Head Coach Bill Brummel 25 Years of Success and Counting

Head coach Bill Brummel spent 8 years as Saddleback's head coach, then went to Indiana as an assistant coach under Bobby Knight for the 1988-89 season before returning to take back the helm of the Gauchos. In 25 seasons, he has led Saddleback to 20 post-season playoff appearances - including 15 of the past 16 seasons. Ten of his teams have won conference titles, 10 have reached the Southern California Regional finals and six teams made it to the "Great Eight" - the California Community College state tournament.
The 2001-2002 squad captured the California Community College State Championship in dramatic fashion, defeating Columbia by 17 in the quarterfinals, edging Skyline by one point in overtime during the semifinals, and using a tip-in at the buzzer to edge Los Angeles City by one point in the finals. It was the first state championship title for the men's basketball team, which finished the season with a 33-4 overall record.
The 2002-2003 team posted a 29-7 overall record and a perfect 14-0 mark in the tough Orange Empire Conference, qualifying for the state tournament for the third consecutive season and reaching the semifinals of that tournament. The 2003-2004 team finished as conference runners-up with a 22-7 overall record and reached the second round of the playoffs. The 2004-05 squad bounced back to win the conference title and went on to reach the semifinals of the state tournament. It was the fourth time in five years that Saddleback had reached the state tournament's semifinal round. Last year's 2005-2006 squad finished with a 22-9 overall record with just three sophomores on the roster and a solid nucleus of returners expected for the 2006-2007 season.