A former Thunderbird star in her time as a student-athlete, Jessica Hanson joined the T-Birds staff as lead assistant coach ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Hanson earned the Thunderbird Women's Rookie of the Year honour in 2016 following her first year with the Women's Basketball program. She was team captain for three seasons and was a Canada West All-Star in 2019-20, her fifth and final campaign. That year she averaged 14.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists as she helped lead UBC to a 16-4 conference record and a Canada West semifinals appearance.
After graduating, Hanson embarked on a five-year professional career in Germany and Portugal, most recently playing with Quinta dos Lombos in the Portuguese Liga Feminina.
She began her coaching career while she was a T-Bird athlete, coaching at UBC summer youth basketball camps and with Split Second Basketball in Vancouver.
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