Terrell Coburn is the head coach of Wagner women’s basketball on Staten Island, New York. He became the first African American head coach in program history ahead of the 2021-22 season after serving five years as an assistant coach on Grymes Hill. Before being elevated at Wagner, Coburn built his coaching résumé as a graduate assistant and then director of player development at his alma mater, Central Arkansas, where the Sugar Bears went a combined 42-22 in his two seasons and reached the Women’s Basketball Invitational in 2011. He later spent five seasons as an assistant at Long Island University, where the Blackbirds reached the NEC Tournament four times and posted one of the biggest wins in program history with a victory over Oklahoma State. His recruiting work at LIU helped produce top-50 recruiting classes in 2013 and 2014 according to Dan Olson’s Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. Before returning to Staten Island, he also served as an assistant at ASA College, helping guide the program to a 22-4 record and an NJCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2015-16. Coburn made an immediate impact in his first season as Wagner’s head coach. He earned his first career head coaching victory in his debut game on Nov. 9, 2021, against NJIT and later led the Seahawks to a landmark 62-59 win over St. John’s at the Spiro Sports Center. Wagner won four of its first five games that season, reached the NEC Tournament, and Coburn collected his first NEC Tournament victory with a March 7 win over LIU. The Seahawks finished the regular season with 16 wins, leaving Coburn sixth nationally in victories among first-year head coaches. Individually, Emilija Krista Grava earned First Team All-NEC and Third Team All-Met honors, Zhaneia Thybulle was named Third Team All-NEC, and Lina Loceniece landed on the NEC All-Rookie Team. Coburn’s early Wagner teams quickly developed a distinct identity built around pressure defense and forcing turnovers. In 2021-22, the Seahawks finished in the national top 10 in three-point field goal percentage defense and ranked 29th nationally in turnovers forced per game and 59th in scoring defense. Wagner also finished in the top 75 nationally in turnover margin and steals per game. In 2022-23, the Seahawks opened NEC play with a 6-0 record, the best conference start in program history, while finishing 11th in the nation in turnovers forced, 15th in turnover margin, and 52nd in steals per game. During that season, Thybulle led the NEC in assists for the second straight year and ranked 91st nationally in assists per game, while Alex Cowan earned All-NEC Second Team recognition and finished among the conference’s top five scorers. The defensive style remained a hallmark in 2023-24. Wagner ranked 38th nationally in turnovers forced and 50th in steals per game.
On Dec. 30, 2023, the Seahawks recorded 30 steals against Saint Elizabeth, the most in a game in program history and the fifth-highest total in the nation that season. Rakisha Ballinger broke a 30-year-old single-game school record in that contest with 12 steals. Coburn also oversaw major individual growth that year. Ballinger raised her scoring average from 3.6 points per game as a sophomore to 8.7 as a junior, while transfers Semie Brar and Taleah Washington emerged as important scorers. Brar averaged a team-best 9.4 points per game and scored 26 against Iona, while Washington averaged 9.2 points and 3.8 assists and posted a career-high 29 points against LIU. Freshman Kiera Edmonds added another strong development story by earning NEC All-Rookie Team honors after averaging 9.9 points and 7.8 rebounds during conference play and producing four double-doubles. Coburn’s program-setting work continued in 2024-25. On Dec. 30, 2024, Wagner defeated Old Westbury 133-34 and set school records for points, margin of victory, field goals made, and assists while also tying a program record by shooting 100 percent from the free throw line. Taleah Washington set a new school record with 22 assists in that game. At season’s end, Coburn helped guide Keana Foz to NEC All-Rookie Team honors and Julia Fabozzi to All-NEC Second Team recognition. Fabozzi scored 40 points against LIU and 38 against Old Westbury, placing herself among the top single-game scorers in program history, and twice made 12 free throws in a game, matching one of the rarest feats in Wagner history. Player development has been a central theme of Coburn’s tenure. Grava earned three consecutive All-NEC First Team selections under his guidance, while Thybulle became a two-time all-conference guard and one of the league’s top facilitators. Coburn also helped build a roster capable of both individual honors and program milestones, including first-year standouts and transfers who immediately contributed. The consistent statistical jumps in defensive efficiency, steals, and turnovers forced reflect the broader structure he has brought to the program. Before coaching, Coburn was a standout guard at Central Arkansas. His coaching career has remained rooted in building relationships, recruiting talent from multiple regions, and elevating both established players and newcomers. In addition to his on-court success, he continues to serve as a prominent figure in the growth of Wagner women’s basketball. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Geneen, daughter Taylor, and son Taj.
