Keani Albanez has always been “one of the boys” when it comes to playing basketball.
The former Buena High and Gonzaga University women’s basketball star learned the game playing on boys teams.
Now she’ll be coaching the game with the SBCC men’s basketball team.
Albanez was hired by head coach Devin Engebretsen to be his top assistant.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2020-21 men’s basketball team won’t start practicing until Jan. 18 and play its first game in February.
“I think Keani is going to do an outstanding job for us,” said Engebretsen. “She’s an awesome communicator and really good at being able to speak to our players. She understands their mindset as a former college player at an elite level. I think she’ll be able to motivate our guys to do great things. She’s going to be tremendous at skill development.”
Albanez is the daughter of a basketball coach. Her father, George Albanez, started the 805 Basketball Club. He has helped develop several of the top players to come out of this area.
“It’s been around for 25 years now,” Keani said of the club. “I grew up playing for his boys teams. I actually didn’t start playing with girls until I got to middle school. There just wasn’t that many opportunities for me at the time. Growing up, because my love for the game was so strong, I’ve always been ‘one of the boys’ they would say. I still play pick-up to this day with all men, it’s just how I was raised.”
Engebretsen is not concerned about the gender difference between coach and players “because Keani is so well educated in basketball and her experience is tremendous,” he said. “She knows so much basketball in terms of skill development and the mental side of things. She’s really big on practicing the right way. I really believe that our young men will thrive under her coaching and tutelage both on the floor and in the classroom. And, she’ll also be a leader in the community, helping our guys give back to the youth of Santa Barbara.”
Albanez grew up in Santa Barbara, attending Cleveland and Adams Elementary and La Cumbre Junior High.
She attended Oxnard High for her freshman year and transferred to Buena. As a senior, she led the Bulldogs to the CIF Division 2AA and CIF Div. 2 So Cal Regional finals. She averaged averaged 21.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 2.7 assists per game and was named All-Ventura County, first team All-Channel League and first team All-CIF Division III.
She received a scholarship to Gonzaga University and played four years for the Zags. They won at least 26 games each year and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and Elite 8. During her four seasons, Gonzaga was 110-25 overall and won four straight West Coast Conference titles with a 61-7 record.
Albanez played professionally overseas for six years, with stops in China, Greece, Switzerland and Egypt.
She’s been a personal trainer since college and started her own youth basketball organization, KA Basketball Academy for boys and girls at the Page Youth Center in Goleta.
Besides her knowledge of the game, Engebretsen said Albanez has tremendous passion and spirit.
“I really think our young men are going to love what she’s about — her enthusiasm for the game, her enthusiasm for improvement and getting betterm” he said. “She really cares about people and the development of our young men as students and players. Her knowledge of the game is key, being a former elite NCAA Div. 1 athlete and playing overseas. She’s been coached by a lot of different people, so she has a wealth of knowledge to bring to our program.”
Albanez has experience coaching male athletes.
“This won’t be my first time coaching boys as I have been doing it with my personal training business since college,” she said. “I also coached at elite high school boys camps and have been the only woman in the entire camp. The transition from player to coach is always different. I’m sure it will be challenging at times just like for any head assistant coach during COVID, but not because they are men. The ball goes into the hoop just the same.”
SBCC Athletic Director Rocco Constantino feels coaching a men’s team shouldn’t define Albanez in her role. She was highly qualified for the job.
“She had an excellent career as a player and comes highly recommended as a coach and that’s the main thing,” he said. “I am proud that Keani and SBCC are taking part in going against traditional gender roles within the coaching world, but it shouldn’t matter. Keani is a great coach and will be a fantastic role model for the players she coaches and for our female student-athletes on all of our teams.
“I think she’ll inspire others to follow in her footsteps, whether it is in basketball or other sports. We see male coaches coaching female sports all the time. I coached two female sports on the NCAA level and that’s considered the norm. Why shouldn’t women be able to coach men too if they have the ability? I think we’re moving in a direction on the college and professional levels where more and more women are coaching men’s sports and, soon enough, it will be the norm. I am happy that Devin Engebretsen has given Keani a chance to be a pioneer at SBCC.”
Said Albanez about the opportunity she’s been given: “I can’t find a word to describe how blessed I truly feel to be able to stay home and still be in the game I love. I moved from home when I was 17 and haven’t spent more that two months at home since, and I’m turning 27 in a couple weeks. So it’s been awhile since home was my home.
“I’m beyond fortunate to be able to help my community. There is so much raw talent in Santa Barbara and year after year we develop more studs coming out of the 805 club. I’m thankful I was able to be one, but it means something much greater when I know I can help more than just one kid find some success. Being able to come full circle, that is truly the biggest reward.”