NorCal Prep & Juco Basketball: July 2016

Ranking the Top 10 Northern California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches

· ^ We are only accounting for overall records since all coaches were active (2012-13 season) due to some of the best coaches coming on to the scene.

· *Rankings reflect the jobs done given the schools resources, location, facilities, talent, and each coach’s circumstances.

#1 Devin Aye (Lassen College/ Cosumnes River College) Enrollment: 800 students

Aye is coming off a BIG 8 Conference championship (with only 8 players). This ranking may come as a shock to those who don’t know of his accomplishments in just 4 years as a head coach. If my memory serves correct, Jerry Tarkanias was the last JC coach to win a conference championship his first year at two different JC’s. Aye took over a Lassen College program in 2012 that had won just 3 games in the previous two seasons combined. In a town of less than 15,000 population, a college with no local talent, no recent tradition and no resources to speak of (his first two years he had no assistant coaches, the only school in CA without assistants) he turned LCC into a state powerhouse (#3 State Ranking). Winning the GVC championship in his first year, knocking off defending state champion (#4 Ed Madecs team), and putting Lassen on the map with a top 10 state each year. Considered one of the toughest jobs to win at, Aye took Lassen to a school record #3 state ranking in his final season with the Cougars. Aye has winning records vs: #3 McMillan, #5 Denny Aye, #6 Coccimiglio, #9 McMiller, #10 Giacomazzi, and has a .500 record vs #4 Madec. Aye has won a conference championship in his first season at two different schools in two different conferences, and did so without a roster in place each time. Aye is the 2013 GVC Coach of the Year, 2016 BIG 8 Conference Coach of the Year. Aye has the 5^th most wins (82) since becoming a head coach in 2012-13 season. We give him the #1 ranking due to his immediate success given such tough jobs he had thus far. Who else would have won a Conference Title in their first year at two different colleges in those same situations???

#2 Justin Labagh (City College of San Francisco) Enrollment: 100,000 students

Labagh comes in at #2 for several reasons… Yes, he has won 2 State Championships, and a Runner Up, and yes his program is THE program to beat in Nor Cal JC hoops. However when you talk about resouces, he always has by far the best talent in the state, great facilities, location and largest school in state (over 100,000 students) which gives him the edge in recruiting. His teams are well coached, but let’s be honest, how could you mess it up given the talent he has had over the years?? No question his program is elite, and he has earned that status over the years. He has multiple D1 players, and sometimes pros (NBA Lottery Pick) on his teams. Labagh handily has the most wins in Nor Cal (114-12 overall record) since 2012-13 season. The reason we have Labagh at #2 is that CCSF was an established program already, and is going into knife fights with a machine gun each year. No disrespect since his achievements is absolutely incredible. These rankings are strictly done on the overall coaching, and it was tough to put him at #2 given what the Rams have done over the years. Props to coach Justin Labagh and what his program has done at CCSF!

#3 Craig McMillan (Santa Rosa Junior College) Enrollment: 64,000 students

What can we say bad about McMillan? He has established Santa Rosa JC as one of the top programs in Nor Cal. Good enough for 3^rd best in NorCal (85-38 overall record) since 2012-13. In 2013-14 season, his team won the state championship and participated in their 4^th straight Elite 8 appearance. McMillan was also awarded 2014 Nor Cal State Coach of the Year. In addition he was the 2013, and 2014 BIG 8 Conference Coach of the Year. McMillan’s teams are always exceptionally well coached. Without an incredible recruiting area, McMillan has had great success coaching his teams up and getting them to play to their potential. SRJC is one of the rare teams in the state that can beat anyone. Just ask CCSF, Fresno and Chabot who are known for having Nor Cals best talent.

#4 Ed Madec (Fresno City College) Enrollment: 58,000 students

Where to start with Ed Madec? His program has the 2^nd most wins (110-21 overall record) since 2012-13. Madec is Conference Champions each year, and CVC Coach of the Year each year. The rams play in the Central Valley Conference, which is regarded as the weakest conference in Nor Cal, and this is why he is at #4. When his Rams play CCSF, SRJC and other top programs it usually doesn’t fair well for FCC. But there is no question FCC is an elite program each and every year, and are regarded as a top 4 program in Nor Cal each season. Madec has 2 State Championships on his record since taking over in 2006. Madec took over a program that was already established with state title tradition, and Fresno City has the luxury of the best resources in all of the Central Valley. His teams play the hardest, and can sometimes be over coached. He is a tough coach to play for, and their style of rough play has been called into question. But make no mistake, Madec can flat out coach!

