Joyce Mulumba is a student at Sacramento City College who not only plays on the college’s basketball team but was also recently recognized this year for her academic performance and was named to the Big-8 Conference First Team. She grew up in Hayward, moved to Patterson, and since 2020 has lived in Sacramento. She comes from a family of athletes — her younger brother and sister also play sports. Mulumba is majoring in nursing.
The Express recently spoke with Mulumba about her college and athletic careers.
What made you come down here, specifically from Hayward?
It was pretty much just for housing, really, because we lived in an apartment over there. So, you know, obviously, when you’re growing up, a two bedroom, one bathroom for a family of five is not really the best. … It’s the Bay Area. It’s expensive out there for no reason at all, and especially Hayward, it’s not even all that. I mean, it is what it is. Patterson …. It is just a small town. If anything, you want to go somewhere, you got to go [to] like, Modesto, or just somewhere out of Patterson.
What got you into basketball? Was it a family member that played, or was it a player that you saw or just a memory?
You know, I’m tall, right? So, all you hear when you’re young, it’s like, you need to play ball. You need to play something. You need to do this, that and the third. I wasn’t really into it, but I’m just like, alright, I’ll just do it, just because, right? So in middle school, I did it because I did it in both seventh and eighth grade. I was still trash. Both years, I was not very good. Then transitioning to my freshman year, I did play… That was all right. Then I didn’t play for two years, and I played my senior year more like it’s my last year. You know, it’s not like I was taking this seriously. I wasn’t planning to play basketball after, but you know, things happened. So Coach Kayla, he came to one of our games, and he was going there for one of my other teammates, but he saw me, and [that’s] how it works, kind of like a domino effect. So that’s good,
You broke the school record for rebounding. What led you to that performance? And did you go out and say, I’m gonna do it, or did it just kind of happen?
I don’t really think about it that much. So it kind of just happens [in the] moment. Obviously, my coaches are like, you need to do it this game. You need to do it in this game. I’m just like, in my head, I’m like, “I’ll do it on my own time. I’ll do it.” But the first game when I got 30 rebounds was against Merced, I wasn’t in my head to do that, so it’s just kind of happening in overtime as well. So no, I wouldn’t say anything really pushed me to play those specific games…I got to 32 [in the DVC game]. I was trying to set my own record, maybe go a little bit over, but, you know, I still set or made history over here, because nobody got 30 or 30. We got to rock here.
That’s impressive. I mean, it doesn’t matter how tall you are, it’s still an art. I really find that amazing. You said you’re a sophomore right now–you’re approaching this last year. How did you feel doing this? Were you like, ‘I want to go all out this last year,’ or were you just going out there to have fun?
Yeah, I definitely came here on a mission. I wanted to be more well rounded. I wanted to obviously be a better rebounder and just better myself as well, and obviously bring more attention to myself to get help. So that’s what the main reason was for me coming here and following the coach. And I did accomplish that. So I wouldn’t say it was a waste of time. I don’t regret anything we did. We made a huge impact here as well. Like, our record may not, like, seem like a lot to everybody, but it means a lot to us. And if you know, then you know, like, we play, we beat MJC, we beat CRC, like, those are some really strong teams, and they’re playoff teams. They’re in the playoff right now. We didn’t make the playoffs, but next year, they gotta watch it for sure.
How did you balance your personal life with being a student athlete day-to-day?
You know we have 24 hours in your day, right? You’re only here on campus for practice for like, two to four hours max. So that’s two or four hours after a day of rest. If you put your mind to it, you will achieve. You will do it. And that’s what I did. I just gotta keep telling myself, like you’re almost there. It’s only four years, literally four years, two years down already. It does get harder, I will say that, but there’s no stopping.
What’s next for you with school and sports?
I definitely want to go [to a] D1. If not, I still have options. I’m still talking to coaches, so I haven’t made an official commitment anywhere yet, so that’s still up in the sky right now.
This Q&A has been edited for length, clarity, and flow.
Express Exchange is a Q&A series that highlights the people in the Sacramento City College community. Each conversation explores unique experiences, challenges these people overcame and perspective into what matters most in their personal journey. This series provides a space to connect and share meaningful experiences. Have an idea of someone for us to interview? Contact our editors at llentz.express@gmail.com and njeffery.express@gmail.com
