College Sports

Sacramento State adds McClatchy coach as women’s basketball assistant

By Bill Paterson

bpaterson@sacbee.com

July 05, 2016 06:21 PM

McClatchy Lions head coach Jessica Kunisaki yells out instruction in the fourth quarter as No. 2 seed Oak Ridge hosted No. 7 seed McClatchy in a girls Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoff game, in El Dorado Hills.
McClatchy Lions head coach Jessica Kunisaki yells out instruction in the fourth quarter as No. 2 seed Oak Ridge hosted No. 7 seed McClatchy in a girls Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoff game, in El Dorado Hills. Jose Luis Villegas jvillegas@sacbee.com
McClatchy Lions head coach Jessica Kunisaki yells out instruction in the fourth quarter as No. 2 seed Oak Ridge hosted No. 7 seed McClatchy in a girls Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoff game, in El Dorado Hills. Jose Luis Villegas jvillegas@sacbee.com

Jessica Kunisaki, who coached McClatchy High School to the 2014-15 CIF State Division I girls basketball championship, has been named an assistant women’s coach at Sacramento State.

Kunisaki, a former McClatchy player who holds the school’s records for career assists and steals, coached the Lions for six seasons. Her 2014-15 team was the first Sacramento City Unified School District team to win a girls state title in any sport, and she was named The Sacramento Bee’s Coach of the Year and the MaxPreps California Coach of the Year.

“There are a number of things that make Jessica a good hire for us,” Hornets coach Bunky Harkleroad said in a statement. “She has good experience and has a very successful track record. She understands the dynamics of the local basketball scene and has solid connections within the community.”

Kunisaki received her master’s degree in school counseling from Sac State in 2013. She played basketball as an ​undergraduate at Chapman.

Kunisaki replaces three-year assistant Kim Stephens, who played for Harkleroad at Glenville (W.Va.) State and became head coach at her alma mater in April.

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