SSU alum Rich Shayewitz returns for his third season and fourth year leading the Sonoma State men's basketball program. Last season, Shayewitz had a bounce back year as the team recorded 13 wins and qualified for postseason action for the first time since 2017. Sonoma State would defeat Cal Poly Humboldt in the quarterfinals and advance to the semis before falling to top seeded San Bernardino. The 2022-23 season would be highlighted by sophomore phenom Jaylen Wells who was named the CCAA Player of the Year. Shayewitz added ten more wins to his record from the 2021-22 season and finished 5th in league play. Â
After the retirement of men's basketball coach Pat Fuscaldo and the onset of COVID-19 after the 2019-20 season, Rich Shayewitz was appointed interimÂ
Director of Basketball making him the head coach for both the men and the women's programs at SSU. With no athletic competition during the 2020-21 academic year, Shayewitz led both programs during the 2021-22 season and took on his first season at the helm of the men's program and his fifth year with the women's program. Shayewitz ended his 5 year career with the women's program with an overall record of 48-59 and a conference record of 38-47, making the CCAA tournament in each of his four seasons of action (excluding 2020-21 season due to COVID-19).  Â
Shayewitz came to Sonoma State University as a undergraduate in the fall of 1995 and obtained a Bachelor's degree in Business Marketing in the spring of 2000. During that time, he volunteered as a student assistant coach on the SSU men's basketball team under head coach Pat Fuscaldo and has been on the sidelines ever since. He was later promoted to Associate Head Coach just prior to the 2006-07 season.
In his 19 seasons with the men's team, Shayewitz was instrumental in assisting the program to four NCAA tournament appearances, including this past season in which the Seawolves were crowned the NCAA Division II statistical champion in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a nation's-best 57.8 points per game. He was also credited for his help in the team's 2005-06 CCAA Championship run and six CCAA tournament appearances since.
In addition to his efforts on the sideline, Shayewitz has also served as the Academic and Eligibility Student-Athlete Advisor for the SSU athletic department years prior. He also holds two Master's degrees; one in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from Saint Mary's College in Moraga, and another in Business from Sonoma State. Â
Shayewitz is the 8th head coach in the 59-year history of the Sonoma State men's basketball program.Â
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| Year |
School |
Overall |
Conference |
Place |
| 2017-18 (WBB) |
Sonoma State |
12-15 |
9-13 |
8th (CCAA Tournament) |
| 2018-19 (WBB) |
Sonoma State |
11-15 |
9-13 |
7th (CCAA Tournament) |
| 2019-20 (WBB) |
Sonoma State |
15-13 |
11-11 |
8th (CCAA Tournament) |
| 2020-21 (COVID-19) |
Sonoma State |
-- |
-- |
Season canceled due to COVID-19 |
| 2021-22 (WBB) |
Sonoma State |
10-16 |
9-10 |
6th (CCAA Tournament) |
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| Year |
School |
Overall |
Conference |
Place |
| 2021-2022 (MBB) |
Sonoma State |
3-25 |
3-19 |
12th |
| 2022-23 (MBB) |
Sonoma State |
13-17 |
11-11 |
5th (CCAA Tournament) |
| 2023-24 (MBB) |
Sonoma State |
-- |
-- |
-- |
