Cal State Bakersfield Head Women’s Basketball Coach Ari Wideman has announced the addition of veteran coach Ray Alvarado to the Roadrunner staff as the associate head coach. Alvarado brings more than two decades of experience across multiple levels of collegiate and high school basketball to the Roadrunners, with a strong reputation for program building, recruiting, and player development.
“Coach Alvarado is a perfect fit for our culture,” said Coach Wideman. “Ray is a great basketball mind, an elite evaluator, and he is a doer. His passion and work ethic for basketball and developing women on and off the court is highly evident. I know our players will greatly benefit from his knowledge and ability to develop them at the highest level. His track record of success will be invaluable as we continue to build a championship caliber team.”
Alvarado most recently served as Head Coach at Hawai’i Pacific University, where he led the women’s basketball program since Fall of 2023. Prior to his tenure at HPU, Alvarado spent 13 seasons as Head Coach at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., where he guided the program to consistent success, including multiple CCCAA State Championship Elite 8 appearances and a Final Four berth in 2022.
During his time at College of the Sequoias, Alvarado earned Central Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors five times and was recognized for his leadership in advancing women’s basketball throughout the region. He also established robust recruiting pipelines in the Central Valley, developed off-season training programs, and spearheaded community engagement initiatives.
In addition to his collegiate experience, Alvarado previously led high school programs at Bullard High School and Sanger High School, with notable accomplishments such as a CIF State Tournament appearance and multiple Coach of the Year awards.
Alvarado holds a Master of Sports Science with an emphasis in Sports Coaching from the United States Sports Academy and a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Fresno State.
Alvarado begins his new role immediately as the Roadrunners prepare for the upcoming 2025–26 season.
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