Cal Poly Women’s Basketball Associate Head Coach Samba Johnson was named one of the 50 Most Impact Assistants in women’s college basketball by Silver Waves Media on June 25.
Johnson completed his second season with the women’s basketball program, where he reached the Postseason WNIT for the first time in a decade.
Johnson was hired by current head coach Shanele Stires. They built a relationship when they were assistants for the Ohio University women’s basketball program. When Stires was hired as head coach in April of 2022, Johnson was the first coach she hired for her staff.
With Johnson on staff, the Mustangs went from three wins to 10 in their first season under Stires. This past season, the Mustangs jumped to 17 wins.
“This honor is well deserved for Coach Johnson,” Stires said in a press release from Cal Poly Athletics. “His passion for our players and our program comes to light in every aspect of our program. We are blessed to work with Coach Johnson every day. To see him recognized in this manner is befitting of a coach of his stature.”
Johnson acted as head coach for two games during Big West play when Stires missed the matchups for undisclosed reasons. The Mustangs mounted a 21-point comeback against Long Beach State in the first game on Feb. 11 and fell to the University of Hawai’i in the second game.
