Black History Month: Dwayne Vigilance, Women's Basketball

Photo by Robert Murray/Huskies Athletics

February 22, 2023

During Black History Month, Keyano College Huskies Athletics will be celebrating and recognizing the accomplishments of Black student-athletes and staff who have made an impact during their time at Keyano College. Today, the program is recognizing Women’s Basketball Head Coach Dwayne Vigilance.
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The utilization of local talent for the Keyano College Huskies Athletics isn’t solely reserved for those on the court during gameplay. As the long-time Women’s Basketball Head Coach, McMurrayite Dwayne Vigilance has become the key part of the program’s success and surge up the standings.

As a Head Coach, he’s presided over the recruitment and retention of the Women’s Basketball student-athletes we’ve featured this month with many others in the program’s pipeline as well. As the Coordinator of Team Training, he’s also played an invaluable role in the development of other Huskies programs, helping them achieve their best on the court by training properly off of it.

Taking on the Head Coach duties for the Women’s Basketball Huskies ahead of the 2011-12 season, Vigilance and the Huskies finished 4-16, but have since become a strong force in Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Women’s Basketball, winning a pair of ACAC Silver Medals and becoming a perennial contender.

Since that opening season, they’ve compiled a 127-115 record, with 93 of those wins coming in the previous six regular seasons. Elevating the program that once competed on the playoff bubble to one that now challenges for the top of the division and league standings, Vigilance has been there every step fo the way to guide his program to that successes.

They also became the first Women's team at Keyano College to earn back-to-back berths to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s Basketball National Championships, marking another highlight in Vigilance's coaching career.

Adding onto Vigilance's highlights, the Women's Basketball Huskies have now finished in the top three of the ACAC North Division for six-straight seasons, including first place finishes in 2017-18 and 2019-20. That is presently the longest active streak of top-three finishes in the North Division among the competing teams.