Cal State East Bay Director of Athletics Joan McDermott has announced the hiring of Molly Goodenbour as the seventh head coach of Pioneer women’s basketball. Goodenbour joins CSUEB after a tremendously successful stint at Cal State Dominguez Hills, where she led the Toros to three straight conference titles and three straight NCAA tournament appearances.
“I am extremely excited to welcome Molly to the Cal State East Bay family,” said McDermott. “She has a great deal of experience in our conference and her record of success speaks for itself. I believe Molly will be an outstanding fit at East Bay and will put our program in a position to continue to compete at a championship level for years to come.”
Goodenbour takes over for Suzy Barcomb, who posted a 95-80 record in six seasons at East Bay. The Pioneers have made five straight California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) postseason appearances under Barcomb, culminating in the best season in program history. The 2015-16 Pioneers went 27-5 to set school records for victories and winning percentage, won the University’s first ever CCAA championship, and advanced to the NCAA Division II West Regional for the first time in 28 years.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to lead the Cal State East Bay women’s basketball program and work for Joan McDermott, who aspires to lead this department toward excellence on and off the court,” said Goodenbour. “I am looking forward to working hard to continue to build the program and field consistently tough, competitive, successful teams.”
Under Goodenbour, Cal State Dominguez Hills was one of CSUEB’s biggest rivals and toughest opponents over the last few seasons. In 2012, she took over a program that had posted a 7-48 record over the previous two seasons. After tripling the team’s win total her first year, Goodenbour led the Toros to three of the best seasons in program history. She won CCAA Tournament titles in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and CCAA regular season titles in 2014-15 and 2015-16, while reaching the NCAA Regional three straight years.
Goodenbour’s 2014-15 squad finished 26-7, shattering the program record for wins. Her 2015-16 team was the first in school history to go undefeated at home. Overall, Goodenbour’s teams went 77-44 during her tenure at CSUDH, including a record of 68-27 over the last three seasons.
Prior to her tenure in Carson, Goodenbour spent four seasons at the Division I ranks as the head coach at UC Irvine. She compiled an overall record of 44-76 with a 28-36 mark in the Big West Conference, qualifying for the Big West Tournament all four years. Her 2010-11 team won 15 games, the program’s highest win total in nearly a decade.
Goodenbour went to Irvine after two successful seasons as the head coach at CCAA institution Chico State. She led the Wildcats to a 52-11 record and two straight trips to the NCAA tournament. In 2007-08, she was named CCAA Coach of the Year after winning CCAA regular season and tournament championships, making the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, and finishing the season ranked No. 17 in the nation with a 28-6 record.
Prior to her stint at Chico State, Molly spent one season as the top assistant coach at the University of San Francisco and three years as the head coach at Santa Rosa Junior College. She led SRJC to a 69-21 record and two straight conference titles, reaching the quarterfinals of the state championship in 2005.
Goodenbour was also a standout athlete at both the professional and collegiate levels. After setting the Iowa state scoring record at Waterloo West High School, she went to Stanford University and competed for four years under Tara Van Derveer from 1989-93. At Stanford, Goodenbour captured four straight Pac-10 championships, made three NCAA Final Fours, and won two NCAA national championships (1990 and 1992).
During her four-year career, the Cardinal posted an overall record of 114-16. She scored 1,040 total points at Stanford and still ranks in the top-10 all-time in three pointers made (178), assists (441), and free throw percentage (.793). Molly was also named Final Four MVP in 1992 after setting an NCAA Tournament record for most postseason three-pointers made (18).
After graduating with a biology degree, Goodenbour was a selected to be a member of the U.S. National team, which went on to win a gold medal at the 1993 World Championship Qualifying Tournament in Brazil.
She then began her professional career with the Swedish Basketball Federation before returning to play for the Richmond Rage (1996-97) and Portland Power (1997-98) of the American Basketball League. Goodenbour also played for the Sacramento Monarchs in the WNBA’s inaugural 1999 season before beginning her coaching career.
Photo Courtesy CSEB Athletics
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