SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara women's basketball has two new members on its staff as well as some title changes. Katie Bussey Mayes will join the program as an assistant coach and Madison Rich will join as the director of basketball operations.
In addition, Ryan Freeman is now assistant coach/general manager and Martin Jensen has been moved up to assistant coach after serving as the director of operations last season.
Bussey Mayes spent the previous three years at Northern Colorado as an assistant coach where she assisted in practice planning and player development, specializing in guard development and offensive drills. The team made the WNIT twice in 2024 and 2026.
The team made three postseason appearances during her time, playing in the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and making the WNIT in 2024 and 2026. The Bears were Big Sky Conference champions in the 2022-23 season as well.
She started her coaching career at Montana State where she was an assistant for two seasons from 2021-2023. The Bobcats won the Big Sky Conference Tournament and went to the NCAA Tournament in 2022. They were regular season Big Sky champions in 2022-2023 as well.
Bussey Mayes had a nine year professional career in Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands from 2012-2021. She was a four time Swedish Women's Basketball League champion and once was the Dutch League Champion and Cup Champion. While playing professionally, Bussey Mayes served as a youth level coach at Triple Threat Basketball Academy where she also served as the strength and conditioning coach.
A 2012 graduate of Montana State with a Bachelor's in Kinesiology, Bussey Mayes was a WBCA All-American Honorable Mention selection her senior year and holds the Big Sky record for points in a game with 41.
Bussey Mayes was a 2023 inductee into the Montana State Hall of Fame.
"We are so excited to welcome Katie to the Bronco family," Santa Clara head coach Loree Payne said. "She had an outstanding playing career at Montana State and professionally, while also gaining valuable coaching experience at two successful Big Sky programs. Katie is an exceptional relationship-builder who is deeply passionate about player development, and we know she will make a tremendous impact on our program!"
Rich graduated from Northern Arizona in May with a B.S. in Strategic Communication and minors in Native American Studies and Business/
While at Northern Arizona, Rich served as the head student manager for the women's basketball team from 2022-2025, under Payne where she supported basketball operations while coordinating directly with the Director of Basketball Operations on day-to-day team needs.. Last season, she was and Operations Intern for the football team as well as the facilities department.
Rich was also a member of the support staff for the Team USA U19s in 2025.
"We are thrilled to welcome Madison to Santa Clara," Payne said. "After spending three years as our head manager at NAU, she gained valuable experience in operations through her work with NAU Football and facilities. We are thrilled to welcome her back to our women's basketball family!"
