Redshirt sophomore forward for Cal Poly women’s basketball Sierra Lichtie will enter the transfer portal on March 20, according to BTN Scouting. Lichtie played a crucial role in Cal Poly’s success this season and helped the Mustangs collect Head Coach Shanele Stires‘ first postseason win in her three-year tenure. Lichtie was the third-leading scorer on […]
Tag: Samba Johnson
Posted inSports
How Cal Poly’s international players are finding their footing in Division I basketball
When freshman Ana Moleon Hidalgo first got on a call with Cal Poly’s recruiting staff, she was listening for good news and translating in real time for her parents. As the coaches laid out their vision for her, she paused between sentences, relaying everything in Spanish so her parents could follow along. Still not fully […]
Posted inWomen's Basketball
Carlene Mitchell’s New Chapter: Scouting, strategy and stability at Cal Poly
Twenty-six losses in a row and three losing seasons with Cal State Northridge (CSUN) left Cal Poly women’s basketball assistant coach Carlene Mitchell with a lot to think about. Mitchell had reached a low point in her coaching career, parting ways with CSUN shortly after the 2023-24 season. Even with the tough season, she learned […]
Posted inWomen's Basketball
Cal Poly Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach Samba Johnson named to Silver Waves Media’s Most Impactful Assistants list
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 […]
Posted inWomen's Basketball
‘Resilient spirit’: How Cal Poly Women’s Basketball earned a first round bye in the Big West Championship
Heading into the second year of head coach Shanele Stires’ tenure at Cal Poly, the Women’s Basketball program was surrounded by many questions. Would the team be able to improve from their 10-18 season last year? Will the four returning players and nine newcomers be able to mesh? Will they have the same resilience we […]
Posted inSports
How Natalia Ackerman’s injury history fuels her play amid a breakout season
The Cal Poly Women’s Basketball senior is one of the few holdovers who were in the program before the hiring of current head coach Shanele Stires.
Posted inWomen's Basketball
Without Stires once again, Cal Poly Women’s Basketball drops key Big West game to Hawaii
Cal Poly Women’s Basketball (13-10, 9-5 in Big West) traveled to the Stan Sheriff Center in Hawaii this Thursday, Feb. 15 to take on the Rainbow Wahine (14-9, 11-3 in Big West), looking to do something the program hasn’t been able to do since 2018 – beat Hawaii on the road. The Mustangs streak would […]
Posted inWomen's Basketball
With no Stires, Cal Poly Women’s Basketball mounts 21-point comeback against Long Beach State
Back when Cal Poly Women’s Basketball head coach Shanele Stires and assistant coach Samba Johnson worked together on the Ohio University basketball staff, they made a pact that whoever got a head coaching job first would hire the other. When Stires was named the head coach of Cal Poly in 2022, she brought Johnson with […]
Posted inWomen's Basketball
Humble, hungry and smart: How a culture is developing behind Cal Poly women’s basketball head coach Shanele Stires
As the morning sun began to ascend, dribbling basketballs and shoe squeaks echoed around Mott Athletic Center. Players talked amongst themselves as they stretched and laced their shoes. At about 6:45 a.m., the gym doors swung open, while a booming “Let’s Go!” erupted from a hooded figure strolling in. The team joined in with yells […]