The University of Denver women’s basketball program hired former Mexican Women’s Basketball National Team head coach and Santa Clara assistant Des Abeyta as an assistant coach on June 1.
Abeyta is coming off a season as an assistant coach at West Coast Conference program Santa Clara, where she helped lead the Broncos to a 24-10 record and a 13-5 mark in the WCC. As the third seed in the postseason, Santa Clara earned a quarterfinal win over San Francisco in the WCC Tournament before falling to Gonzaga in the semifinal. Santa Clara went on to play Cal in the WBIT, dropping a four-point game in the postseason to the ACC school.
In the international game, Abeyta was the head coach of the Mexican national team in the summer of 2025, after serving on the staff as an assistant the summer prior. Abeyta opened her international head coaching career at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. Abeyta also previously coached internationally for South Sudan.
Prior to joining the staff at Santa Clara, Abeyta spent three seasons as the head coach Sonoma State (NCAA DII), where she led the Seawolves to 48 wins, including 36 in conference play. Abeyta coached seven student-athletes to All-Conference honors.
Abeyta’s longest-tenured position saw her spend 15 years on the UC Davis women’s basketball staff, taking her alma mater from its first year at the Division I level to a program that went 71-35 in her four years after being promoted to associate head coach with two NCAA Tournament appearances to the Aggies’ name in that span.
As a student-athlete, Abeyta led UC Davis from 1996-99, earning All-California Collegiate Athletic Association honors twice. Abeyta played to a 94-22 record while with the Aggies and continues to rank among the school’s career leaders is points, rebounds and blocked shots.
