Zach Kancher, a veteran coach with over 10 years of collegiate experience including four years in the DMV, was named an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator for the Towson University women’s basketball team in August of 2017. In the summer of 2019, he was promoted to the title of associate head coach.
During the 2020-21 season, Kancher saw the Tigers to a 13-9 record and an 8-6 mark in the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA). The team entered the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed for the third consecutive season. Towson also ended the season at the top of the conference and 12th in the the country in scoring offense with 79.5 points per game.
Under Kancher, Allie Kubek earned an All-CAA Rookie team selection after leading the Tigers with 7.1 rebounds per game and 156 total boards. The Tigers ended the season second in the conference and top-25 in the nation in rebounds per game. She also became the first freshman to start every regular season game since 2006-07 season. Kionna Jeter and Aleah Nelson also earned All-CAA postseason awards.
Off the court, Kancher also served as the lead chair in TU Athletics in creating TU Athletes Vote, a nonpartisan group that connects TU student-athletes with educational resources related to voting. Through his work, Towson University teams reached almost 100% voter registration on all rosters prior to the 2020 election. He also developed the Student-Athlete Voter Engagement (SAVE) Alliance to deliver updated information about voting resources to coaches and student-athletes around the country through social media and election “scouting reports.” The associate head coach is also a member of COACHES 4 CHANGE, a platform that engages, educates, empowers and evolves collegiate SA's on issues of social justice, systemic racism and the power of voting.
Kancher's work drew national and local attention from outlets such as USA Today, FOX 5 DC and WJZ 13 Baltimore.
In the 2019-20 season, Kancher helped guide the Tigers to a 14-15 season. Towson did not see a chance to defend its conference tournament title due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancelation of the remainder of sports. With his focus on developing post players, the Tigers finished the season 17th in the nation in blocked shots per game, second in the CAA in blocked shots and defensive rebounds.
Kancher helped Nukiya Mayo seal history as she was named to the All-CAA Second Team, her third career postseason accolade. Mayo finished the year third in the CAA in blocked shots and sixth in rebounds.
With a focus on developing post players, Kancher helped lead the Tigers to their first-ever CAA Championship title and first program NCAA Tournament game in the 2018-19 season. His work with the forwards and centers on the squad led to finishing the season third in the nation in blocked shots per game, sixth in offensive rebounds per game and 14th in total rebounds per game.
Kancher helped guide junior Nukiya Mayo to an All-CAA Second Team and CAA All-Defensive Team selections as she finished third in the conference in rebounds per game, fourth in blocks per game and ninth in points per game. He also coached freshman Janeen Camp to a CAA All-Rookie selection after she finished third in the CAA in blocked shots per game, averaging 1.6.
Kancher has influenced plenty of careers during his coaching tenure. Thirteen players that he has worked with have gone on to play professionally, including WNBA stars Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas, Tianna Hawkins and Lynetta Kizer.
At Towson, Kancher helped Kionna Jeter become first Towson player to be selected in the WNBA Draft. The guard was chosen by the Las Vegas Aces with the 12th pick in the third round, 36th overall.
Before Towson, Kancher served as the associate head coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2016-17. There he helped guide UMKC to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) semifinals for the first time in program history. Kancher helped facilitate recruitment of student-athletes, worked with scouting and preparing strategy and in-game tactics. He helped develop the game schedule for future seasons and served as the team’s liaison to other areas of the athletic department.
Kancher spent the 2015-16 season on the bench at George Washington with Richardson. The duo helped lead the Colonials to a 26-7 record, the Atlantic 10 Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Kancher was responsible for the post position player development, including Jones. Jones was an All-American honoree that season and has gone on to be named an All-Star in the WNBA. He also was responsible for recruiting and scouting opponents and breaking down film. Jones is one of three Colonial players that Kancher worked with that went on to play professionally.
Prior to his time in Washington, D.C. Kancher served as an assistant coach at the University of Miami for a year. As the guards coach, he helped the Hurricanes post 20 wins and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Kancher played a key role in recruiting in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region of the country. He was also responsible for scouting opponents and statistical analysis of game film. A pair of Hurricanes that Kancher worked with went on to play professionally.
Kancher spent three seasons on the bench in College Park, Maryland while serving as the Director of Scouting and Player Development for the Terrapins. Maryland posted at least 26 wins in all three of his seasons and advanced to the Final Four during the 2013-14 campaign. While at Maryland he was the lead scouting coach and was responsible for completing the scouting report on each opponent. Kancher broke down game film, analyzed it and did game plan collaboration with head coach Brenda Frese. He also helped develop multiple offensive and defensive schemes that could be used in game and in practice. Seven Terps that Kancher worked with went on to play professionally.
Kancher also severed as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Goldey-Beacom College in Delaware for three years. Kancher and Goldey-Beacom won the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference (CACC) in 2010-11 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament that year. There he was responsible for all aspects of recruiting and for live/video scouting and generating the scouting report.
Kancher got his collegiate coaching start during the 2007-08 season when he served as the head coach at the College of Mount St. Vincent. He was also the assistant AD for operations that year. Kancher led his squad to the HVAC Championship and the first ECAC Tournament appearance in program history.
Kancher got his coaching start at The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He served first as the assistant coach and then as the head coach for four years.
Kancher earned his bachelors degree in English from George Washington in 2003. There he served as a practice player for the women’s team for all four years. Kancher is currently working on a masters degree in sports administration from Canisius College.
