Dalila Eshe (duh-LEE-luh ES-shay) was announced as Yale's 11th Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Basketball in program history on April 25, 2022.
In 2024-25 the Bulldogs finished in the top three in the Ivy League in offensive rebounds (12.1 per game) and bench points (15.3 per game). They had an honorable mention All-Ivy League selection (Mackenzie Egger) and a CSC Academic All-District honoree (Grace Thybulle).
In 2023-24 Eshe helped the Bulldogs finish in the top three in the Ivy League in offensive rebounds (12.7 per game) and steals (7.52 per game). The Bulldogs earned an impressive 74-68 overtime win at Penn, rallying from an 11 point deficit. Yale made dramatic year-to-year improvements in shooting percentage (up 21 percentage points) and free throw percentage (up 18 percentage points). The Bulldogs also decreased their turnovers by 2.8 per game and increased their assists by .8 per game. Yale had two CSC Academic All-District selections (Jenna Clark and Brenna McDonald).
In her first season at Yale, Eshe coached the Ivy League Co-Defensive Player of the Year (Nyla McGill) and a top 10 finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award as the best point guard in the country (Clark). The Bulldogs also had a five-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week honoree (Kiley Capstraw) and four CSC Academic All-District selections (Clark, McDonald, Klara Astrom and Haley Sabol). The season was highlighted by a 71-70 overtime win at Harvard on Jan. 7, 2023 -- the Bulldogs' first road win vs. the Crimson since 2012.
Eshe came to Yale from Princeton, where she spent three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, helping the Tigers to a No. 24 national ranking, an Ivy League title and a win over then No. 15 Kentucky in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
A star player and 2006 graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Eshe earned first team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors as a senior, leading the Gators with 14.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Eshe was selected 25th overall in the WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm. She also spent time with the Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
Eshe also enjoyed a successful overseas career from 2006-2014. She made stops in Romania, Turkey, Russia, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Taiwan and Portugal.
Eshe got her start in coaching in 2006 as a Player Development Coach for Daily Sports Development, Inc. (Fla.). She also founded the Skill Development Academy in Danville, Calif.
The Tallahassee Fla., native, went on to work for the Essence Nike National Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) from 2008-2013 as assistant tournament director and assistant coach. Additionally, she worked internationally as a player development coach in Ecuador, Portugal and the Czech Republic from 2011-2013.
Eshe's first endeavor on a college staff came in 2013 when she served a season as Loyola Maryland's Director of Basketball Operations. She became an assistant coach the next year when she joined East Carolina University. In two seasons, she helped develop Itiana Taylor into the American Athletic Conference's (AAC) Newcomer of the Year and an All-AAC performer. The Pirates also signed their first-ever top 50 recruiting class and earned a victory in the WNIT.
Eshe joined the La Salle staff in 2016 as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She led the Explorers to the signing of their first-ever top 100 recruit as well as their best incoming class in 25 seasons. On the court, La Salle achieved its best record in eight years.
The Ivy League took note in 2019 when Eshe joined Princeton in the same role and immediately helped the Tigers to top 40 recruiting classes in three straight seasons, including the No. 19 overall class in 2022.
On the court, Eshe was the position coach for the No. 5 overall WNBA Draft pick in 2020, Bella Alarie. The Tigers maintained national rankings throughout Eshe's time and boasted the No. 1 scoring defense in the NCAA in 2020.
