POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Marist head women's basketball coach Erin Doughty has announced an addition to her coaching staff. Zakiya Saunders will serve as the Red Foxes' assistant coach.

"We are extremely excited to welcome Zakiya to our staff," Doughty said. "She is a person of tremendous character with a high basketball knowledge and strong leadership skills. 'Z' will be a great asset to our guards with her extensive work in training and playing career. She is a rising star in our business and will undoubtedly add to our staff and program immediately."

Saunders joins Marist after completing the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Binghamton, where she helped lead the Bearcats to a 20-win season and a victory in the first round of the WNIT. She returned to the Bearcats after previously serving as the program's director of operations during the 2022-23 campaign. Between her two stints at Binghamton, Saunders spent the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach at St. Francis (Pa.). She also coached at the AAU level with the Orlando Basketball Club (OBC) during the 2021-22 season.

As a student-athlete, Saunders enjoyed a standout collegiate career at the University at Albany before transferring to the University of Central Florida. She spent three seasons with the Great Danes from 2013-16, helping lead the program to three consecutive America East championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. Following the 2015-16 season, she earned America East All-Conference Second Team honors after averaging 10.8 points per game while leading the conference with 6.9 assists per contest, a mark that ranked sixth nationally. Her 227 assists that season remain a UAlbany single-season program record.

Saunders transferred to UCF prior to the 2016-17 season and, after sitting out one year due to NCAA transfer rules, capped her collegiate career with another all-conference campaign. She earned American Athletic Conference Second Team honors after averaging a team-best 16.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game. During the conference tournament, Saunders scored her 1,000th career point.

Following her collegiate career, Saunders played professionally overseas for two seasons. She averaged 15.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game with Visby Ladies in Sweden during the 2018-19 season before spending the 2019-20 campaign with AZS Poznan in Poland, where she averaged 10.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Doughty is entering her fourth season as head coach of the Red Foxes in the 2026-27 season. In addition to Saunders, Nick Volchok and Gabi Mendonca return as assistant coaches.