Sports

UAA women's hoops: Associate coach departs, assistant promoted

UAA on Thursday announced Shaina Afoa has been promoted to the top assistant coaching position in its dynamic NCAA Division II women's basketball program after associate head coach Alex Carlson accepted the head coaching job at Southern Oregon University, an NAIA program in Ashland that is coming off a stellar season.

Carlson served on head coach Ryan McCarthy's staff for two seasons and last season helped guide the Seawolves to a 29-2 record, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and a berth in the NCAA tournament. He inherits a Raiders team that last season went 27-5 and won an NAIA tournament game for the first time in 16 years.

Afoa has long been an athletic fixture in Anchorage and in the GNAC. She was a standout athlete at Dimond and a three-sport athlete -- basketball, track and field, volleyball -- at Central Washington University of the GNAC.

Afoa joined McCarthy's staff in 2012 and served two seasons as a graduate assistant before her promotion last season to full-time assistant coach.

"Shaina has been a very valuable member of our program and played a huge role in our success,'' McCarthy said in a news release. "She is proven in post skill development and has been instrumental in our ability to sign quality student-athletes. Her transition will be seamless, and I know our players are excited about her new opportunity.''

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