College Of The Canyons Announces New Women’s Basketball Head Coach

The College of the Canyons Athletic Department announced Tuesday the hiring of a new women’s basketball head coach.

Robin Hester, a 33-year coaching veteran at the collegiate level (both men’s and women’s) will take over as head coach. He has appeared in 1,012 bench games throughout his career, winning 741.

“I am thankful and humbled to be asked to lead the women’s basketball program at College of the Canyons ,” said Hester. “I would like to thank Chad Peters and the hiring committee for this opportunity. My family and I are looking forward to joining the Canyons Athletics community.”

Former Canyons head coach John Wissmath, who still coaches the college’s softball program, stepped down after two years. Greg Herrick, the previous head coach, served for 30 years until his retirement in June 2022 before Wissmath took over.

“We’re very excited to welcome Robin Hester to the Cougar Family,” said Chad Peters, dean of kinesiology, health and wellness, fitness, and athletics at COC. “Robin brings a unique perspective to the bench after working in community college athletics for nearly 30 years.”

During his 23 seasons as an assistant coach at Ventura Community College, Hester was widely recognized as one of the best in the state.

Under the leadership of women’s basketball head coach Ned Mircetic and Hester as an assistant, the Ventura squad went 580–132 (.814 winning percentage) and won 18 Western State Conference (WSC) North Division titles. Among these highlights are 3C2A state titles in 2002, 2010 and 2014, a postseason record of 39-18 and 10 appearances in the Elite Eight.

“This hiring marks an exciting new chapter for the Canyons women’s basketball program. With a proven track record of excellence in coaching and a dedication to student-athlete development, Robin brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role,” said Gina Johnson, president of the California Community College Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) and women’s basketball head coach at San Joaquin Delta College.

Hester won 11 WBCA All-Americans, four State Player of the Year awards, 27 All-State selections, 11 WSC MVPs and 106 WSC honorees during his time at Ventura.

In his 23 seasons in the program, 116 student-athletes jumped to four-year institutions, with 69 of those athletes retaining their eligibility (16 from Division I, 31 from Division II, 16 from NAIA, and eight from Division III).

“Robin is well known for his recruiting but best known for fostering relationships with student-athletes,” said Casandra Renno, women’s basketball head coach at CSU, San Bernardino, who has known Hester since her own playing days. “He has a tremendous background and knowledge of the game and will do a superb job leading his own program while laying the foundation of great academic and athletic success.”

Besides that, Hester was instrumental in Ventura’s 58 Academic All-State Award recipients between 2009 and 2010 and the Pirates’ three 3C2A State Scholar Team Awards in 2002, 2009 and 2015.

“Coach Hester is not only passionate about basketball but about helping his players grow on and off the court,” said Kylie Gallick, who earned 3C2A All-State Team and Scholar-Athlete honors after being recruited to Ventura by Hester. “He worked with us every day to ensure we left the gym better than when we came in and genuinely cares about making sure all his players are okay. Being a student-athlete comes with its own challenges and Hester did a lot to make sure we got the support we needed to succeed.”

Hester inherits a team that went 14-15 and tied for fourth in the WSC’s South Division.

With a historically good program, the sky’s the limit for Hester as he steps into the role of head coach during the summer.

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