UCSB denied that Kirsten Moore has been hired as its new women’s basketball coach after a press release inadvertently sent to the media by Westmont College Athletics on Tuesday announced that Moore resigned as the Warriors’ coach to accept the same position at UCSB.
“UC Santa Barbara has not made a coaching hire for its vacant women’s basketball head coach position despite a press release to the contrary sent out earlier on Tuesday, UCSB’s Sports Information Department said in a release to the media.
“Nobody has been offered this job,” UCSB Director of Athletics Mark W. Massari said in the statement.
Massari has said he wants to name the final selection on Thursday.
Moore apparently is a finalist for the job. Another candidate is Carlene Mitchell, the associate head coach at Rutgers. She was on campus last week, according to a published report.
UCSB is searching for a coach to replace Lindsay Gottlieb, who last month resigned to accept the coaching job at Cal.
Ironically, Moore came to Westmont from Cal, where she served as an assistant for four years.
She coached six seasons at Westmont, posting a record of 112-70 and guiding the Warriors to four NAIA National Tournaments.
Moore played Division 1 basketball at the University of Oregon.
