BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — California State University, Bakersfield women’s head basketball coach Ari Wideman has resigned, the university announced Tuesday night, just over a month after she was placed on paid administrative leave. Wideman will remain with the program until April 21.
Wideman was hired in May 2024 as the program’s first Black female head coach. Her hiring followed CSUB’s decision not to renew the contract of longtime coach Greg McCall in March 2024.
Ray Alvardo was announced as interim head coach last month and will remain in the same role.
Wideman finishes with a 9-51 record in two years with the program.
Wideman’s resignation comes as CSUB has seen a series of departures and coaching changes across its athletics programs over the past year.
CSUB Director of Athletics Kyle Conder also departed that same month.
The swimming and diving program has had several coaching changes, most recently when Director Eric Bugby announced his resignation in October 2025.
In October 2025, two former CSUB softball players filed a lawsuit against CSUB, alleging Olivarez and Davenport created a “sexually charged environment” because they “openly discussed their sex lives with the team” between 2022 and 2025.
In March 2025, CSUB softball player Violet Salazar posted a TikTok video alleging abuse by softball coaches. Salazar accused Assistant Coach James Davenport of sexual assault, saying he grabbed her body after she showered, leaving a bruise. CSUB suspended softball head coach Letty Olivarez and Davenport. Davenport was no longer employed by the university as of October 2025.
Comment with Bubbles
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
The changes across CSUB athletics came around the same period as the September 2025 arrest of former CSUB assistant men’s basketball coach Kevin Mays, who was accused of trafficking a woman across three states.