Mai-Loni Henson, who most recently served as an assistant coach at Colorado College, joined the Ramblers' women's basketball staff in the same position in July 2024.
Through her one-year stint in Colorado Springs, Henson helped the Tigers achieve their first 20-win season in 40 years and an appearance in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championship Game. Additionally, Henson helped mentor the league's Player and Defensive Player of the Year. It was the program's first time ever receiving the conference's Defensive Player of the Year award.
Henson's duties extended beyond on-court coaching at Colorado College. Player development, recruiting, scouting, organizing team community service activities, leadership development, team travel, and managing the program's social media accounts all fell under her umbrella. Furthermore, she helped the women's basketball team form the school's first Black Student-Athlete Association. Â Â Â
With an emphasis on hard work in the classroom, Henson helped mentor Zoë Tomlinson who earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-American Second Team honors. Tomlinson was just the third player in program history to be named an academic all-American.
A former professional basketball player, Henson played three seasons overseas in France for Le Havre Aplemont (NF1 division) and ASA Aulnoye (LF2 division).
Henson was a standout student-athlete at Washington from 2016-2020 and served as team captain for her final two seasons. Through 123 games, the forward averaged 6.0 points, 1.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. As a freshman, Henson helped the Huskies reach the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in program history before logging the team's second-highest points per game average the following season.
She cut her teeth in coaching first as an assistant at her alma mater, La Jolla Country Day High School, and later as the head coach of the San Diego Bulldogs Youth Club Team.
A native of San Diego, Calif., Henson earned a bachelor's degree in public health from Washington in 2020. She was an active member of the Husky Leadership Academy and landed on the Dean's List her senior year.
