program as the team finished 18-11 in 2006-07 after going 1-19 in her first year with the squad. In her time at Tacoma, Rissmiller led the team to an NWAACC Playoff Tournament appearance and saw a pair of players selected to the NWAACC All-West Region Team.

Rissmiller also spent one season as the head women’s basketball coach at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., and she spent one season coaching Team Concept, a northwest AAU program.

Rissmiller starred on the court from the Pilots from 1997 to 2001, and she still ranks ninth all-time at Portland with a .770 career free throw percentage. She compiled 1,069 career points, she was named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team as a senior, and she earned league honorable mention accolades during her junior season. Rissmiller averaged 14.1 points and 5.5 rebounds during her senior campaign, and she was named the team’s MVP that same season. As a sophomore, she helped the Pilots reach the WNIT.