Community college basketball in California has been the proving ground for an unusually high number of successful college and university coaches. It is doubtful that any area or organization can match the current number or high quality of major college coaches that have developed in the California community college ranks.
A former California community college coach has reached the NCAA Final Four nine times since 1980.
Former CCCMBCA Basketball Coaches
1980 Denny Crum, Louisville (LA Pierce)
1980 Lute Olson, Iowa (Long Beach)
1982 Denny Crum, Louisville
1983 Denny Crum, Louisville
1986 Denny Crum, Louisville
1987 Jerry Tarkanian, UNLV (Riverside/Pasadena)
1988 Lute Olson, Arizona
1990 Jerry Tarkanian, UNLV
1991 Jerry Tarkanian, UNLV
1994 Lute Olson, Arizona
The major reason for this success rate is the high level of competition within the state system. Ninty colleges organized and competing on a high level prepares coaches for the college ranks. A look into the past lists the California community college coaches presently or formerly coaching at the college or university level.
COACH—COMMUNITY COLLEGE—COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY
Jack Avina—San Mateo—Portland University
Dan Ayala—Mt. San Jacinto/Pasadena—Cal Poly Pomona
Denny Aye—Columbia/Fresno/Chabot—CS San Bernardino
Bill Berry—Cosumnes River—San Jose State
Will Biggs—Ohlone—CS East Bay
Bob Boyd—Santa Ana—USC, Mississippi St/Chapman
Eric Brown—L.A. Valley—USC
Bob Burton—West Valley—Utah/Fresno St/CS Fullerton
John Caine—Cerritos—Illinois Southern
Steve Cleveland—Fresno—Brigham Young/Fresno State
Frank Carbajal—Santa Barbara/De Anza/Hartnell—Fresno State
Newton Chelette—Antelope Valley—Southeastern Louisiana
Steve Coccimiglio—Diablo Valley—St. Mary’s
John D. Cosentino—Southwestern—San Diego/San Francisco
Rick Croy—Citrus—California Baptist Univeesity
Denny Crum—Los Angeles Pierce—Louisville/UCLA
Don Daniels—Los Angeles Harbor—CS Fullerton/UCLA/Gonzaga
Ed Delacy—Santa Barbara—UC Santa Barbara
Pat Douglass—Columbia—CS Bakersfield/UC Irvine
Bob Dye—Cerritos/Santa Monica—CS Bakersfield/Boise State
Scott Eitelgeorge—Porterville/West Valley—Sacramento State
Howard Fisher—College of the Canyons—Whittier
Brian Fogel—Skyline—UC Davis/Chico State
Jim Forkum—Hartnell—Hawaii-Hilo
Nick Gehler—Imperial Valley—UC Irvine
Ed Goorjian—Glendale—Loyola Marymount
Walt Hazzard—Compton—Chapman/UCLA
Al Hobby—Modesto—College of Notre Dame
Dieter Horton—Fullerton/Antelope Valley—USC/CS Los Angeles
Ben Howland—Santa Barbara—Northern Arizona/Pittsburgh/UCSB/UCLA
Rex Hughes—Long Beach—Kent State
Gary Hulst—Imperial Valley/Fresno—CS Hayward
Stu Inman—Orange Coast—San Jose State
Ron Jacobs—El Camino—Loyola Marymount
John Jones—Lassen/Delta—Stanislaus State
Brian Katz—San Joaquin—Santa Clara/Sacramento State
Jim Killingsworth—Cerritos—Idaho St./Texas Christian
Terry Layton—Los Medanos—Azusa Pacific/Adams St.
Paul Landreaux—El Camino—St. Mary’s
Clark Maloney—Mt. San Antonio—Salem International, St. Thomas
Tony Marcopulos—Cabrillo—Pacific/Portland
Phil Mathews—Ventura/San Bernardino/Riverside—San Francisco State/Nebraska/UCLA
Pete Mathiessen—Redwoods—Chico State
John McMullen—Santa Monica—Brigham Young
Remy McCarthy—Moorpark—Utah
Reggie Morris—Los Angeles Southwest—CS San Bernardino
Bill Mulligan—Saddleback/Riverside—UC Irvine
George Nessman—Porterville/Bakersfield—San Jose State University
Jim Newman—Compton—CS Los Angeles
Bill Oates—Santa Ana—St. Mary’s/Masters
Lute Olson—Long Beach City—Iowa, Arizona/CS Long Beach
Alex Omalev—Fullerton—CSU Fullerton
Dana Pagett—Rancho Santiago—Utah State
Jim Parks—Barstow/Shasta—CSU Bakersfield
Steve Patterson—Santa Rosa—Arizona State
Mo Radovich—Fullerton—Wyoming
Claude Rutherford—Fullerton—Idaho State
Bob Schermerhorn—Chaffey/Riverside/Fullerton—UCI/ASU/So. Utah/Holy Cross
John Smith—San Bernardino/Riverside—CS Fullerton, Cal Poly
Patrick Springer —College of the Desert—San Jose State
Jerry Tarkanian—Riverside/Pasadena—CS Long Beach/UNLV/Fresno St
Bob Thomason—Columbia—Pacific
Chris Victor—Citrus—Eastern Washington
Gene Victor—Mt. SAC—Cal Tech
Vance Walberg—Fresno—Pepperdine/Massachusetts
Dick Walker—Barstow—CS Sonoma
Rudy Washington—Compton—Drake
Virgil Watson—Palomar, Ventura, LA Valley—CS Santa Barbara
Bob Williams—Cabrillo/Menlo—CS Santa Barbara/Davis/Pepperdine