California head women’s basketball coach Charmin Smith continues to build out her staff in preparation for the upcoming season, announcing the addition of director of basketball operations Shannon Gholar, coordinator of operations Megan Sawatzky, and director of video Shannan Lum.
The trio bring strong basketball backgrounds and will play an integral role in the Bears’ off-court preparation and success.
Gholar will oversee the program’s day-to-day operations while managing administrative tasks and working closely with athletic department staff. She comes to Cal after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Nevada, helping the Wolfpack reach the postseason in 2018.
“It is my mission to surround myself with people who are willing to work, willing to commit and willing to compete,” said Smith, who enters her first season as a Division I head coach. “I could not find a more willing person than Shannon Gholar. She is a woman of high integrity and high work ethic. She cares about the development of young women and I am thrilled to have her as a part of my staff.”
Prior to her time in Reno, Gholar spent two seasons as an assistant coach both at Davidson (2015-17) and Vermont (2013-15). A native of Monrovia, Calif., Gholar played collegiately for two seasons at Cal Poly San Louis Obispo for two seasons, before transferring to Cal State San Bernardino for her final two years. Gholar earned a bachelor’s degree from Cal State San Bernardino in 2011 and obtained her master’s degree in higher education from Arizona State in 2013. During her time in Tempe, Gholar served as a graduate assistant for the Sun Devils, assisting in various aspects of the program including skill workouts, recruiting, game management and marketing.
Sawatzky will assist Gholar in running the program’s day-to-day operations, after previously serving as the director of men’s basketball operations and athletic facilities coordinator at Saint John’s University in Minnesota. A Minnesota native, Sawatzky has also worked with USA Basketball, managing personnel and providing assistance during trials at the Olympic Training Facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Sawatzky graduate from Loyola University of Chicago in 2016 with a bachelors in business administration, focusing on sport management and international business.
Lum will oversee the program’s scouting and analytics, video breakdown and exchange, and assisting in recruiting and player development through film. A Bay Area native, Lum comes to Berkeley after spending the 2018-19 season as an intern with the Stanford women’s basketball program, assisting in the Cardinal’s basketball analysis for scouting and day-to-day operations. Lum is a 2018 graduate of St. John’s University (NY) and spent her final two seasons in Queens as a head-manager and operations assistant with the Red Storm men’s basketball team under NBA Hall of Fame players, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond. She also spent two seasons working with the St. John’s women’s basketball program, and served as a basketball skills and development trainer in San Francisco. Lum earned her bachelor’s degree in sport management with a concentration in coaching.
“With Shannon Gholar as our Director of Basketball Operations, Megan Sawatzky as our Coordinator of Operations, and Shannan Lum as our Director of Video, I am convinced there’s not a better group out there to support our student-athletes and coaches,” Smith said.
The Golden Bears will play a pair of exhibition games at Haas Pavilion (Oct. 27 vs Beijing Normal University; Nov. 3 vs Vanguard), before tipping off the 2019-20 season on November 8 at Harvard. The Bears host UC Riverside on November 17 for the home opener in Berkeley.
https://calbears.com/news/2019/9/16/womens-basketball-smith-announces-additions-to-staff.aspx
