Zakiya Saunders joined the Marist women's basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach in July 2026.
Saunders arrived in Poughkeepsie after spending the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Binghamton, where she helped guide the Bearcats to a 20-win season and a victory in the first round of the WNIT. She returned to Binghamton after previously serving as the program's Director of Operations during the 2022-23 campaign. Between her two stints with the Bearcats, 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.
Prior to beginning her coaching career, Saunders enjoyed a standout collegiate playing career at the University at Albany and the University of Central Florida. She helped lead the Great Danes to three consecutive America East championships and NCAA Tournament appearances from 2013-16. As a junior, she earned America East All-Conference Second Team honors after setting the UAlbany single-season program record with 227 assists. She also led the conference with 6.9 assists per game, a mark that ranked sixth nationally.
Saunders transferred to UCF prior to the 2016-17 season and, after sitting out one year due to NCAA transfer rules, earned American Athletic Conference Second Team honors during her final collegiate campaign. She scored her 1,000th career point during the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
Following her collegiate career, Saunders played professionally overseas for two seasons. She competed in Sweden with Visby Ladies during the 2018-19 season before playing for AZS Poznan in Poland in 2019-20, averaging double-figure scoring during both professional seasons.
