When the final buzzer sounded on April 7, 2013, former Cal point guard Eliza Pierre walked off the floor after a loss in the NCAA Final Four at New Orleans Arena believing it would be her last time ever stepping on a college basketball court.

"I actually never thought I would walk back into a gym," Pierre admitted.

But in fact, Pierre is now in her second season as an assistant coach for the UC Santa Barbara women's basketball team and is returning to Haas Pavilion to coach against her alma mater, with the Gauchos and Golden Bears set to square off at 2 p.m. PT.

Ask Pierre and she's quick to say she never expected a day like this to come. Those that know her well readily agree with that assessment.

"She never talked about coaching and wasn't one of those players I pegged as immediately wanting to get into it," said Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who coached Pierre during her last two seasons in Berkeley. "But if you asked me what Eliza was going to be or what she was capable of being, I would have said 'anything'. She's just supremely talented and smart."
 
Pierre graduated from Cal in May 2013 with a degree in African-American Studies and returned to her hometown of Pasadena, California, intent on becoming a firefighter. The four-time Pac-12 All-Defensive Team selection worked during the day with the executive directors of the Lake Avenue Community Foundation, a non-profit that works with youth in vulnerable communities. She spent the rest of her waking hours training tirelessly to become a firefighter and first responder.

But after two years, Pierre found that she simply couldn't stay away from basketball and the world of college athletics.

"You fall in love with sports," Pierre said. "I've loved basketball and my teammates. I loved that I got to play a team sport; you learn so much about yourself and about other people. I think that piece was missing while I was training on my own… There's nothing like being a part of something every single day."

Pierre soon returned to the Bay Area, taking an internship at the Pac-12 headquarters in San Francisco as a Sports Management and Championships fellow.  After a year at the conference offices, Pierre came back to Berkeley and joined the Golden Bears' basketball operations staff for the 2016-17 season.

While she returned to the sport, coaching remained off Pierre's radar until the summer of 2017.

With both Gottlieb and Bears' assistant coach Kai Felton out on maternity leave, Pierre and Talia Caldwell '13, another Golden Bear standout and member of Cal's Final Four run, were hired as interim assistant coaches to help associate head coach Charmin Smith and assistant coach Wendale Farrow with workouts and recruiting.

The experience opened Pierre's eyes to both the intricacies of coaching and its potential as a viable career path.

"A coach's job is hard," Pierre said. "You don't fully understand that when you're an athlete. You think coaches come in for a few hours, work you out, and then leave. But Charmin and Dale, they wanted us to be fully invested and take ownership. We were looking up different drills, brainstorming ideas for workouts… really diving in. It was definitely different from anything I was used to, but the girls really responded. They bought in and listened to us. They went hard in practice and that made it a little easier and a lot more enjoyable."
 
At the end of the summer, Pierre received a phone call from UCSB head coach Bonnie Henrickson, offering her a full-time assistant coaching position. Everyone Henrickson spoke to about Pierre in the interview process brought up her growth, professionalism, and magnetic personality.

"I always say your energy introduces you before you ever open your mouth," said Henrickson, now in her fourth season at Santa Barbara and 22^nd  season overall as a Division I head coach. "You can't underestimate the importance of that, especially in this business where the days are long, the weeks are long and the seasons are long. The energy she brings every day is so impressive."

While maybe unexpected, the decision to jump headfirst into coaching was an easy one.

"It was a no-brainer," Pierre said. "It was definitely a shift and a different career path than everything I had been doing to that point, but it ended up being one of the best decisions for me and my family. It's brought me closer to home and has given me the opportunity to learn and challenge myself. [Coach Henrickson] has been in the game for a long time and knows so much. She takes the time to teach and gives us responsibility and the chance to be creative."

In her first season, Pierre helped UCSB reach the quarterfinals of the Big West Tournament and land a pair of players on the all-conference team. This year, her role continues to expand with a youthful Gauchos squad. Pierre feels she's now able to see things in practices or games that she couldn't before, and has continued to develop her voice and leadership. She tries to take bits and pieces from all the coaches she's played under and adapt it into her own style, one that's centered on work ethic and competition.

"I'm trying to take all those things I've been taught in my basketball career and stitch them together to be the best coach that I can possibly be," Pierre said. "I want to keep growing and learning, and I still love to compete. That hasn't changed from when I was a player. I'd run through a wall and I try to talk to our student-athletes about doing that and helping them develop in their own personal games."

Pierre's impact on the program has been evident to Henrickson.

"We talk with our student-athletes about who inspires you in practice and who challenges you to compete on the court," Hendrickson said. "All our guards would say Eliza. Every single one. She can hop in drills and play to pace, and helps us see things that we might not otherwise until a game. And she does it all while still coaching and talking. She's shown she has a really diverse skill set in this profession that is really going to help her as she continues to grow."
 
On Sunday, both teams and coaching staffs will undoubtedly be focused on the game at hand, but there is no denying the bond between the two benches.

"There are going to be some long moments where I'm looking at her and the other bench, because it's such an important and prideful thing for me," said Gottlieb, who began her own head coaching career at UCSB and led the Gauchos to two postseason appearances in her three seasons. "I'm just so incredibly proud of Eliza. It's so cool to see her in coaching and at a place that means a lot to me."

Returning to Berkeley will be a memorable day for Pierre as well.

"Haas Pavilion will always hold a special place in my heart," said Pierre.  "Our Final Four team did some really special things here and those are memories and bonds that I'll have forever. Competing in my old gym against my old coaches isn't some I ever thought would happen, but it makes me really happy to be able to come back and see everyone that's become my family in the Bay Area."

"And hey," she added with a smile, "I'm still in blue and gold."