Head Coach Doshia Woods (Western Illinois ’01) enters her fifth year in charge of the Pioneers in 2024-25. Woods was named the 11th head women’s basketball coach in the program’s history on July 21, 2020.
2020-21:
In her debut season, Woods ushered in a new type of efficient offense that put pressure on the defense on all three levels, resulting in the team being ranked in the top 50 in the NCAA in free throw attempts (42nd), free throws made (28th), free throw percentage (36th), 3s attempted (28th), 3s made (32nd) and 3s made per game (13th).
The Crimson and Gold immediately became one of the top offensive teams in the Summit League, ranking second in points per game with a 71.8 team scoring average. DU’s 9.0 3s made per game average was tops in the whole league.
The first-year coach’s new style of play resulted in breakout campaigns from junior Anna Jackson and sophomores Meghan Boyd and Uju Ezeudu. Jackson went on to lead the Summit League in 3s made per game with a 2.5 average and ranked third in 3-point percentage at 39.4. Boyd and Ezeudu took their offensive games to another level, ranking fifth (15.3) and sixth (15.2) in scoring averages in the league. Boyd finished first in the league in 3s made with 164 and in free throw percentage (89.5 percent).
Ezeudu’s development resulted in a Second Team All-Summit League selection after posting averages of 15.2 points per game (sixth in the Summit League) and 6.4 rebounds (seventh in the Summit League).
The Topeka, Kansas native picked up her first signature win of her head coaching career with a 70-69 home victory over Colorado on Dec. 8, 2020, the first time in 10 years that Denver defeated the Buffaloes.
2021-22:
In Woods’ second season with the program, the Pioneers got off to a 5-6 start, highlighted by a 100-94 quadruple overtime win at Historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in early December. Graduate student transfer Indeya Sanders hit a triple-OT buzzer beater to send the game to a fourth OT. The win in Indianapolis capped Denver’s first three-game winning streak under Woods.
A COVID-19 pause interrupted the early stages of conference play, forcing a rescheduling situation that saw the Pioneers require six-straight games on the road. The Pioneers overcame an 0-8 start to conference play with three wins in five, followed by a pair of wins on the final weekend to book their ticket to Sioux Falls.
Woods continued to implement her style of play for the Pioneers in 2021-22, with an aggressive style on both sides of the floor that saw Denver lead the Summit League and rank 12th in the country in blocked shots per game (5.2), while also getting to the line on the other end, sitting 22nd in the country with a 76.7% free-throw clip.
Denver’s offense continued to prioritize the three-ball, ranking in the top-70 in three-pointers attempted (39th), three-pointers made (68th) and three-point field goals per game (56th).
Woods coached Ezeudu to another Second Team All-Summit League honor in her final season with the program. Ezeudu made a living at the free-throw line, ranking in the top-10 in the NCAA in free-throws made and free-throws attempted.
2022-23:
After five wins in the league in each of her two first seasons, the program took a stride forward in the 2022-23 campaign, winning eight games to move from finishing eighth the year prior to finishing in a tie for fifth with an 8-10 record in Summit League action.
The Pioneers also improved their overall win total by two, going 12-18 in Woods’ third season in charge.
Denver opened the league calendar with a 3-1 mark after wins at Kansas City and a weekend sweep of St. Thomas and Western Illinois inside Hamilton Gymnasium. The fast start to the league calendar was the program’s first 3-1 start since 2018-19.
After losing six-straight in the middle of the league slate, Woods and the Pioneers responded well to the tough stretch, winning five of the final seven games of the regular season. After completing the season sweep of Kansas City on January 28, Denver won in two buildings it had never won in before, defeating Western Illinois and Macomb and South Dakota in Vermillion, both the first time in 11 tries.
In the Summit League First Round, the Pioneers fell victim to a piece of March Madness, dropping the contest 66-65 on a buzzer-beating triple.
Denver’s defense turned up the heat in 2022-23, led by Makayla Minett, who helped lead Denver to the 40th-most blocks in the country at 4.3 per game. Minett finished ninth in the country in blocks per game.
2023-24:
The Pioneers finished seventh in the Summit League in Woods' fourth season at the head of the program.
Denver defeated Oral Roberts in Hamilton Gymnasium, the programs' first win over the Golden Eagles since Jan. 29 2022. After falling to Kansas City in the first round of the 2022-23 Summit League tournament, Denver completed the second-consecutive regular season sweep of the Roos on February 29th.
DU earned two all-conference selections in Jordan Jones and Emma Smith. Smith led the conference in three-point FG per game (2.69) and steals per game (2.00) while Jones was seventh in scoring (16.25ppg) and rebounding (6.75rpg).
2024-25:
The Pioneers finished ninth in the Summit League in Woods’ fifth season as the head of the Pioneers.
Denver finished 14th nationally in free throw percentage (78.3), 46th in free throws per game (13.83) and 44th in three point attempts per game (24.2).
DU earned two all-conference selections in Jordan Jones and Laia Monclova. Jones averaged 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest, breaking the single season scoring record (597), single season free throws (201) and free throw attempts (249). Monclova averaged 5.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per contest.
At Tulane:
Woods came to the Mile High City after 10 seasons on the Tulane women’s basketball coaching staff. During her time at Tulane, Woods and the Green Wave produced six-straight 20+ win seasons and earned seven-straight postseason berths, including a trip to the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Woods ended her time at Tulane as the recruiting coordinator and was responsible for the perimeter players, scouting reports, recruiting, admissions, compliance and academic progress.
In her time at Tulane, Woods coached six different guards to all-conference honors, including four-time all-conference selection Kolby Morgan, who became the first player in program history to reach 1,000 career points in her first two seasons. Woods coached Leslie Vorpahl, a two-time all-conference selection, to becoming just the second player in the Green Wave’s program history to surpass both 1,000 career points and 500 career assists. Woods helped land a national top 50 recruit, Louisiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Miss Basketball and the No. 1 recruit in Louisiana, Jerkaila Jordan, in the 2020 class.
Off the Court:
The Topeka, Kansas, native has been a guest on various podcasts about leadership and team culture. A featured speaker for the 2021 The Power of Positive Summit presented Jon Gordon, Woods discussed her transition from assistant to head coach. Additionally, Woods serves on various committees including the University of Denver athletics department DEI, DU’s Black Community Advisory Board, and Tulane University Alumni Council for the school of professional advancement. An active member of the WBCA (Women’s Basketball Coaches Association) she has participated as a speaker for multiple roundtables and panels at the national convention, while also serving on committees within the WBCA.
Doshia Woods and Lindsay Werntz have been married since 2011.
