Wednesday, March 18, 2020
by Alaska Anchorage Athletic Communications

ATLANTA – University of Alaska Anchorage assistant coach Sierra Afoa was honored Wednesday as a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s fifth annual Thirty Under 30 list, recognizing her as one of the top up-and-coming coaches at all levels of college basketball.

One of just six NCAA Division II coaches to earn the prestigious honor this year, Afoa joined head coach Ryan McCarthy’s staff in 2018-19 after three seasons as a player for the Seawolves. In her two seasons on the staff, UAA has produced a combined 61-5 record, including two outright Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles and the 2020 GNAC Tournament championship.

After losing four starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament ‘Sweet 16’ squad that finished 30-3, Afoa helped this year’s team to a pair of 13-game winning streaks, the program’s seventh straight NCAA berth and the No. 4 spot in both the final WBCA and D2SIDA top-25 polls.

A former Alaska prep star at Anchorage’s Dimond High School and academic all-conference honoree at UAA, she has also been instrumental in helping the Seawolves achieve success in the classroom.

“Sierra has had such a tremendous impact on our program and is extraordinarily deserving of this honor,” McCarthy said. “She has helped with our academic success the past two seasons and her leadership ability with our ladies has been very valuable. She has served as a great mentor to our student-athletes as they grow into leadership roles, and she can relate to each one of them, having played in the program.”

Afoa gives the Seawolves a Thirty Under 30 honoree for the fourth time, along with Alysha Devine (2017-18), current associate head coach Shaina Afoa (2016-17), and current UAA assistant strength coach Alysa Horn (2015-16).