Des Abeyta has spent the past 12 seasons as an assistant basketball coach at UC Davis.

Before that, she spent four campaigns under coaches Sandy Simpson and Jorja Hoehn, dominating the paint as one of the Aggies' most accomplished "posties," as Des likes to call center play.

If anyone knows what an education at UC Davis means — and if anyone can sell that experience — it's Des Abeyta.

During her watch as an All-American player, Abeyta, now 40, helped the Aggies fashion a 94-22 record and finish third in the Division II NCAA tourney in 1997.

Thanks to her collegiate exploits, she went on to play professional basketball in Europe. For her in-the-classroom experience, she remains forever grateful.

As does the school for Des' contributions: This summer she was named the UC Davis women's program's associate head coach.

"Des has been instrumental in helping our program reach a high level of success, investing so much into our student-athletes and serving as an incredible role model for them," says UC Davis head coach Jennifer Gross, a teammate of Abeyta's in that '97 NCAA run.

"Her recruiting efforts have helped us bring in top-notch players and students. Des is a true friend and someone who makes coaching a lot of fun."

For Des, it's all about making the local campus experience entertaining and meaningful.

"Aggie Pride? The culture was already established back then," Abeyta told me. "It's a culture that's been maintained. The student-athletes that come to Davis are people who are really driven.

"Then once here, being around teammates that are constantly talking about (studies), what their weekends are going to look like (in relation to their) class responsibilities … that helps manifest what your college career is going to look like."

Abeyta says as much as the word is out about what the Wall Street Journal ranks as the fifth-best public university in the nation, things are only getting better.

The past two years, the Aggie women have won 28 and 27 games, respectively — capturing back-to-back Big West Conference regular-season titles and going as far as the Elite Eight in last year's WNIT.

Meanwhile, with the same solid academic environment in place, the support of student-athletes has been ratcheted up with the EVO program.

Designed to give Aggies a leg up in the real world, EVO "is a multi-faceted student-athlete outcomes program focused on preparing young men and women for a successful launch after graduating," according to UC Davis Director of Athletics Kevin Blue.

Says Abeyta: "Incredible. It's going to be a game-changer. (Senior Associate Athletics Director) Mike Lorenzen had a vision; he didn't rush it; he did a great job getting a feeling for the type of student-athlete we have here.

"He asked where are our network people in the surrounding area that our students can have access to and work with?

"He's created an opportunity for these student-athletes (to succeed). 

"We love and care about these student-athletes. We want to give them the edge for that next phase."

Abeyta knows there is little direction at some schools, where a student-athlete's reaction after a season is "Oh wow, what's next?" From the university, it's often, "Hey, thanks for playing. Take care."

"At UC Davis, the EVO program gives the student-athlete a feeling for what is next," Abeyta says.

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A multi-sport star at Mira Loma High in Sacramento, Des and her twin sister April were tearing it up on the court for the Matadors until April went down with a serious knee injury.

From that moment on, the Abeyta sisters were being looked at differently.

April was settling on a D-III track while some lofty college offers came Des' way.

"Growing up, my sister was probably better in every single sport," Abeyta admitted. "But that knee injury changed the trajectory of her athletic prowess.

"She wanted to study film and was going to Chapman University. That made the decision process really challenging for me."

With Des almost headed to Orange County as well, Aggie coach Simpson made one last phone call.

"I implored her," Simpson once told to me. "She had to come to UC Davis. It was the place for her."
Simpson didn't have to ask a third time.

Des saw the coach for who he was: brilliant with centers, caring about his women and their education and knowing how to win.

"Obviously, I love him," Des says. "I was drawn to him right away. He's such a nice person, and I trusted him. We all did.

"He was the first person who taught me anything about playing post. In high school I played 2-3 or 1."

At almost 6-foot-3. Really? A point guard?

"I know, huh?" she laughs.

For more than a decade, it's been Abeyta's charge to pass that "posties" knowledge on to elite players like Paige Mintun, Aly Doherty, Celia Marfone and now Morgan Bertsch, a senior who probably will leave UC Davis as the team's all-time leading scorer.

When Abeyta or Gross or any member of the Aggie coaching and administrative staff talk with recruits and their families, they are secure in knowing that the school's reputation precedes them ... word has been out about their program for some time.

And everyone knows that a world-class education comes hand-in-hand with each basketball.

— Bruce Gallaudet is the former Davis Enterprise sports editor who has been around Aggie athletics since the 1970s. He also writes "Aggie Corner" each Friday in The Enterprise (www.davisenterprise.com).