Oct. 8, 2010
DAVIS, Calif. - Sandy Simpson, UC Davis' all-time winningest women's basketball coach who has been named coach of the year in three different conferences, will retire at the end of the upcoming 2010-11 season with associate head coach Jennifer Gross being named as his permanent replacement, it was announced on Friday by Director of Athletics Greg Warzecka.
Simpson, who played for legendary Aggie men's coach Bob Hamilton, has longtime roots with the UC Davis women's program having coached with mentors Pam Gill-Fisher (1977-81) and Jorja Hoehn (1991-98) before assuming reins on a permanent basis in 1998.
Since then, he has compiled an impressive overall record of 227-144 (.612), led UC Davis to a third-place finish at the 1997 NCAA Division II Championships, Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) berths in 2008 and this past winter, and last season's Big West Conference regular-season title.
"The opportunity to lead this program has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life," Simpson said. "The relationships I've enjoyed with players, staff, and colleagues over the years have been enriching beyond words.
"It's often difficult to convey to someone outside of athletics just how special the team experience can be," he said. "The shared pursuit of team goals, the chance to invest in others and truly commit to something bigger than the self is an opportunity not always available in other pursuits."
Under his leadership, UC Davis captured championships during its Div. II era in both the Northern California Athletic Conference and the California Collegiate Athletic Association with Simpson earning Coach of the Year accolades from both leagues.
Simpson guided the Aggies' program through its transition from Div. II to Div. I, helping them announce their presence at their new NCAA level by advancing to the 2008 Big West Tournament title game in just their first season - only the second team to ever accomplish the feat. UC Davis made the first of its two WNIT appearances and Simpson was named the Big West Coach of the Year, an honor he also received last year when the Aggies won the regular-season championship, advanced to the tournament final, and received a WNIT invitation.
After coaching with Gill-Fisher and then assisting on staffs at the University of Washington, George Washington University and Washington State, Simpson went overseas for a season to serve as head coach of Barmen Turnverein, a First Division professional team in Germany. He returned to California and became an assistant coach with Hoehn in 1991 as UC Davis rolled to five consecutive NCAA Div. II Tournament berths and four NCAC titles.
Simpson became the interim head coach for the 1996-97 season when Hoehn took a leave of absence, directing the Aggies to a program-best 29-3 record, its first appearance at the NCAA Div. II Elite Eight, and a third-place national finish. He was named the NCAC Coach of the Year. Hoehn returned for a season before retiring in 1998 and Simpson was the natural choice to take over on a permanent basis.
UC Davis was 25-4 in 1998-99, won the CCAA with an 18-2 mark and advanced to another regional final with Simpson capturing his second Coach of the Year honor.
The Aggies began their four-year reclassification to Div. I during the 2003-04 season and Simpson began to build a foundation that resulted in immediate success during its first Div. I season in 2007-08. The 2005-06 was particularly noteworthy during the transition as UC Davis went 11-5 against its future Big West competition, a mark that would've tied it for the regular-season title had the Aggies been official members.
UC Davis went 19-12 during their first Big West season in 2007-08 and was 21-11 last year, coming within a win of the NCAA Tournament both seasons but resulting in notable postseason appearances in the WNIT both times. Last March they took eventual tournament champion Cal into overtime before the Bears survived in the opening-round matchup.
Simpson's 227 wins are most in program history, surpassing the impressive 205 wins from Hoehn and 165 by Gill-Fisher. He plans to spend more time with his wife, Chris, and their children, Olivia, Sebastian and Ingra after bringing to a close a memorable 33-year coaching career.
"We're very fortunate to have had Sandy lead our women's program for as long as he has," said Greg Warzecka, Director of Athletics. "He's a dedicated and a truly outstanding coach who personifies the values that have defined our program from our Division II era and into Division I."
Like Simpson, Gross brings a strong understanding of the UC Davis program she will take over on a permanent basis next year. She was a Kodak All-America honorable mention point guard for the Aggies during her senior season in 1997-98 when the Aggies went to the Elite Eight, was part of a team-record 101 career wins and is enshrined in the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame.
Upon earning her bachelor's degree in organizational studies, Gross played professionally overseas, coached high school in San Diego and then with San Diego State before returning to her alma mater in 2004 where she has instituted the program's' Princeton-style offense, a hallmark of the program over the past six seasons.
Gross earned her master's in Sports Coaching from the United Sports Academy in 2008.
"The opportunity to leave the program in Jennifer's hands is as good as it gets," Simpson said. "She has been with me throughout the transition to Division I and has been integral, along with (assistant coaches) Joe Teramoto and Des Abeyta, in establishing UC Davis as a solid Big West Conference program. The future of UC Davis women's basketball is bright and I am quite sure Coach Gross will take this program to new heights."
"Jennifer is, in my mind, one of the brightest young coaches in the profession," he said. "She will be a great head coach and I am SO pleased to be able to hand off a program so dear to me to someone whom I believe epitomizes the Aggie ethic. Joe and Des are terrific basketball minds whose contributions too often go uncredited. Together the three of them have been integral to the success we've achieved."
The Aggies return four starters from last year's team and is expected to challenge once again for the Big West title. UC Davis opened practice on Monday in preparation for its season opener on Nov. 12 at the University of San Francisco.
