Long Beach State University Athletics
James Hanson - Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Director, Athletic Communications
Men's Water Polo, Women's Basketball, Women's Water Polo
- Email:
James Hanson joined Long Beach State as the Assistant Director of Athletic Communications in September 2026.
In this role, Hanson serves as the primary contact for Long Beach State’s women’s basketball and water polo teams.
Returning to Southern California, Hanson previously served for one year as the Assistant Director of Communications and Creative Content at the College of Charleston and two years as the Pepperdine Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant.
During his time with the Cougars, Hanson served as the primary communications contact for women’s basketball, men’s soccer, and men’s and women’s tennis. He covered an NCAA Tournament women’s basketball team and an NIT women’s tennis team.
Hanson also managed the Charleston women’s basketball Instagram account, growing its following by 27% while helping generate more than 4 million views for the page.
During his two year stint at Pepperdine, Hanson was the primary contact for the Waves' men’s and women’s golf, water polo, swim & dive and beach volleyball programs. He was also the primary statistician for all home contests and held roles in many high-profile events.
He was the host communications coordinator for the 2025 MPSF Men’s Volleyball Tournament and the 2023 WCC Men’s Water Polo Tournament. Hanson was also the media operations coordinator at the 2024 Men's NCAA March Madness West Regional.
During his undergraduate studies, Hanson was a manager for the Pepperdine men's basketball team and an athletic communications student worker.
A native of Sherwood, Ore., Hanson graduated magna cum laude from Pepperdine in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in sport administration before earning a master’s degree in organizational leadership and learning in 2025.
