Wins and sportsmanship.
These are two of the most important things any coach must bring to the table. They also happen to be women’s basketball coach Sandy Simpson’s specialty.
An Aggie through and through, Simpson’s UC Davis roots trace all the way back to his playing days in the mid-1970s. He’s come a long way since then, as all of his hard work produced a regular season Big West Conference Championship this season.
“Because of recruiting, the championship is a culmination of years of work,” Simpson said. “We established the kind of legacy that made us attractive to recruits. We convinced them that we could be a legitimate contender.”
Simpson’s squad finished the year with a 21-11 overall record, including a 12-4 Big West record. After losing in the championship game of the conference tournament, Simpson took his team to its first ever Women’s National Invitational Tournament against California.
For their efforts, UC Davis was awarded a multitude of conference accolades. Simpson was named Big West Coach of the Year and, for the second season in a row, the team received the Big West Winter Sportsmanship Award.
The California Aggie would like to add one more piece of hardware to Simpson’s trophy case by naming him UC Davis’ Coach of the Year.
– Mark Ling
