Renee Jimenez, who led Cal State Monterey Bay’s women’s basketball program to unprecedented heights in her five seasons at the helm, has accepted the head coaching position at Cal State San Bernardino Director of Athletics Dr. Kevin Hatcher announced today.
“I am extremely proud of this opportunity and to be entrusted with a program that has so much potential — locally, regionally and on a national scale,” said Jimenez, who becomes the seventh coach in the Coyotes’ history. “The leadership and values system that President Morales and Dr. Hatcher have in place set the tone for a quality education for our student-athletes, on and off the court. I can’t wait for the season to start.”
The Ventura native led the Otters to a 97-46 overall record and her teams reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. Along with averaging 21 wins a season over the last four years, the Otters sustained a 100-percent graduation rate during her tenure.
The Otters won the 2011 CCAA regular-season title in which she was named the conference’s coach of the year. All told, she has coached 12 All-CCAA performers and 13 CCAA All-Academic selections.
“This is a great day for Coyote athletics,” Hatcher said. “It’s difficult to ignore what Renee accomplished over the last five years at CSUMB. Coach Jimenez’s teams succeeded on the court and in the classroom. Her teams are organized, tough-minded and successful. Renee’s commitment and drive are infectious and I know our basketball program, athletic department and university will be that much better with Renee on board.”
Jimenez’s teams own a reputation of defending better than their opponent. Her 2010-11 Otters were tops in Division II for scoring defense, allowing 51.2 points per game. Included in that was a CCAA record–setting performance in which they allowed Cal State East Bay only 21 points in a 51–21 Otter win on Feb. 3, 2011.
Jimenez is a 2004 graduate of San Francisco State University, where she played three seasons for the Gators and became the school’s all-time leading 3-point scorer. Her coaching career began at Stanford (2004-05), where she served as a video coordinator for Hall of Famer Tara VanDerveer. After leaving Stanford, she spent three seasons (2005-08) as an assistant coach at San Diego State.
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