On a Monday afternoon, inside the El Camino College Gymnasium, the women’s basketball team is getting ready for practice.

Some players are doing their stretch routines and others are getting shots up. In the background, R&B music plays.

The players sing along to Tyrese, and then all of a sudden you hear: “Hi Coach Carla.”

Carla Shaw, 35, is wearing a blue El Camino hoodie, black Nike sweats and white Nike shoes. She has a smile that makes the gym glow, and the players smile back at her.

“Baseline, baseline, baseline,” she calls out to the players. Walking toward her is her father, women’s basketball coach Steve Shaw, as well as other coaching staff.

“We are working on our fast break drill transitioning to our offense,” she said.

Standing with her arms folded, focusing on how the players execute their plays, she paces back and forth, talking to the players on the baseline and on the court.

This is her 11th season at El Camino for Carla Shaw, one of four coaches for the El Camino women’s basketball team. She’s an assistant coach along with Janina Hartwill and Mike Houck.

Carla Shaw started coaching at El Camino in 2014 and in her first year, the Warriors won the South Coast Conference championship. She has seen her players earn Division II scholarships and NAIA offers, including from Cal State Dominguez and Cal State Los Angeles.

Carla Shaw attended Redondo Union High School from 2003 to 2007, where she played basketball. After high school, she attended El Camino from 2008 to 2010 and was coached by her father.

Her sister, Erica Shaw, also attended El Camino and is in the Warrior Hall of Fame for swimming.

“I always say soccer was my first love, but basketball is my forever,” Carla Shaw said. “I didn’t start playing basketball until I was a little older. He (my dad) wanted to be a father first rather than a coach.”

Carla Shaw and assistant women’s basketball coach Janina Hartwill were teammates at El Camino from 2008 to 2010, playing under Steve Shaw.

After her playing days at El Camino, Carla Shaw transferred to William Jessup University, a Christian college in Rocklin, California where she played basketball from 2010 to 2012.

“Leaving, going up north to William Jessup was a huge transition, not only leaving my family but adjusting to a new environment alone and playing basketball,” she said.

During her playing days at William Jessup University, she played a lot of guard and forward, succeeding at her all-around game. She had some injuries, though, including shin splints that turned into stress fractures on her legs.

“Shin splints are a painful injury. It takes a lot on your legs and it’s a process to heal. There were times when my legs would like snow and I couldn’t barely walk,” she said.

Before coaching at El Camino, Carla Shaw coached the girls’ basketball team at Redondo Union High School from 2007 to 2008 and again from 2012 to 2014.

Steve Shaw coached the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at RUHS and also taught physical education there.

“She’s a great coach, the way she connects with the players and how the players look up to her,” he said.

Women’s basketball has been showing a steady incline since 2023, trending in college and through the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Players including Catlin Clark, Angel Resse, Juju Watkins and Paige Beckers have been taking the game by storm.

Viewership skyrocketed during the 2024 NCAA Women’s March Madness Tournament. During the championship game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and South Carolina Gamecocks, it averaged around 18.7 million viewers and peaked at 24 million combined on ESPN and ABC.

For the 2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament final between the Connecticut Huskies and Purdue Boilermakers, viewership was 14.82 million on TBS and TNT.

Imani McGee-Stafford, a professional basketball player who was drafted 10th overall in 2016 and played four years in the WNBA and now plays overseas, spoke about the incline of women’s basketball.

“The WNBA is the best league in the world and women’s basketball is just the best. I played before the attention but I’m glad of the recognition now,” McGee-Stafford said.

The Los Angeles Sparks have been practicing on campus on a year-to-year deal. The deal was first made in 2023 and El Camino hopes to keep this long term.

“The Sparks wanted a close facility that was accessible for them. They also chose El Camino because of the brand new facility we built,” said Jeff Baumunk, interim dean of athletics.

The Sparks being on campus has brought more attention to El Camino’s women’s basketball team.

“Having a professional team like the Sparks on campus is huge. We have seen an increase in women wanting to play on the team and taking classes,” said Jeffery Miera, director of Athletics and Kinesiology.

On the court, Carla Shaw always has her eyes lurking, making sure the players understand and engage. She pulls players to the side to talk, helping them with what’s happening on the court. The players maintain eye contact, nodding their heads as they listen.

“She’s a very caring coach, she always makes sure we’re OK and checks on us, also the way she makes us comfortable,” Warriors forward Siobhan Baltazar, 20, said.

The women’s basketball team respects Carla Shaw, and their happiness is evident in the gym.

“The players view her as a mother figure because of the way she cares for them and connects with them,” Miera said.

With a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, Carla Shaw is a part-time teacher for homeschooled kids. She teaches world history and ancient history to third through twelfth graders and previously taught full-time at First Lutheran Church and School in Torrance.

She said she loves being an assistant coach and coaching with her dad. She also appreciates how the team accepts her son being at practices.

Being an assistant coach rather than a head coach helps her spend more time with her 6-year-old son Kairee, not wanting to take a bigger role until the right time comes.

“As a single mom it would be hard to be a head coach. Being an assistant is what I love to do. There are times I do want to give up coaching but it fits my schedule and I can bring my son to work with me,” she said.

Steve Shaw said his daughter can coach for any program.

“She can easily be a head coach for any program. She has the credentials but we love having her here connecting with the players and the relationships she’s built with them,” he said.

Carla Shaw has always had the idea to adventure out as a head coach, but for now she prefers to assist.

“I love being a coach. I’ve always loved the game of basketball. I always say if I had to give it up I would but I love to teach and love this program. Basketball is my forever,” she said.