DeWayne Burroughs was named head coach of the Shawnee State women's basketball program in the summer of 2021, becoming the third coach in program history. Burroughs' collegiate coaching history includes tenures at Bowie State University, The University of the District of Columbia and Coppin State. Through the 2025-26 season, Burroughs' career record as a head coach is 135-140 (.490).
Burroughs' team struggled in his first year at Shawnee State, posting a 4-22 record while dropping each of its last 10 games. The Bears didn't have a single player named an All-American, which broke a 14-year steak of at least one player earning the honor.
In 2022-23, Burroughs engineered one of the program’s biggest turnarounds, leading Shawnee State from a 4-22 record the previous season to a 16-16 mark. The Bears won nine of their final 11 games and advanced to the Mid-South Conference Championship Game, where they fell 65-61 to Tennessee Southern.
Shawnee State recorded victories over several nationally ranked or receiving-votes opponents during its late-season surge, including Tennessee Southern and Thomas More (Ky.) in the Mid-South Conference semifinals. Individually, Kam Elzy earned first-team All-MSC honors, while Marnae Holland was named to the second team and Tanisia Murphy received honorable recognition.
In 2023-24, Burroughs guided Shawnee State to a 20-10 record -- the program’s first 20-win season since 2019-20. The Bears advanced to the River States Conference semifinals for the second consecutive year and closed the season by winning 10 of their final 12 games despite dealing with season-ending injuries and a young roster.
Shawnee State led the River States Conference in scoring defense (60.1 points per game) and field-goal percentage defense (35.4%), while ranking among the NAIA leaders in both categories. Under Burroughs’ direction, Cianna Gloster set program single-season records for rebounds (373) and rebounds per game (12.4). Gloster and Markayla Holland earned second-team All-RSC honors, while Chianne Gloster was named to the third team.
In Burroughs’ fourth season at the helm in 2024-25, Shawnee State posted a 28-5 record and completed a perfect 16-0 run through the River States Conference regular season. The Bears also earned the program’s 900th all-time victory and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament after finishing as the RSC Tournament runner-up.
Shawnee State defeated Loyola (La.) 70-62 in the first round before falling to No. 7 Cumberlands (Ky.) 71-66 in the second round. The Bears won 20 consecutive games during the season and had four players earn All-RSC honors: Cianna Gloster (first team), Miyoshi Ellis (first team), Jariah Steele (third team) and Emily Maynard (third team).
During the 2025-26 campaign, Shawnee State completed its third consecutive 20-win season while making the program’s first NAIA Sweet 16 appearance since 2019. Burroughs’ squad earned tournament wins over fifth-seeded William Carey and fourth-seeded Evangel before falling to eventual national champion Marian (Ind.) in the Sweet 16.
The Bears had three players earn all-conference honors: Miyoshi Ellis (first team), Laken Williams (second team) and TK Catchings (third team).
PRIOR TO SHAWNEE STATE
Burroughs began as an assistant at Coppin State, helping the 1990-91 women’s basketball team win its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and finish 19-8. That team was later inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame in 2015.
He went on to coach at the high school level in the Baltimore area, compiling a 143-40 record at Woodlawn High School, St. Paul School for Girls and Northwestern High School. At Woodlawn, he won four Baltimore County titles, three regional championships and made multiple state tournament runs.
Burroughs later returned to the college ranks as an assistant at Bowie State, where the program went 95-45 over five seasons, and at the University of the District of Columbia where he spent four seasons before being named head coach in 2015-16. He led UDC to a 21-9 record in his lone season as head coach before taking over at Coppin State, where he coached from 2016-20.
Burroughs is a 1991 graduate of Coppin State (bachelor’s degree in liberal arts) and holds a master’s degree in strategic leadership from Mountain State University.
