- When did you start playing basketball?
I started playing basketball in 6th grade. I became serious about it in 10th grade.
- What got you into basketball?
My best friend made me go out for the team. I did not want to play organized ball initially.
Did you play high school basketball? If so, who did you play for?
I played for Banning High School in Wilmington, CA.
- Did you go to college to play basketball?
Yes. I played at Ventura Community College for a year. I then transferred to Pacific University.
- How did you get into coaching?
Well, I had signed a contract to play in Hobart Tasmania (Australia), but I got a job as an assistant at Southern Oregon State university. Then I backed out of Tasmania.
- What was your first job as a coach?
My first coaching job was at Southern Oregon State University in Ashland Oregon.
- What year did you take a coaching position at Dos Pueblos?
I started at Dos Pueblos in the 1996-7 season.
- Was there a reason why you chose to take a coaching position at Dos Pueblos?
My roommate on basketball travel days were a couple of guys from Santa Barbara HS while I was at Pacific University. I had a great time with them when I visited here and I told myself if I ever get an opportunity to work here I would look into it.
- Why did you choose to take a coaching position at Laguna?
I had just retired from teaching and coaching when I ran into Sal Rodriguez at the supermarket. He told me that he has retired from coaching. That was the start.
- When did you start coaching at Laguna?
I started in 2022.
- Have you liked coaching at Laguna?
I enjoy Laguna. The kids are good and are enjoyable to work with. However, it has been difficult getting used to the lack of time that I get with the athletes.
- What were some of the team’s goals/expectations going into this season?
We wanted to qualify for the CIF playoffs.
- Do you feel like the team met those expectations?
I feel that we exceeded expectations as we earned a share of the Frontier league title, which is something we had never done before. We also went undefeated in league play. We were all pleased with our season. It was great for our seniors.
- What was a highlight of the regular season?
To win the league title, we had to win our last game of the year. We came back from an 18 points deficit to win the game in the final seconds. It was a great feeling.
- What is something you feel could have been done better as a team in the regular season?
We needed to be a better team during practice. At times we wasted time in the short amount of time allotted to us.
- Do you guys feel like you could have gone further in CIF?
I think I can speak for the team when I say that our last game was not our finest. However Carpinteria High School is a much larger school. All their players all play on the same travel team year around.
- What is something that you feel went wrong in the game against Carpinteria?
On that day Carpinteria was just better than us. We went in with a game plan to be very deliberate on offense but it did not last very long. Carp also played their best game of the season that day.
