Natalie Achonwa always wanted to see how basketball IQ translated to coaching

Becoming a coach has always been in the cards for Canadian basketball great Natalie Achonwa.

The four-time Olympian was named the assistant coach of player development for the Michigan Wolverines NCAA women's basketball team on Tuesday. Achonwa said that although she'll miss being an active player, she's ready for the next step of her basketball career.

"Anyone that's been a part of this journey or known me for a long time knows that coaching is something that I've always wanted to do," said Achonwa on Thursday. "My niche in this game has been my I.Q., how I think the game, how I see the game.

"So it was definitely something that I wanted to continue after I was playing."

The Paris Olympics were the 31-year-old Achonwa's fourth Games, the most ever by a Canadian basketball player. She played in 79 career games for Canada's senior national squad, the second most in team history, joining the team when she was 16.

After being drafted ninth overall by the WNBA Indiana Fever out of Notre Dame, Achonwa played nine seasons in the league and six overseas. She played with the Fever from 2015-2020, before joining the Minnesota Lynx in 2021.

The six-foot-three forward averaged 7.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in her WNBA career.

"The other piece to it is I've been very fortunate to have some amazing leaders and coaches and mentors on my own journey and I really wanted an opportunity to give back to the game," said Achonwa, taking a break from packing up her house in Indianapolis as she prepares to move to Ann Arbor, Mich. "That's what led me to Michigan and connecting with coach [Kim Barnes] Arico and the staff.

"I knew that was going to be my opportunity to give back to the game."

Achonwa finished her national career as