North Alabama Women's Basketball Adds Coaching Trio

Familiar faces from Northwestern State join new head coach Anna Nimz's staff

Apr. 10, 2026 at 6:20pm

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A cubist-style painting depicting the dynamic movements and energy of a women's basketball game, with the players and court deconstructed into sharp, overlapping geometric shapes and planes.The new North Alabama women's basketball coaching staff brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of developing talent to the program.Indianapolis Today

University of North Alabama women's basketball head coach Anna Nimz has announced the addition of three assistant coaches to her staff - Leasa Ailshie, Mike Brown, and Greg Waters. All three previously worked with Nimz at Northwestern State, helping build the program into a Southland Conference contender over the past six seasons.

Why it matters

The new coaching staff brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success to the UNA women's basketball program. Their familiarity with Nimz's system and coaching philosophy should help provide stability and continuity as the team looks to build on recent progress and compete at a high level in the ASUN Conference.

The details

Ailshie has 16 years of coaching experience, including six seasons as the associate head coach at Northwestern State. Brown has over 25 years of coaching experience, with the last six at Northwestern State. Waters joins UNA after serving as an assistant coach and director of basketball operations at Northwestern State the past two seasons.

  • Nimz officially announced the new coaching staff on April 10, 2026.
  • Ailshie, Brown, and Waters will begin their new positions at North Alabama immediately.

The players

Anna Nimz

The head coach of the University of North Alabama women's basketball team.

Leasa Ailshie

A new assistant coach at UNA with 16 years of coaching experience, including six seasons as the associate head coach at Northwestern State under Nimz.

Mike Brown

A new assistant coach at UNA with over 25 years of coaching experience, including the last six seasons at Northwestern State under Nimz.

Greg Waters

A new assistant coach at UNA who spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach and director of basketball operations at Northwestern State.

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What they’re saying

“Coach A is an exceptional leader, recruiter and player development coach. She brings a wealth of experience to our program and an understanding of the culture and standard of what it means to be a Lion women's basketball player.”

— Anna Nimz, Head Coach, University of North Alabama Women's Basketball

“Coach Brown brings a lot of years of experience to our program and understands the vision and philosophy of our program. He is a great high school and junior college recruiter that understands the importance of building and maintaining relationships throughout the season.”

— Anna Nimz, Head Coach, University of North Alabama Women's Basketball

“Coach Waters brings heart, drive and determination to our program. He has a very analytical mind that aids us in the recruitment of players, film breakdown and scout player personnel.”

— Anna Nimz, Head Coach, University of North Alabama Women's Basketball

What’s next

The new coaching staff will look to build on the recent success of the Northwestern State program and lead the UNA women's basketball team to new heights in the ASUN Conference.

The takeaway

The addition of this experienced coaching trio with deep ties to head coach Anna Nimz should provide a strong foundation for the UNA women's basketball program to continue its upward trajectory in the coming seasons.