BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Cal State Bakersfield Women's Basketball Head Coach Ari Wideman has announced the hiring of Associate Head Coach Aaron Swinson and two new assistant coaches, Advit Raghavan and Fa-Ko-Fieme'a (Me'a) Hafoka-Latu.

Aaron A. Swinson
For the last four years, Swinson was the assistant coach in Hempstead, New York, where he coached for Hofstra University for the women's basketball team. During his time there he helped provide on-court coaching, scout potential recruits and tracked academic progress.

Before his time it HU he had the opportunity to be the interim head coach for six months after being the associate head coach for a year at Northwestern State University. At NSU Swinson helped develop the program further along, crafting a playbook and team rules, coaches post-players while designing practice and game day plans. 

Aaron began his career at the college level, playing for three years for Auburn University. While at Auburn, he was a two-year team captain, fifth in the NCAA (1993-1993) for field goal percentage and earned a nod for the First Team All-SEC. Swinson played professionally following his time at Auburn, playing for the Phoenix Suns in the 1994-95 season, then playing overseas until 2005.  

Advit Raghavan

In 2023, Raghavan made a move to California, becoming the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for the CSUN women's basketball team. Spending the 2023-24 season there, Raghavan was the primary recruiter for the Matadors, making strides in bringing in key players including signing the highest-ranked recruit in program history, CSUN's first Top 100 recruit.

Raghavan began his coaching career back in 2017 as a graduate assistant at Northern Arizona University. Prior to his stint at NAU, he was a four-year letterwinner for the University of Puget Sound on the Men's Basketball Team.

In 2019, Raghavan got his first chance as an assistant coach for the Pacific Univiersity Boxers in Oregon. In his first year with the Boxers, he helped coach the team to a 17-9 record and secured a second-place finish in the NWC through strategic player development. His role on the coaching staff helped the development of student-athletes not only athletically but academically as well.

After his years at Pacific University, he became the director of basketball operations at Southern Utah University, working more with the players and getting a broader understanding on managing the team logistics.

Fa-Ko-Fieme'a (Me'a) Hafoka-Latu

Hafoka-Latu began her career in collegiate athletics as a student-athlete for the San Jose State Women's Basketball Team, playing as a Spartan from 2016-2020. She led as the team captain and was coached by Bakersfield's Ari Wideman. From there she became a graduate assistant at her alma mater, helping with everything from operations and administrative tasks to recruiting. In 2022, Hafoka-Latu earned a spot on the staff at SJSU, becoming the video coordinator for the team. After staying there for the season, in 2022 she became the manager of the Santa Clara women's basketball program. Continuing to master her skills, she was responsible for all aspects of operations, from day-to-day operations to the team budget.