Rick Croy Named To Men's Basketball Coaching Staff
8/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Moraga, CA – Saint Mary's head coach Randy Bennett announced the hiring of Rick Croy as an assistant coach for the Saint Mary's men's basketball program. Croy comes to Saint Mary's from Citrus College and replaces Mark Campbell, who took a position as the top assistant coach for the women's basketball program at Oregon State. Croy will assist with all aspects of coaching, including recruiting, practice and game preparation, and player development.
Rick has very good leadership qualities and a great ability to communicate with players and coaches, which will compliment or coaching staff and our basketball program," said Bennett. "Having grown up in the East Bay, Rick will be an asset to our Bay Area recruiting."
In a short time as the head coach at Citrus College, Croy staked his claim as one of the state's best junior college coaches. In his six seasons at the Glendora, CA school, Croy guided the Owls to a 159-38 record, and led the Fighting Owls to their first ever State Championship in 2008.
Croy led Citrus College to their third straight Western State Conference (WSC) title in 2010, and an appearance in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Final Four. He was named the WSC Coach of the Year in 2010 (for the third straight year) while leading the Fighting Owls to a 92-9 overall record, for a .910 winning percentage, during that stretch. Both were tops in the state of California over the last three years, which included a 35-1 mark during the 2007-08 state title run, an 28-5 record during the 2008-09 season, and a 29-3 record in 2009-10.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to join a community, campus, athletic department, and program that is all about team," said Croy. "Our family could not be more excited to join this great SMC Basketball Tradition."
In his time at Citrus, Croy moved 13 players on to the NCAA Division I level, including former Saint Mary's basketball player Tron Smith (2006-08).
Croy spent the first two years of his coaching career at UC Riverside, working under the guidance of John Masi, one of the state's all-time leaders in victories. After leaving UC Riverside, Croy was named the associate head coach at Concordia University in Irvine, CA, where he worked for Ken Ammann. As the lead recruiter, Croy's first recruiting class was instrumental in helping lead Concordia to their first-ever NAIA National Championship.
Croy returned to UC Riverside for the 2002-03 season as head coach John Masi's top assistant. At the age of 25 he was the youngest Division I top assistant coach in the country. His duties included on-floor coaching, recruiting, strength and conditioning, individual workouts and scouting.
A 1999 graduate of San Francisco State University, Croy ranks among the leaders in five categories at SFSU, and holds the school record for three point field goals (167). He is second in games played, third in assists and steals, and eighth in scoring. Croy was the leading scorer for SFSU in each of his final three seasons and was named to the All-California College Athletic Association (CCAA) team three times.
Croy is a graduate of Northgate High School in Walnut Creek, CA, where he helped lead his team to the 1995 CIF State Championship. Before leaving Citrus College for Saint Mary's, Croy was the only community college head coach to win a high school state championship as a player, and a community college state championship as a head coach.
Croy earned a master's degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific University in 2000. Born July 19, 1977, Croy and his wife Jamie have a daughter Kayden and a son James. His wife Jamie played basketball (1996-98) and volleyball (1998) at Saint Mary's.
Transactions: Rick Croy hired at Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at Saint Mary's (CA).
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