Blazers Name Marquessa Gilson Head Women’s Basketball Coach

The Centralia Blazers are excited to announce the hiring of Marquessa Gilson as the new Head Coach of the women's basketball program.

Gilson enters her first season leading the Blazers with an impressive background in player development, culture building, and leadership at both the junior college and NCAA levels.

Most recently, Gilson served as an assistant coach at Westminster University following a successful stint at Adams State University, where she helped guide the program to an NCAA Regional Tournament appearance. Her coaching experience also includes success within the NWAC, serving as head coach at Pierce College from 2022–2024 and leading the program to back-to-back NWAC Tournament appearances.

Prior to Pierce College, Gilson was an assistant coach at Lower Columbia College, where she helped the Red Devils capture the 2022 NWAC Championship.

A former collegiate student-athlete, Gilson competed at BYU–Hawaii and Colorado Mesa University before earning her Bachelor's degree from Weber State University and her Master's degree from Western Governors University.

Gilson is widely recognized for her energy, authenticity, and passion for mentoring student-athletes. Her commitment to developing young women into confident leaders on and off the court aligns strongly with the vision and values of the Blazers athletic department.

"We are excited to have Marquessa be our new leader of our women's basketball program," said Athletic Director, Jason Moir. "She will be bringing leadership, energy and structure to this program."

Gilson takes over the program with excitement for the future and a focus on building a competitive, high-character culture.

"I'm honored to join the Centralia Blazers and lead this program," Gilson said. "I'm excited to invest in our student-athletes, build meaningful relationships, and create a culture that competes at a high level while developing leaders beyond basketball."

The Blazers look forward to a new era under Gilson's leadership as the program continues to build toward success on and off the court.