Temple women’s basketball head coach Tonya Cardoza has announced the hiring of Sam Guastella as a new Assistant Coach for the Cherry and White. Guastella joins the Owls’ staff following a two-year stint at Big 5 rival La Salle University.
“I’m thrilled to add Sam to our staff,” expressed Cardoza. “She will bring tons of energy and passion to our program. She is someone who has experienced what basketball means in the city of Philadelphia. Her work ethic and diligent approach to everything she does is exactly what I was looking for in this position.”
Guastella spent the last two seasons with the nearby Explorers’ women’s basketball program. In her first year as a graduate assistant, Guastella helped the team with nutrition and fitness needs while taking care of the operations side for road games. She was elevated to assistant coach for the 2019-20 season and took on many different duties such as aiding in player development, practice execution, video coordination and scout preparation.
“I want to thank Coach Cardoza for this opportunity to join the Temple women’s basketball family,” expressed Guastella. “I am so excited to learn from the best and work with such a wonderful staff. I feel so lucky to stay in the city that I love!”
A 2015 graduate of Quinnipiac University, Guastella was a four-year star for the women’s basketball team. She led the Bobcats to their best finish in program history in 2014-15 with an overall record of 31-4 and an undefeated conference mark of 20-0, including Quinnipiac’s first MAAC Championship. Guastella finished her career as the Bobcats’ all-time three-point leader with 225 career three pointers.
Following her stellar career at Quinnipiac, Guastella played her rookie season in the professional ranks for BBC Etzella in Luxembourg, where she led the team to a Cup Championship with her team-best 19.8 points per game. The following season, Guastella made her way to Melbourne, Australia for a one-season stint with Hume City.
Most recently, Guastella played for T71 Dudelange in Dudelange, Luxembourg. During the 2017-18 campaign, the forward averaged 18.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. T71 fell to Amicale in the Total League Championship, despite Guastella’s 20-point, eight-rebound effort.
A native of Red Bank, N.J, Guastella has a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from Quinnipiac and a master’s degree in marketing from La Salle.
Photo Courtesy Temple Athletics
https://owlsports.com/news/2020/6/1/womens-basketball-adds-sam-guastella-to-coaching-staff.aspx
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