The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Basketball
Sambaer, Gerald
Gerald Sambaer
- Title:
- Graduate Assistant
- Email:
- gs206@uakron.edu
- Phone:
- (330) 972-5510
Gerald Sambaer is in his first season as a member of the Akron women's basketball staff after joining the staff as a graduate manager in June 2025.
Sambaer will oversee video coordination, technology enhancements, player development, on campus recruiting and evaluation, all while applying differential learning and constraint led approach.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Gerald as our graduate manager,” said Akron head coach Ryan Gensler. “Gerald brings a unique blend of experience as a graduate assistant at SMU, working full-time in New York City, and competing as a practice player for Michigan women’s basketball. He’s sacrificed a great deal to join our program and has already hit the ground running, driving advances in statistics, video, player development, and modern, transformational basketball thinking. His energy and perspective are going to be a real asset to our staff and our student-athletes.”
He arrives at Akron after serving as a graduate assistant coach at SMU last season, where he earned a master’s degree in management in 2025. While in Dallas, he also gained valuable experience as a practice player with the Dallas Wings of the WNBA.
As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, he was a practice player with the women’s basketball program. Following graduation, Sambaer spent two years in Manhattan working in finance before returning to basketball.
A native of Okemos, Mich., Sambaer graduated from Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in business administration before earning a master’s degree in management from SMU in 2025.
Sambaer will oversee video coordination, technology enhancements, player development, on campus recruiting and evaluation, all while applying differential learning and constraint led approach.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Gerald as our graduate manager,” said Akron head coach Ryan Gensler. “Gerald brings a unique blend of experience as a graduate assistant at SMU, working full-time in New York City, and competing as a practice player for Michigan women’s basketball. He’s sacrificed a great deal to join our program and has already hit the ground running, driving advances in statistics, video, player development, and modern, transformational basketball thinking. His energy and perspective are going to be a real asset to our staff and our student-athletes.”
He arrives at Akron after serving as a graduate assistant coach at SMU last season, where he earned a master’s degree in management in 2025. While in Dallas, he also gained valuable experience as a practice player with the Dallas Wings of the WNBA.
As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, he was a practice player with the women’s basketball program. Following graduation, Sambaer spent two years in Manhattan working in finance before returning to basketball.
A native of Okemos, Mich., Sambaer graduated from Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in business administration before earning a master’s degree in management from SMU in 2025.
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