WATERLOO, Ont. - Laurier Golden Hawks women's basketball assistant coach Aycha Hamaoui is once again a HOOPQUEENS champion.

Hamaoui led Team Blaze to the 2026 HOOPQUEENS title on Sunday, defeating Team Reign 72-53 in the championship game at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

The victory adds another milestone to Hamaoui's successful tenure in Canada's premier summer women's basketball league. In four seasons as a head coach in HOOPQUEENS, her teams have now reached the championship final every year she has participated, capturing a second league title in the process.

Despite missing the 2025 season due to scheduling conflicts, her teams had previously advanced to three consecutive finals and claimed one championship.

For Hamaoui, however, Sunday's victory was about more than the final score.

"I mentioned this to our team midway through the season because of how much we genuinely enjoyed being around each other: winning is always great, but winning with the right people is special," Hamaoui said. "This championship was special - not just because of the trophy, but because of the group of women we got to share it with."

HOOPQUEENS, Canada's first paid women's basketball league, completed its sixth season this summer, bringing together many of Canada's top women's basketball players and coaches.

With another championship added to her coaching résumé, Hamaoui will now shift her full attention back to the Golden Hawks as preparations ramp up for the 2026-27 OUA season.

Laurier opens its regular season at home on October 23 against the defending champion TMU Bold. Single-game and season tickets are available now at tickets.laurierathletics.com