Sam Stapleton is in his fourth season with UC San Diego men’s basketball and second as an assistant coach on Eric Olen's staff. Previously, he was the program's Director of Recruiting where he managed all aspects of recruiting for Triton basketball. Stapleton joined the Triton Family in the fall of 2021 as director of operations. In that role, Stapleton was responsible for editing film, scouting, assisting with recruiting and player skill development, and coordinating team practices and day to day program operations.
Prior to UC San Diego, Stapleton spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills from 2017 to 2021. Stapleton helped the Toros to four consecutive California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament appearances and coached six all-conference selections as well as the program’s first CCAA Freshman of the Year.
From 2015 to 2017, Stapleton served as a graduate assistant/video coordinator for Pepperdine, where he received his Master’s Degree in Education in 2017.
Prior, Stapleton served as an assistant coach for West LA Community College for two seasons following a five-year stint as a coach with LA Rockfish, an AAU high school team.
Stapleton received his Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies from Occidental College in May 2013. While at Occidental, he earned four varsity letters as the starting point guard, finishing third in assists and fifth in steals as a senior in the SCIAC.
