Aptos High alumna Natalia Ackerman has had an incredibly strong basketball career since leaving Santa Cruz County to play at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
After obtaining her degree, Ackerman’s growth and love for the game led her to enter the transfer portal late in 2024. She was hungry to play just one more year while earning a master’s degree in sports education.
Despite her late entry, she had some heavy hitters knocking on her door to secure her services.
That’s how Ackerman found herself on a visit to another NCAA Division I team in the form of Cal Berkeley, which is currently ranked No. 19 in the nation. She loved the atmosphere and the team, but Golden Bears head coach Charmin Smith made it clear the decision on who to add to the team came down to the girls on the current roster.
“After her visit, the girls were like, ‘What’s the deal with Natalia? Is she coming back? We want Natalia. Can we get her?’” Charmin said. “And so they were excited about it, which let us know as a staff that it was a great fit for us.”
Ackerman’s personality ultimately won her a place on the team. Smith is equally as excited about what Ackerman has to offer on the court.
“[Ackerman] gives us depth in her position with her rebounding and high motor skills,” Smith said. “She’s got a fast pace, gets good layups in transition and runs the court really well.”
Ackerman herself has felt the growth she’s had on the court. The former Mariners standout has an average of 3.1 points and 3.1 rebounds along with 16 steals, 13 blocks and a pair of assists as a reserve for the Golden Bears in the 2024-25 season.
“I was able to expand on my basketball IQ and developed a lot of new skill sets that have helped me grow,” Ackerman said. “And I think that I’ve mentioned that I’ve become a lot tougher too.”
Ackerman’s career took off in earnest when she led Aptos to a Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League crown, going 10-0 in league play in the 2019-20 season. She also earned the league’s most valuable player honors while averaging a double-double with 19.1 points and 10.5 rebounds that year.
Playing at the center position for the Mariners, Ackerman was coached by Bruce Funk, who said it all starts with a solid foundation.
“One of the reasons she is so successful is because she comes from a really good family,” Funk said. “Her parents are excellent people who are supportive of their kids, and supportive people in general.”
Ackerman had a chance to play with her younger sister, Jasmine, at Aptos for multiple years. Their younger brother, Isaiah, is a senior on the boys’ team and a versatile player that currently has the Mariners atop of the SCCAL standings with a 6-0 record in league play.
Funk recalls Natalia Ackerman as someone who led by example.
“She didn’t have that ‘rah rah’ kind of leadership,” Funk said. “She led by example. Showing up and working hard.”
Ackerman’s skill and work ethic caught the attention of Cal Poly’s women’s basketball team. She signed on to play for four years with the Mustangs where she earned a degree in kinesiology.
“One of the major reasons I chose to go to Cal Poly was the family atmosphere,” Ackermand said. “Just feeling all of the love from not only the coaches and players, but the people in Cal Poly and how they supported women’s basketball.”
Her college career had a complicated start with a shortened nine-game season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With limited play time to acclimate to a new team and higher level of play, Ackerman had an average of 1.9 points per game.
Ackerman never saw this as a setback, but instead an opportunity for growth.
“It was really fun to be able to challenge myself. But I did come in during the Covid year, so I didn’t really get to play in a lot of games,” Ackerman said. “But it was really good to be able to handle the adversity and challenges that come with the transition.”
And despite missing the 2021-2022 season with herniated discs and bleeding near her spine, Ackerman continued to improve at an impressive rate. Playing more minutes—and more games—as a junior in the 2022-23 season, she was averaging 6.2 points per game.
By the time Ackerman was a senior she bumped her average to 12.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in 27 games played for the Mustangs. She was named First Team All-Big West that season.
“I went to watch Natalia play against San Jose and she looked like herself but a much more improved version,” Funk said. “She was skilled coming into college but to make that much improvement is really good.”
Moreover, Smith and her staff understood Ackerman’s previous injury right out of the gate. They agreed to be flexible and supportive of her needs. While Ackerman thinks this will likely be the end of her basketball career, she is definitely not ready to say that for sure.
“I’m just thinking day by day, you know, but I think I need a little break for a bit,” said Ackerman, pausing for a moment and then laughing. “Maybe I’d go play overseas in a couple years.”
