New head women's basketball coach Renee Jimenez took a break from her first week on the job to answer questions and give Otter fans a glimpse of her vision for the women's basketball program at CSU Monterey Bay.  The sixth head coach in the history of CSUMB women's basketball, Jimenez arrives in Seaside after serving in assistant positions at San Diego State University and Stanford University.

The Ventura, Calif., native played three seasons at San Francisco State from 2001-04, finishing her career as the Gators' all-time leader in three-point field goals. A two year team captain, Jimenez also set two school season records, including most three-pointers made (62).

A 2004 graduate of San Francisco State with a bachelor's degree in liberal studies and kinesiology, Jimenez also competed for one year at Ventura College for head coach Ned Mircetic, helping the Pirates to the 2001 state junior college championship.

After a week on the job, how are you feeling about being the new head coach at CSU Monterey Bay?

I feel extremely honored and I am humbled for the opportunity to lead this program to great success.  I am very excited and look forward to building a great tradition of student-athletes who excel in the classroom, in the community and on the basketball court.

This job is a one of the true gems in the CCAA because of the community, the location and the vision of the university and athletics department as a whole.  All the pieces are in place to turn this program around and be successful in the coming years. I am excited about getting to know my team, my incoming recruits, the faculty and staff of CSUMB and especially the people of our surrounding communities.

This is definitely in my mind the perfect fit and I'm just thrilled to be given the opportunity to take CSU Monterey Bay to the top and win championships.

What is your vision for CSU Monterey Bay Women's Basketball?

Otter women's basketball is going to be fun, fast and exciting!  We're going to play a brand of basketball that is going to win here and we will be relentless in our journey to becoming champions. This will be a team that our surrounding communities will grow to be proud of. When these young women agree to believe in us and we commit to believing in them, this is when great teams, great players and great traditions are born.  That is championship culture and the culture I intend to bring to CSU Monterey Bay.
 
How have your past experiences prepared you for this opportunity?

I am so excited to be back in the CCAA.  The CCAA is one of, if not the most, competitive NCAA Division II conference in the country with some of the best coaches in the country. It's that experience that excited me about competing in it as a player and is now what excites to be back in it as a head coach.  

I am so thankful to the program I have just left at San Diego State.  To my athletes there now for working so hard, for our staff and Coach Beth Burns for being great mentors to me.  Without all of them, I would have not had this opportunity.  When I look at where we were 3 years ago at SDSU, this opportunity at CSUMB is a mirror image of what we were.  The challenge of building is what I enjoyed most about being at SDSU and watching a program and those young women grow to be winners on and off the court.   When I think about CSUMB and where we will be in 3 years, I get that same feeling of excitement and feel proud knowing that we have such a bright future ahead of us. 

I have had the opportunity to work along side some of basketball's greatest minds in Coach VanDerveer and Coach Burns. Seeing their passion for the game and their daily preparation has given me the tools that will allow me to train student-athletes mentally and physically to perform at their best everyday.  Through their guidance I have learned that the most important thing you do, day in and day out, is prepare for success.  I strongly believe this program can be successful and so very special.

What are your immediate priorities as you take on the challenge of building a successful program?

There is a lot of work to be done and I am anxious to get right to it.  We will work hard on the court, in the classroom and in the community to make our communities proud.  CSU Monterey Bay's basketball team is going to be synonymous with playing hard and doing it with class. 

My number one priority is the group of young women who are here right now.  Spending time with them and building a trust is what is first and foremost to me. We have a talented group of young women coming in for this next season that I am looking forward to working with.  I hope they are excited about being part Otter Basketball and the excitement of what's to come. This is my team now and I am making a promise to these young women that I will work as hard as I can to make them successful on and off the basketball court.  My job is to motivate them, give them purpose, support them, guide them, mentor them and protect them. I look forward to helping them achieve their goals as basketball players as well as helping them develop as young women once the leave CSUMB.

I am very excited about the upcoming season and even more excited about the future of our program.  Our goal for this season will be to compete and get better everyday.  The sky is the limit to what we can accomplish and I look forward to the journey.