Jualeah Woods, who has over two decades of coaching experience with stops at institutions throughout the state of California, joined San Diego women's basketball as an assistant coach in 2022-2023. She will enter her fifth season with the Toreros (and her second under head coach Blanche Alverson) in 2026-2027.
"We're proud to continue to build with Jualeah on our staff," said Alverson. "She's a trusted voice in women's basketball with strong recruiting ties and a rare ability to form genuine connections. More than anything, she's a great person who brings integrity, perspective and consistency to everything she does. Jualeah is deeply respected across the game, and we're fortunate to have her leading within our Torero family."
She completed her fourth season on the San Diego bench and her first under Alverson in 2025-26, helping guide the Toreros to an 11-22 overall record and a 4-14 mark in West Coast Conference play. Picked 11th in the 12-team WCC preseason poll, San Diego improved by four wins overall and doubled its league win total from the previous season before advancing to the second round of the 2026 WCC Tournament with a 66-62 first-round win over Saint Mary's at Orleans Arena.
The Toreros built their identity on the glass in 2025-2026, ranking second in the WCC and 65th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (13.6), third in the conference in rebound margin (+4.2) and fourth in the WCC in blocked shots (3.5 per game).
Two Toreros earned All-WCC recognition on the year. Sophomore guard Kylie Ray was named to the 2025-2026 All-WCC Second Team after finishing fourth in the conference in scoring at 15.9 points per game and ranking 15th nationally in free throw percentage at 89.5 percent, while freshman guard Olivia Owens landed on the All-WCC Freshman Team, averaging 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds and leading the team in both steals and assists. Five Toreros also earned WCC All-Academic honorable mention recognition.
Woods joined the Torero staff in August 2022 and made an immediate impact. In her first season on the bench (2022-2023), San Diego went 19-14 and finished third in the West Coast Conference at 11-7 before advancing to the Super 16 of the WNIT with postseason wins over Long Beach State and UC Irvine. Four Toreros earned All-WCC recognition that season, headlined by Ayanna Khalfani, who was named WCC Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
She helped orchestrate one of the best seasons in program history as UCI set a school record with 14 conference victories, while tying the overall mark with 21 wins. The Anteaters also made it to the Big West championship game for the second year in a row and earned the program's first WNIT postseason berth. They led the league in scoring offense (66.5 ppg) and scoring margin (+5.6), and set single-season records in free throw percentage (76%) and 3-pointers made (224).
Woods arrived at UC Irvine from USC, where she was an assistant coach from 2013-17. In her first year, the Trojans advanced to the 2014 NCAA Tournament after winning their first-ever Pac-12 Tournament title. Over her four seasons, the Women of Troy went 70-57.
Prior to her stint at USC, Woods spent eight years in multiple roles at San Diego State. She was named SDSU's interim head coach after two seasons as an associate head coach and six as an assistant. Woods was also the Aztecs' recruiting coordinator. During her tenure, San Diego State won two Mountain West Conference regular season and tournament titles, and made three NCAA appearances, including a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2010. Woods mentored numerous All-Mountain West Conference performers, highlighted by four-time selection Paris Johnson and 2010 MWC Newcomer of the Year Jessika Bradley.
Woods was previously an assistant at Oregon State for five seasons (2000-05), where she helped the Beavers make four-straight WNIT appearances. She worked closely with the OSU guards, including All-American Felicia Ragland. Woods was also Oregon State's recruiting coordinator in each of her last three years in Corvallis.
She began her coaching career at Santa Monica High School before returning to her hometown of Berkeley for her first collegiate job as an assistant at Cal (1998-2000).
Woods prepped at Berkeley High School, where she garnered honorable mention All-America honors and was tabbed the Northern California Player of the Year as a senior. She went on to play at USC where she was a four-year starter and two-time team captain. Woods led the Trojans to four NCAA Tournaments with runs to the Elite Eight in 1992 and 1994. The Women of Troy also advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in her junior campaign.
She earned her bachelor's degree in public administration from USC in 1994.
