Cheryl Jean-Paul enters her 17th year as head coach of the Trinity Western University women’s basketball program in 2026-27. Since joining the Spartans in 2010, Jean-Paul has compiled an overall record of 194-229 and a 146-158 record in Canada West regular-season play. She has guided TWU to nine postseason appearances, including five consecutive berths entering 2026-27. Her tenure has been highlighted by a program-record 16 conference victories and a fourth-place Canada West finish in 2017-18, when she was named the conference’s Coach of the Year. The 2026-27 campaign is her 16th competitive season after the cancellation of the 2020-21 Canada West season.
Jean-Paul, a Winnipeg native and former University of Manitoba player, brought experience at the collegiate, provincial and grassroots levels when she joined TWU. Alongside her work with the Spartans, she has coached Canada’s age-group national teams, developed athletes through Basketball BC and helped mentor the next generation of coaches.
In 2025-26, Jean-Paul guided Trinity Western to a 15-5 Canada West record and second place in the Pacific Division, earning the Spartans a home quarterfinal at the Langley Events Centre. TWU put together eight consecutive conference victories in November and won its final five regular-season games. The Spartans swept their season series against UNBC, Thompson Rivers and UBC Okanagan, while also taking both games against Lethbridge. Their fifth consecutive postseason appearance ended with a 76-47 quarterfinal loss to Calgary. 2025-26 schedule
Jean-Paul led the Spartans to a 10-10 Canada West record and a quarterfinal appearance in 2024-25. Trinity Western defeated Mount Royal 67-62 in the play-in round before falling 83-57 to Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. During the regular season, TWU won all three meetings with both Thompson Rivers and UNBC. Other highlights included an 84-74 overtime victory at Mount Royal, a 70-62 home win over Fraser Valley and a 68-60 road victory over Victoria. 2024-25 schedule
In 2023-24, Trinity Western finished 12-8 in Canada West after opening conference play with eight consecutive victories. That start included a home sweep of No. 10 Regina and a 111-58 road victory over Brandon. The Spartans also swept Thompson Rivers, Manitoba, Mount Royal and UNBC during the regular season. TWU’s postseason ended with a 63-57 play-in loss to UBC Okanagan. Following the season, the team travelled to Madagascar for a series of exhibition games. 2023-24 schedule
The Spartans posted a 12-8 Canada West record in 2022-23 and advanced to the conference quarterfinals. Jean-Paul’s team defeated Victoria 83-66 in the play-in round before its season ended with an 80-72 loss to Regina. TWU opened the regular season with four consecutive victories and recorded weekend sweeps of UNBC, Lethbridge, Victoria and MacEwan. The Spartans also earned a 66-63 victory over Alberta and closed conference play with an 82-79 road win over Winnipeg. 2022-23 schedule
After the cancellation of the previous season, Jean-Paul led Trinity Western to a 15-3 Canada West record in 2021-22, establishing the program’s best conference winning percentage at .833. The Spartans won their first eight regular-season games and swept all three meetings with UBC, Victoria, Thompson Rivers and UBC Okanagan. TWU defeated MacEwan 77-71 in the postseason before falling 76-67 to Lethbridge, finishing the campaign with an 18-6 overall record. 2021-22 schedule
Trinity Western did not compete in a Canada West season in 2020-21 after the conference cancelled basketball competition because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019-20, Trinity Western finished 6-14 in Canada West play. The Spartans recorded home sweeps of MacEwan and Brandon and won three of their final four regular-season games. TWU closed the campaign with a 68-64 road victory over Victoria, adding to an earlier 63-52 win over UNBC. The season followed four consecutive postseason appearances under Jean-Paul. 2019-20 schedule
Jean-Paul guided the Spartans to a 12-8 Canada West record in 2018-19, securing a third consecutive winning conference season and a fourth straight playoff berth. Trinity Western opened conference play with six consecutive victories, sweeping UBC Okanagan, Regina and Mount Royal. The Spartans later swept Manitoba and Fraser Valley, finishing the regular season with back-to-back wins over the Cascades. TWU’s season ended with an 80-78 play-in loss to UNBC. 2018-19 schedule
The 2017-18 campaign marked a breakthrough for Jean-Paul and the Spartans. Trinity Western established a program record with a 16-4 Canada West regular-season mark and finished fourth in the conference playoffs. TWU swept Alberta in the quarterfinals with 62-53 and 70-64 victories, then pushed Saskatchewan to a deciding third semifinal game after earning a 67-60 win in Game 2. The Spartans finished their playoff run with a narrow 65-63 loss to Calgary in the bronze-medal game. Jean-Paul was named Canada West Coach of the Year, becoming the first coach in program history to receive the honour. 2017-18 schedule | Coach of the Year announcement
In 2016-17, Jean-Paul led Trinity Western to a 12-8 Canada West record, improving the Spartans’ conference win total by four from the previous season. TWU advanced through its opening playoff series against Brandon, responding to a Game 1 loss with 70-57 and 67-60 victories. The Spartans then fell to Regina in the quarterfinals. Regular-season highlights included sweeps of UBC Okanagan, Lethbridge, Manitoba and Mount Royal, along with a 72-68 victory over Winnipeg. 2016-17 schedule
