Vanessa Nygaard enters her second season as associate head coach with the UC San Diego women’s basketball program in 2025-26.
Nygaard brings a wealth of experience to La Jolla, with over 20 years coaching at the high school, college and professional levels. While with the Tritons, Nygaard has coached three all-conference selections, including 24-25 First Team honoree Sumayah Sugapong and Newcomer of the Year Sabrina Ma.
In her first season in La Jolla in 2024-25, Nygaard helped the Tritons to their first Big West Championship and NCAA Division I Tournament berth. UC San Diego became the first school in history to have both its men's and women's basketball teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament in their first season of eligibility. Under Nygaard's tutelage, the Tritons set the program's Division I records for steals in a game (21), steals in a season (404) and turnovers forced in a season (721). UC San Diego finished first the in the Big West and 20th nationally in steals per game (11.2) and first in the conference (26th nationally) in both turnover margin (5.19) and turnovers forced per game (14.8).
Prior to UC San Diego, Nygaard served as head coach of the Phoenix Mercury from 2022 to 2023. She also served as an assistant for the Las Vegas Aces (2021) and San Antonio Stars (2008), helping the team to appear in the 2008 WNBA Finals.
Nygaard spent 14 years coaching the girls’ basketball team at Windward School in Los Angeles from 2008 to 2021 and was promoted to head coach in 2012. She led the team to three state titles in 2013, 2017 and 2018, and five sectional and three regional championships. Nygaard amassed a 210-40 record during her tenure.
Additionally, she served as an assistant coach for USA Basketball in 2017-18, helping the U16 squad to a gold medal at FIBA Americas in Argentina and the U17 team to a gold medal at FIBA World Cup in Belarus.
In 2003, Nygaard got her coaching start at Long Beach State as an assistant coach. She was named an assistant at Pepperdine the following year and served on the staff for four seasons (2004-2008), including an NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2005-06 season.
Nygaard’s playing career spanned six seasons as a forward in the WNBA after being selected in the fourth round (39th overall pick) of the 1998 draft by the New York Liberty. Nygaard had stints at the Cleveland Rockers, Portland Fire, Miami Sol and Los Angeles Sparks from 1999 to 2003. She also played three seasons in Europe from 1998 to 2001.
A standout for Tara VanDerveer’s squad at Stanford from 1993 to 1998, Nygaard helped the Cardinal to three Final Four appearances and a 113-14 overall record (69-2, Pac-10). She set Stanford’s individual record for career made three-pointers and was an All-Pac 10, All-Pac 10 Academic and Honorable Mention All-American in 1998.
Nygaard earned her bachelor’s degree from Stanford in American Studies in 1998 and her master’s in Sports and Athletic Administration from Gonzaga in 2018. She attended Carlsbad High School in Carlsbad, Calif.
