Canadian Senior National Teammates Reunite at University of Michigan

Four-time Canadian Olympian Natalie Achonwa has been hired by the Michigan women’s basketball team.

The Olympics may be over, but members of the Canadian Senior National Team are sticking together!

The University of Michigan women’s basketball program announced on Tuesday that four-time Canadian Olympian Natalie Achonwa has been hired as the Assistant Coach — Player Development. She joins the program as incoming freshman Syla Swords jumps into NCAA play with the Wolverines after making her Olympic debut in Paris this year.

Achonwa played collegiate basketball at Notre Dame before being drafted into the WNBA in 2014. She played 8 seasons in the league with the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx before stepping away in 2023 to have her first child. She made her return to basketball to help the Canadian National team reach the Olympics in 2024.

As a four-time Olympian and captain of the senior women’s team, Achonwa is a huge part of the culture at Canada Basketball. Her vocal leadership and experience was evident, as well as the love her teammates have for her. This leap to coaching makes sense to anyone who has followed Achonwa’s career, but doing so in a program with one of Canada’s next stars is special.

Syla Swords comes into Michigan already having a packed resume of accomplishments. Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Swords’ father Shawn Swords also played for Canada Basketball, and now coaches for the Long Island Nets in the NBA G-League. Swords played high school basketball at Long Island Lutheran High School, becoming a McDonald’s All-American and an Olympian before even finishing high school. She committed to the University of Michigan and will play her first NCAA season in 2024-2025. She is set to be a mainstay of the Canadian Senior national team for years to come, and has huge potential as a player.

Now that Achonwa and Swords are reunited, that potential gets even more exciting. Not only is Swords now getting incredible mentorship on the NCAA side, but Achonwa will no doubt help Swords prepare for her next appearance in a Canada jersey. Plus, the chemistry the two have already built in the last year travelling and competing will hopefully help Swords as she transitions to college basketball.

This incoming class of freshmen on the women’s NCAA side is extremely exciting, and Michigan pulled in some great recruits. Going into her college career already an Olympian, Swords has experience playing against some of the best in the world — she got real impactful minutes in Canada’s Olympic run. That is a huge advantage for Michigan, and having Achonwa there to help her translate those skills will only help Swords develop.

Canada basketball fans have many teams to cheer for this NCAA season with Canadians all over the map! It will be nice to see the Canadian love in Michigan’s program this season. Congrats to Natalie on the new gig!