· ^ 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 5th 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)
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 3rd best in NorCal (85-38 overall
record) since 2012-13. In 2013-14 season, his team won the state championship
and participated in their 4th 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 2nd 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 2nd in the
Coast North. Aye took his Chabot
Gladiators to the state Final
#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 4th 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 10th 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 2nd
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 5th 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 7th 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 3rd 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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