SACRAMENTO -- Former California four-year standout Asha Thomas has been named an assistant coach for the Sacramento State women's basketball program, Head Coach Aaron Kallhoff announced on Tuesday.
"Asha is a great addition to our staff," Kallhoff said. "She had a great playing career at Cal and is very well respected in the state. Her ability to connect with others is proven. I'm so excited to watch her make an impact at Sacramento State."
Thomas joins the Hornets after spending the 2022-23 season as an assistant coach at Merritt College in her hometown of Oakland, Calif., and spent time on staff with her former AAU team, the California Ballaz, during the spring and summer of 2022 and part of the spring of 2023.
"I'm excited to be a part of the Hornet family and grateful to Coach Kallhoff for giving me this opportunity to help build the success of this program and community," Thomas said.
Thomas finished off a decorated four-year career with the Golden Bears in 2019, finishing as California's all-time record-holder for three-pointers (233), standing fourth in career assists (485), and ranking No. 15 on the school's all-time scoring list.
An All-Pac-12 selection as a junior in 2018 and an all-freshman team honoree in 2016, Thomas missed only one game in her California career, starting 130 of a possible 131 games in the blue and gold while averaging nearly 33 minutes per contest. She helped lead the Golden Bears to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017 (which featured a win over LSU in the opening round), 2018, and 2019 (opening the tournament with a win over North Carolina), as well as a trio of 20-win seasons in her final three collegiate campaigns.
Her best statistical season came as a junior when she averaged a career-best 12.8 points per game to go along with 3.5 rebounds per game, shooting 42 percent from the floor and leading the Pac-12 in free throw percentage (.867). Her 62 makes from beyond the arc that season ranked third on the program's all-time single-season list and she set a school single-game record with nine three's against Manhattan on Nov. 24.
As a senior in 2018-19, she averaged 10.5 ppg and ranked third in the league in free throw percentage (.851), breaking California's career three-pointer mark against Oregon State and reaching 1,000 career points earlier in the year against BYU on Nov. 13. Her 60 makes from beyond the arc were the sixth-best in a single-season in Cal history while her 63 three-pointers as a sophomore in 2016-17 are the second-highest total, just one off the record.
Rated as the No. 87 player overall and the No. 26 guard in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz out of Bishop O'Dowd HS, Thomas was an honorable mention All-American as a senior, averaging 14.6 points and 7.4 assists per game. She helped lead the Dragons to three CIF state championships, three CIF NorCal regional titles, and a quartet of West Alameda County Conference league crowns.
During her prep career, she was named the WACC Most Valuable Player, was an all-area selection by the Contra Costa Times, and was named to the San Francisco Chronicle's All-Metro team.
Following her collegiate playing career, Thomas embarked on a professional career overseas, competing with Eigner Angels Nordlingen in Germany after spending one season in England with the Sheffield Hatters prior to the pandemic.
Thomas graduated from California in 2019 with a degree in media studies.
