The UC Santa Barbara women’s basketball team has hired former director of basketball operations Krystle Evans as its newest assistant coach, head coach Bonnie Henrickson announced on Thursday.
“I am thrilled to welcome Krystle back to UC Santa Barbara!” Henrickson said. “Krystle is a relationship builder and connector. She has had success at every level and is connected and respected in the women’s basketball community. She will work tirelessly to recruit championship caliber players to UCSB and is committed to making an impact in the lives of our student athletes and in the Santa Barbara community.”
Evans, who was last on the staff during Henrickson’s inaugural season with the Gauchos in 2015-16, rejoins UCSB following a very successful stint with the Academy of Art women’s basketball team. After serving as both an assistant and as interim head coach, she was named the program’s head coach beginning in April 2019. Additionally, she served as the assistant athletic director of academics and admission liaison from October 2018 to April 2019 and went on to become the department’s senior woman administrator.
“Being at UC Santa Barbara is an unbelievable privilege,” Evans said. “This is where I got my start in the NCAA as a young professional, so UCSB has always held a special place in my heart. Coach Bonnie has a clear vision where she wants to take this program and I feel the same energy from the players and staff. I am thankful Coach Bonnie has made me part of the Gaucho Family and cannot wait to get on the court and get to work, as well as make a positive impact on the Santa Barbara community.”
Under Evans’ leadership, and coming off the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, the Urban Knights would enjoy their best campaign in six years in 2021-22, going 18-11 to finish third in the Pacific West Conference, reaching the PacWest Tournament title game, and returning to the NCAA Division II Tournament. The team’s tenacious defense saw ART U set single-season program records for scoring defense (61.0) and blocks per game (5.2) as four players earned PacWest Defender of the Week, a trio earned All-PacWest Team selections, and six earned Academic All-PacWest honors.
In 2019-20, Evans’ first full season as the team’s head coach, the Urban Knights claimed their highest win total since 2017. They also set the program scoring record with 123 points versus Dominican and won four of six games during a crucial stretch to remain in the PacWest playoff hunt. The previous year, she took over as interim head coach midway through the season.
Prior to her stint with the Urban Knights, Evans was an assistant coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills, where one of her primary focuses was to develop skills at the guard position. While with the Toros, she also worked as a compliance and academic liaison, was heavily involved in recruiting, and even taught a class on the experience of the African American athlete in the media.
During the 2016-17 school year, Evans was an assistant coach at UC Irvine, where she was relied upon for scouting and recruitment along with the evaluation of student-athletes’ practice and competition performance and academic team counsel. She came to the Anteaters following a year as the Gauchos’ director of basketball operations in which she was responsible for tracking academic progress, coordinating team travel along with community service efforts, and assisting all incoming student-athletes with financial aid, hosting, admissions, and other orientation aspects.
From 2010-15, she was an associate head coach at L.A. Southwest College, where she helped graduate four Academic All-Conference players in four years. She also found herself at the helm of the Animo South Los Angeles High School basketball program during a stellar 2014-15 season in which the Panthers reached the Division 4 Championship and Evans was named CIF Coach of the Year.
Prior to her time at L.A. Southwest, she served as the associate head coach for View Park Preparatory High School, bringing in three CIF Championships in four years, as well as coaching 10 Academic All-League players.
As a player, Evans was considered one of the top point guards in the state of California, earning four straight All-League and All-City honors for Crenshaw High School and being named All-State as a senior. A standout both on the court and in the classroom, she earned a scholarship at UCLA. Unfortunately, injuries kept her off the court during her four years with the Bruins, but she would prove that she didn’t need to be on the court in order to make a difference.
During her time at UCLA, Evans was a Chancellors’ Blue and Gold Scholar, a Research Rookie, a McNair Scholar, a Vice Provost for Pre-College Scholars (VIPS) Mentor, and was published four times. She went on to be one of just 96 African-American students in her graduating class, after having participated in numerous rallies demanding change from the admissions board in how it reviews applications. That movement resulted in the university adopting new review processes incorporating a new “holistic approach.”
After graduating in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in political science with a United States government concentration and an education minor, her hard work and leadership qualities earned her a California’s 30 Under 30 Award, the Wasserman Research Scholar Award, Marguerite LaMotte’s Rosa Parks Leadership Award, the LAUSD Trailblazer Award, along with numerous other recognitions.
Evans is also a Past Regional Representative of the Far West Region of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc and earned her Masters of Arts Degree in Kinesiology at Fresno Pacific University in 2016. She is currently working on her Ph.D. in Sports Leadership at Concordia Chicago.
Michael Jorgenson writes about sports for UCSB.
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