Kanika Cummings was named the Wheaton College Head Women's Basketball Coach in May of 2024.
She has become well-known in New England women’s basketball coaching circles over the past seven years, while experiencing tremendous success at the NCAA Division III level.
The New York City native served as the top Assistant Coach for Trinity College, helping the Bantams compile a 61-20 (.753) record over the past three seasons. During her tenure in Hartford, Trinity posted a 23-7 conference mark and earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history. The Bantams advanced to the New England Small College Athletic Conference Semifinals all three years, including the 2022-23 campaign that saw Trinity register a 25-6 record and the 2021-22 season that saw them earn the league’s regular-season title for the first time in program history. The Bantams continued to make their mark in school annals with a date in the NESCAC Championship game for the first time ever. Trinity’s success was rewarded with a selection to play in the NCAA Tournament. The Bantams responded by advancing to compete in the Final Eight, following three victories in the “Big Dance”. In addition to daily coaching duties with Trinity, Cummings served as the program’s Recruiting Coordinator.
The former guard’s time at Trinity was her second coaching stop with a NESCAC program after beginning her coaching career with Connecticut College, where she spent two successful seasons in New London. Cummings helped guide the Camels to a combined record of 31-18 (.633) during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, which saw Connecticut College earn postseason berths in both years.
Prior to her coaching career, Cummings was a four-year player for Division I Siena University outside of Albany, N.Y. She made her return to the Division I level with a two-year stint on the Brown University coaching staff from 2018-2020, where she honed her coaching skills. In addition, she also served as the program’s Video Coordinator, breaking down and analyzing film to aid in the team’s game preparation and skill development.
Cummings graduated from Siena in 2014.
