New women's basketball coach ready to rebuild

By Kevin Gilmore

The next era of CSU Monterey Bay women's basketball officially began in 2022-23 as the Otters selected Sarah Hopkins-Chery to be the eighth coach in program history. Hopkins-Chery joined the Otter staff in June 2022 after spending seven seasons at University of California, Merced. 

"She has a proven track record as a head coach, having built a successful program with limited resources. Her work ethic, character, positivity and competitiveness are all qualities that give us confidence in her ability to build up our women's basketball program,” CSUMB Athletics Director Kirby Garry said.

“I believe CSUMB is a great fit with great people who share my vision and are extremely supportive in the process,” Hopkins-Chery said.

She takes the reins from CJ Vaifanua-Pace, who led the program through the tumultuous COVID pandemic – which included the cancelation of the entire 2020-21 season – in her four seasons as an Otter.