Yvonne Sanchez - Women's Basketball Coach - University of Michigan Athletics

Yvonne Sanchez

Title:
Assistant Coach

Yvonne Sanchez enters her third season in Ann Arbor during the 2020-21 academic year. She came to Michigan after serving as both an assistant coach and head coach at New Mexico from 2000-16. Sanchez helps coach the guards for the Maize and Blue.

During her second year in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines compiled a 21-11 record and were poised to make the 2020 NCAA Tournament before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wolverines won three games at the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in school history, highlighted by a win over No. 11 Northwestern in the quarterfinals.

The Wolverines made their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018-19, advancing to the second round after an 84-54 win over Kansas State in the first round. Naz Hillmon racked up the postseason honors, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year (media), Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year and was a consensus All-Big Ten first teamer, while Hallie Thome grabbed her third straight All-Big Ten first-team nod. With the Wolverines sitting at 12-9 and 10th in the Big Ten at 3-6 on Jan. 27, Michigan ripped off seven straight games in the month of February to vault into a fourth-place finish in the conference (11-7). Michigan reached the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2001 en route to wrapping up an NCAA Tournament bid.

Sanchez was on staff at the University of New Mexico from 2000-2016, spending the last five seasons of her tenure as head coach. She amassed 77 victories as head coach and was named the 2014-15 Mountain West Coach of the Year after winning a school-record 14 conference games. During her time as an assistant coach (2000-08) and associate head coach (2008-11), the Lobos won two regular season Mountain West titles, five conference tournament titles and made seven NCAA Tournament appearances. New Mexico won 239 games from 2000-2011, highlighted by the program's only NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2003.

Prior to her time in Albuquerque, Sanchez served as an assistant coach at New Mexico State (1993-99) and San Diego State (1999-2000). Sanchez graduated with a degree in psychology from U.S. International University in San Diego, where she was a four-year letterwinner. A native New Mexican, Sanchez led Eldorado High School to a state-record 74 consecutive wins and two 4A titles before earning 4A Player of the Year honors by the Albuquerque Journal.