Jean-Paul guided Trinity Western to its first postseason appearance of her tenure in 2015-16. The Spartans finished 8-12 in conference play, doubling their win total from the previous season, and closed the regular season with four consecutive victories over Manitoba and Lethbridge. TWU pushed Victoria to three games in its opening playoff series, winning the second game 84-79 before falling in the deciding contest. The regular season also included a sweep of Winnipeg and a 78-70 opening-night victory over Victoria. 2015-16 schedule
In 2014-15, Trinity Western finished 4-16 in Canada West play. The Spartans opened their conference schedule with a road sweep of Manitoba, winning 61-56 and 62-61. TWU added an 82-76 victory over Lethbridge and a 49-45 win over Brandon during the first half of the season. The campaign preceded a three-year stretch in which Jean-Paul’s teams increased their conference win total from eight to 12 to 16. 2014-15 schedule
The Spartans posted a 5-17 Canada West record in 2013-14. Jean-Paul’s team opened conference play with a 66-58 victory over Calgary and added wins over Manitoba, UBC Okanagan, Brandon and Mount Royal. Four of TWU’s five conference victories came after the December break, including a 61-57 road win over Mount Royal in February. 2013-14 schedule
In 2012-13, Trinity Western finished 7-15 in Canada West. The Spartans recorded home sweeps of Mount Royal and UBC Okanagan and added victories over Manitoba, Brandon and Lethbridge. TWU’s 74-23 victory over Brandon was its largest winning margin of the conference season, while five of its seven regular-season victories came in January and February. 2012-13 schedule
Jean-Paul’s second season at TWU saw the Spartans improve to 8-10 in Canada West and 14-14 overall in 2011-12. Trinity Western doubled its conference win total from her first season, highlighted by a 66-65 road victory over Alberta, a 69-55 win over Victoria and a 71-59 victory over Fraser Valley. The Spartans also swept UBC Okanagan and won five of seven conference games during a stretch spanning early January through the end of the month. 2011-12 schedule
Jean-Paul began her Trinity Western tenure in 2010-11, guiding the Spartans to a 4-20 Canada West record. She earned her first conference victory in TWU’s second regular-season game, a 73-62 road win over Lethbridge. The Spartans’ late-season highlights included a 64-58 victory over Saskatchewan and a home sweep of Brandon, producing three consecutive conference wins. 2010-11 schedule
Internationally, Jean-Paul led Canada to silver medals at the FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championships in 2019 and 2021. She subsequently guided Canada to fourth place at the 2022 FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Hungary. Before becoming head coach of the U16/U17 program, she worked as a support coach with Canada’s cadette and junior national teams from 2015 to 2017. National-team coaching background | 2022 World Cup result
Jean-Paul has also contributed extensively to Basketball BC’s provincial and high-performance programs. She coached the U14 girls’ red team in 2011, the U15 girls’ red team in 2012 and the U16 girls’ team in 2015, and was an assistant coach with the U17 girls’ team that won silver at the 2013 Canada Games. She was named head coach of Basketball BC’s U15 girls’ provincial team for 2025 and has also worked in coach mentorship, player evaluation and high-performance athlete development. Basketball BC coaching announcement
Her work in coach development includes serving as a mentor in the Black Canadian Coaches Association’s inaugural Black Female Coach Mentorship Program and the Coaching Association of Canada’s 2024-25 High-Performance Women in Coaching Mentorship Program. She also co-facilitated the basketball portion of the 2014 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games. Coach mentorship profile
Before joining Trinity Western, Jean-Paul spent three years as head coach at Red River College, winning a Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference title in 2009. As head coach of the River East Collegiate junior varsity team, she led the program to three consecutive conference championships and a provincial bronze medal. She also spent two years as an assistant coach with the University of Manitoba women’s basketball team.
Jean-Paul was head coach of Manitoba’s U17 girls’ team at the 2009 Canada Games and served as the women’s head coach for the Manitoba region of Canada Basketball’s Centre for Performance program.
As a five-year player at the University of Manitoba, Jean-Paul earned all-star and team MVP honours, helping the Bisons win a GPAC conference championship and a national silver medal in 1998. She scored more than 1,000 career points and regularly ranked among the conference leaders in free-throw percentage and steals. In 1999, she travelled to Switzerland and Slovakia with an Athletes in Action European tour team.
Jean-Paul graduated from the University of Manitoba in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree and later earned a master’s degree in leadership from Royal Roads University. A Chartered Professional Coach who has completed an Advanced Coaching Diploma, she also holds Level III NCCP certification and has served as a Master Learning Facilitator for the NCCP Introduction to Competition basketball coaching course. Her basketball experience includes officiating at the university level, provincial championships and national age-group competitions. Her coaching honours also include the Manitoba Basketball Coaches Association’s Jim Bulloch Award and recognition as a finalist for Coaching Manitoba’s High Performance Coach of the Year award. Professional and educational background