#5 Denny Aye (Chabot College) Enrollment: 12,000 students

No you’re not seeing double… Denny Aye’s son is our #1. No doubt a future Hall of Fame coach, Denny Aye has had success at every stop along his journey in coaching. With over 800 career wins in his 40 years of coaching, he is respected and known by everyone who knows basketball. Aye won a State Championship at Columbia, and also a State Runner-Up as well while coaching the Claim Jumpers. If it weren’t for being in the same conference as CCSF, Aye would have many Coast North Conference championships on his resume. That’s very respectable since every coach on this list would come in 2^nd in the Coast North. Aye took his Chabot Gladiators to the state Final 4 in 2013-14, and they have the 8^th most wins (77-44 overall record) since 2012-13 season. The Coast North is considered to be the best conference hands down in Nor Cal, and Aye always has his program at the top. Chabot is always loaded with talent, well coached, and one of the only programs to have consistent success vs City College of San Francisco recently. We give the nod to Denny Aye over Percy Carr for the #5 spot due to success vs similar opponents, State titles, and strength of conference & schedule in Ayes favor.

#6 Percy Carr (San Jose City College) Enrollment: 14,000 students

Coach Carr is already in the Hall of Fame, which is a remarkable achievement for obvious reasons. His Jaguars are consistently good each season. Carr currently has the most wins in California JC history, and looks to add to it this year. Like Denny Aye, Carr has over 800 career wins, in 41 years as a head coach. Coach Carr has yet to win a State Championship, but he has a state Runner-Up on his resume. Speed City has the 4^th most wins (83-33 overall record) since 2012-13 season. The Jaguars play in the Coast South Conference, which is considered one of the weakest conferences in California. The Coast South is just a two team race between Cabrillo and San Jose each year. SJCC were the Coast South Conference Champs in 2014-15, and Co-Champs in 2013-14 and 2015-16. Coach Carr gaining Coach of the Year, or Co-Coach of the Year for the Conference titles.

#7 Tony Marcopulos (Cabrillo College) Enrollment: 16,000 students

Marcopulos and his Cabrillo College Seahawks are Cali JC’s Syracuse. They will 2-3 zone you all game. Since the 2012-13 season, Cabrillo has the 10^th most wins in Nor Cal (75-37 overall record). Marcopulos were Coast South Conference champs in 2012-13, and Co-Champs in 2013-14 & 2015-16. Marcopulos was awarded Coast South Coach of the Year for 2015-16, 2014-15 & 2012-13. Since taking over the program in 2000-01, he has had 12 winning seasons, 6 (20 wins) seasons, and 1 trip to the Elite 8. It should be noted that Cabrillo was not a powerhouse program when Marcopulos arrived. His first two seasons were tough as they were 17-45 overall. Marcopulos is a very respected coach, and is a regular to make playoffs and have shown they are a top 10 Nor Cal program each year.

#8 Keenan McMiller (Merritt College) Enrollment: 6,000 students

McMiller and his Merritt Thunderbirds are coming off a 15-14 season, and 2^nd place finish in the Bay Valley Conference. Merritt comes in at #9 on the total wins in Nor Cal (76-44 overall record) since 2012-13. We aren’t quite sure when coach McMiller was actually the head coach at Merritt since longtime coach Maurice Compton was still listed as the head coach through the 2013-14 season. But Keenan’s was still on the sidelines, and since there is confusion who actually was the head coach, we will give him the benefit of the doubt. McMiller has made 1 State Final Four appearance, and an additional State Final Four as the Associate Head Coach. Bay Valley Conference Runners Up in 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16. No conference championships to speak of, but two Final Four appearances are impressive. Merritt is known for their athleticism, and defense.

#9 Steve Coccimiglio (Diablo Valley College) Enrollment: 11,000 students

Coccimiglio is a fixture in the California Community College Men’s Basketball scene. DVC has the 14th most wins of all Nor Cal JC coaches (64-51 overall record) since 2012-13 season. Head coach of the Vikings since 1990, he is a sure Hall of Fame coach. He is the winningest coach in Diablo Valley history with 565 wins. In addition he is the fastest coach to 500 wins and 5^th most wins in state history. He has 18 (20 wins seasons), and reached Final Eight 7 times. Not to mention 12 Conference titles, and 12 Conference Coach of the Year awards. The last few years DVC has had inconsistent success, which is why he is down to #9. However, there is no doubt he is an extremely respected coach who preaches discipline and a very controlled tempo style of play. The Vikings were 2014-15 Runners-Up in the very tough BIG 8 Conference. No doubt one of the best coaches in JC basketball…

#10 James Giacomazzi (Cosumnes River College/ Las Positas College) Enrollment: 9,000 students

Giacomazzi has done a very respectable job at both Cosumnes River College, and lately, Las Positas College in 2015-16. He comes in with the 7^th most wins in Nor Cal (78-43 overall record) since 2012-13. Both programs have fantastic facilities and plenty of resources in a dense population. In his first year at LPC, he led them to a respectable 3^rd place finish in the very tough Coast North. Giacomazzi finished his career at Cosumnes River with a BIG 8 title in 2014-15. He took over a Cosumnes River program that lacked a championship tradition, and in his 11 years was able to win 2 Conference titles, and 2 Coach of the Year awards. He racked up an impressive 209 victories in his 11 years in charge at CRC, reached playoffs 6 times, and 5 appearances in Sweet 16. His teams are known for their Kansas style of play, revolving around the double post/ hi-lo offense. Giacomazzi is a quality coach, and very good guy who is respected by all throughout the basketball community.

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