University of the Incarnate Word Athletics

Shawn Ward enters his first season as Assistant Coach with the UIW men’s basketball program in 2023-24, 24 years after donning the red and black as a Cardinal.
 
Ward returns to San Antonio after a highly successful 10-year run as owner and director of 3D Hoops Academy /3d Empire in Dallas/Fort Worth area. He started the program from scratch in 2013 and grew it to more than 100 players in 2023. 
 
Ward is known as an elite offensive mind and player development coach. He trained and coached several players who have ended up playing professionally, including recent sixth-overall NBA draft choice Anthony Black of the Orlando Magic. Other notable players Ward has helped develop are Myles Turner (University of Texas), Malaki Branham (Ohio State), Cam McGriff (Oklahoma State), Ryan Agarwal (Stanford), Baylor Hebb (Loyola Chicago), Gehrig Normand (Michigan State), & Kuol Atak (Oklahoma University), and an additional 60 plus players at the collegiate level.
 
Before diving into the grassroots scene, Ward played professional basketball for eight years for a number of clubs across the world. He traveled the world during his career, including stints in Mexico, Kuwait, Argentina, along with playing in the WBA and the ABA. 
 
Prior to turning pro, Ward began his basketball career at Grapevine High School where he was First Team All-District, selected as one of the top 15 players in the Region, was an All-Tarrant County selection, and was rated as one of the top 300 seniors in America by SLAM Magazine during his senior year. He averaged 16.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, & 4.3 assists per game as a senior at Grapevine. 
 
Upon graduating, Coach Ward went on to play two years at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, KS, scoring a game-high 24 points during the top 40 Junior College All-Star game after his sophomore year. Ward’s next stop was here at UIW for Coach Danny Kaspar for one season where he finished the 1999-2000  season shooting 50% on the season from 3-point range. He earned a Bachelor of Applied Science degree from the University of North Texas in 2014.