‘Eaters finalize staff

UC Irvine women’s basketball coach Molly Goodenbour has completed her staff, adding Brianna Finch and Audi Spencer to join George Libbon, who was hired in August, as assistant coaches.

Julia Smith has been named director of basketball operations for Goodenbour, who replaced Molly Tuter after guiding Chico State to a 52-11 record the previous two seasons.

Libbon, who worked with Goodenbour at Chico State, has more than 25 years of coaching experience. He was athletic director and men’s basketball coach at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Ore. from 1991-2004, before coaching overseas. He was a men’s assistant at San Jose State from 1982-84 and had collegiate coaching stints at Portland and Oregon.

Finch was an assistant and recruiting coordinator at UC San Diego last season. She was head coach at Griffith College in Dublin, Ireland in 2006-07 and was an assistant at Menlo College in 2005-06. She also spent one season as head coach at Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon and was an assistant for two seasons at Santa Rosa community college alongside Goodenbour.

Spencer played for Goodenbour at Chico State, from which she graduated last spring.

She made first-team All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. and first-team All Division II West Region as a senior, when she averaged a team-best 14.5 points per game and shot 52.1% from the field. She is Chico State’s career leader in three-point field goals (196), three-point percentage (.521), wins (102) and games played (123).

Smith was an assistant at San Bernardino Valley College the last two seasons, after one season as an assistant at Riverside Community College.

“I think this staff brings a lot of experience and enthusiasm that will benefit our program,” Goodenbour said in a statement. “There is a familiarity with the staff so it has been an easy transition and we are looking forward to getting out into the Southern California basketball community and building relationships.”

The Anteaters open their season Nov. 14 at New Mexico State and their home opener is Nov. 21 against Loyola Marymount.

— From staff reports