SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — When Renee Jimenez returned to the Thunderdome as the new head coach of UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball, it was a moment of awe and familiarity. "Wow, I remember being in here as a kid, and now it's mine," she said, reflecting on the journey that brought her back to the place where she fell in love with basketball.

Jimenez has always been a leader on the court, from her days of setting scoring records at San Francisco State to her successful coaching stints at institutions like Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State San Marcos. With a coaching career spanning 20 years, Jimenez has come full circle. Now, she steps up to lead the team she always rooted for. 
 
The Ventura native's passion for the game was cultivated at Santa Barbara where she attended basketball camps and cheered for her favorite team in the stands. During her youth, UC Santa Barbara's program was a powerhouse. The Gauchos regularly competed for Big West titles and even made deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. Jimenez vividly remembers those days and the influence they had on her, fueling her dream to one day coach for the Gauchos. 
 
"This has been my dream job since I started coaching," Jimenez said. "Santa Barbara was one of the most successful teams in the country when I was growing up, and I knew this place could do that again."
 

A Record of Success

Jimenez' coaching journey began in 2004 at Stanford University, where she served as a video coordinator under Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer. Jimenez learned the finer details of building a championship-caliber program and helped guide the Cardinal to the NCAA Elite Eight. After a year at Stanford, Jimenez took her first assistant coaching role at San Diego State, where she learned under another legendary head coach, Beth Burns. During the 2007-08 season, her third and final season with the Aztecs, Jimenez helped SDSU reach the Mountain West Conference Tournament Title game. She helped turn around a program that won four games her first season as an assistant to 18 in the 07-08 campaign and nearly won a Mountain West Championship.

Jimenez' time at Cal State Monterey Bay established her reputation of success as a head coach. During her five seasons with the Otters, she claimed a CCAA Regular Season and Tournament Championship, led her team to three NCAA Tournament appearances and was named the CCAA Coach of the Year in her third season. Following her achievements at Monterey Bay, Jimenez went on to coach at Cal State San Bernardino, where she improved the Coyotes from a 9-16 record to 19-9 in just two seasons. 
 
Jimenez took her winning momentum to Cal State San Marcos where she coached for eight seasons, and led an historic 2023-24 campaign. The Cougars posted a 27-7 record, captured the CCAA Regular Season and Tournament titles and made a dramatic run to the NCAA Division II Final Four. Her extraordinary efforts earned her CCAA Coach of the Year three times.
 

Building a Family-Oriented Program

Despite her impressive coaching achievement, Jimenez does not define her success according to the scoreboard. What truly sets Jimenez apart is her emphasis on community and character. Her vision for Gaucho Women's Basketball goes beyond just wins and losses; it's about creating a family atmosphere that extends beyond the gym.
 
"When you're part of a program, you want to feel like you belong, like you're cared for," Jimenez said. "If you want people in the stands and you want people to come to games, they need to know that you are invested in them and that you care. That's how you build real relationships, and community is a big part of our success." 
 
Jimenez' support system has been integral to her coaching journey. Her two older sisters have been by her side throughout it all, attending her teams' games and cheering her on. It's that kind of family-oriented mentality that Jimenez wants to bring to UC Santa Barbara.
 
She's already made strides in connecting with the local community. Before the start of the season, Jimenez hosted camps and clinics to engage with young athletes including one at Isla Vista Elementary. Each program emphasizes the importance of building relationships with the next generation.
 
"I want our players to be reachable, to be figures that kids can look up to and connect with," Jimenez remarks.

Approach to Leadership

From a player to a coach, Jimenez claims leading has always been natural.  As a player at San Francisco State, she took responsibility for ensuring that her team stayed unified and focused. That same sense of leadership has translated seamlessly into her coaching philosophy.
 
One of Jimenez' key values as a coach is the approach of recruiting "great people before you recruit great basketball players." She's steadfast in her belief that building a program with character and integrity will ultimately lead to success on the court. "If we never sacrifice great people for talent, the winning will come naturally," said Jimenez.
Her holistic perspective of her players is displayed in her ambitions for player development.  Her player-centric approach is reflected in the team's practice jerseys, which feature the phrase "Practice like a champion" with the word "act" standing out in a different color. It's a reminder that being a champion transcends flawless passing and shooting; it means making decisions that reflect character just as much as their talent.   
 
For Jimenez, being a "student-first leader" is essential. She makes every decision with the perspective that her team is made of people before athletes. 
 
"Basketball is the fun thing we get to do, but making sure our players feel loved and taken care of is the most important thing," Jimenez remarks. "The players are the heart of this program, and I want them to feel like this is a home away from home."
 

A Vision for UC Santa Barbara Women's Basketball

As Jimenez steps into her role at UC Santa Barbara, she has one clear goal in mind: to establish an identity for her team. 
 
"Identity, how we are seen, is everything," Jimenez claims. "It's how we'll be seen. Right now, I'd describe our identity as energy, but I want to build on that."
 
Her vision for Gaucho Women's Basketball is clear: a program that values community, prioritizes character and strives for excellence both on and off the court. For Jimenez, returning to her roots at Santa Barbara feels like the perfect place to start making that vision a reality.
 
"I've always had my eye on this school," she said. "It's perfect—location, academics, community—everything about this place makes it special. It's home."