Last season’s State Coach of the Year in girls basketball is going to take the plunge into college coaching as Carondelet of Concord’s Kelly Sopak (also the former head coach at Miramonte of Orinda when Sabrina Ionescu was there) is going to take over the program at the University of Nevada.
It is a bit of a homecoming for Kelly Sopak.
After leading Concord Carondelet since 2021, with previous stints at Walnut Creek Northgate from 2006-2009 and Orinda Miramonte from 2010-2020, Sopak has accepted the job as the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Nevada-Reno.
During his time as a high school coach, Sopak amassed a 541-91 record and was named the 2025 Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year after his Carondelet team won the CIF Division I state championship. Over six seasons at Carondelet, Sopak also led the Cougars to three CIF North Coast Section titles, and three NorCal Championship Game appearances with the one title. At Miramonte, Sopak guided the Matadors to a CIF Open Division NorCal title, five NCS championships and seven league titles.
Carondelet of Concord head coach Kelly Sopak ponders a question during CIF D1 state final post-game press conference. Photo: Mark Tennis.
Sopak is also the founder of the Cal Stars Basketball Club which he started in 2006 and since then, between the Stars and his high school career, Sopak has coached and developed some major talent that has had an impact at the collegiate and professional levels of women’s basketball. His prowess was rewarded with him being named to Silver Wave Media’s 2025 “100 Most Impactful People in Women’s Basketball.”
The top name among the group of players he’s coached is current New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, who played both club and high school ball for Sopak before going on to a decorated collegiate career at Oregon, becoming the top pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, and winning an Olympic Gold Medal with Team USA in 2024.
When we say it a bit of a homecoming for Sopak, it is indeed.
In a bit of a strange twist, the 57-year old Sopak wasn’t even a basketball player in high school or college. He grew up just outside of Tacoma, Washington in Puyallup and attended Bethel High in nearby Spanaway. At Bethel, he starred in baseball and football before attending the University of Nevada in Reno where his baseball career was cut short due to injuries. Wolf Pack Sopak is coming full circle with his return to Reno.
“Today’s announcement marks a defining moment for Nevada Women’s Basketball and for the University of Nevada. Kelly’s return to his alma mater brings not only expertise, but an energy and vision that matches the ambition of this program,” Nevada Reno Athletic Director Stephanie Rempe said in a press release after his naming. “His unparalleled success in growing talent and building high-performing programs aligns perfectly with the trajectory we envision for Nevada Women’s Basketball. He has mentored, coached and developed some of the very best players in the world. As the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve, Kelly is the forward-thinking, purpose-driven leader who will build a championship-caliber program and elevate the Wolf Pack to new heights.”
“I am truly honored and grateful to be selected as the next head coach of Nevada Women’s Basketball. As an alum, this place has shaped me in so many ways. I am the person I am today because of my time at this University, and that makes this opportunity deeply meaningful to me,” Sopak said in the press release. “This is a community that cares, that shows up, and that takes pride in its program, and I feel that. I am excited to pour everything I have into this role. We are going to build a program that reflects the toughness, the work ethic, and the spirit of Nevada. I cannot wait to get in the gym with this group of student athletes and get to work.”
After college, Sopak began a career as a State Farm insurance broker in Reno and his career path involved travel before he married local Bay Area native and Nevada Reno fellow alumnus Beverly Sopak in Piedmont, Calif. in 1997. He moved his State Farm practice to the East Bay in 2000 where the couple settled and raised their two daughters. Lauren Sopak, the oldest, who was a classmate of Ionescu at Miramonte, and also went to Oregon, works as Vice President of Event Operations for Nike Tournament of Champions. Leah Sopak holds a graduate assistant role with TCU women’s basketball which is currently 31-5 overall and in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
“Coach Kelly Sopak has established himself as one of the winningest women’s basketball coaches and developers of basketball talent on the West Coast. He brings a championship mentality and an incredible enthusiasm to lift our Women’s Basketball program to new heights,” said University President and former Governor of Nevada Brian Sandoval ’86 in the press release. “As a graduate of our University, he understands what Wolf Pack Athletics means to our community and is the ideal person to lead this new era of Wolf Pack women’s basketball. We are excited to welcome Kelly and his family home.”
It will be interesting indeed to see how it goes for Sopak switching from the high school coaching world to college where recruiting players (especially now in the NIL era) can be so crucial to success. We’ve seen a few come back to high school coaching after the college experience, but everyone’s journey is different. All of us at Cal-Hi Sports have enjoyed all of our interactions with Kelly.
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
