Cal State LA Athletics

A former player at Cal State L.A. and now a valuable member of the coaching staff, Gary Vasquez begins his ninth year as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball program. His responsibilities include scheduling, film exchange, on-the-floor coaching, assisting with game and practice planning, monitoring the weight-lifting program, scouting, and serving as the recruiting coordinator. He is also the team’s academic coordinator and he has assisted with the program’s summer camps for the past eight years.
 
Vasquez helped the Golden Eagles to another successful season in 2011-12. The Golden Eagles qualified for the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament for the third straight year and for the fourth time in the past five seasons. Cal State L.A. finished with a 17-10 overall record and a 13-9 mark in conference play. The Golden Eagles recorded their best conference record since 2001 and finished just three games out of first, which was the closest the program had been to the top spot since 2000.
 
Vasquez helped the Golden Eagles to a 15-13 overall record in 2010-11 that featured the program’s first-ever win in the CCAA Championship Tournament. Cal State L.A., as the No. 6 seed, beat No. 3 seed Cal State San Bernardino in San Bernardino to advance to the conference semi-finals.
 
Vasquez also helped the Golden Eagles qualify for the CCAA Championship Tournament in 2009-10. Cal State L.A. had one of the best defenses in the nation and finished the season with a 14-14 overall record.
 
The Golden Eagles bounced back successfully from an injury-plagued 2008-09 season that saw Cal State L.A. lose its leading scorer halfway through the season and finish with a 12-15 overall record.
 
Vasquez helped the Golden Eagles to a tremendous season in 2007-08. The Golden Eagles posted a 17-11 overall record and finished in a tie for third in the CCAA. Cal State L.A. qualified for the CCAA Championship Tournament as a No. 3 seed and hosted a first-round game. The Golden Eagles finished the season ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II West Region and made their first appearance in a regional poll since 2000. The 17 wins were the most for the Golden Eagles since the 1999-2000 season and the third-place finish in the conference was the best since a second-place finish in 2000.
 
As a player, Vasquez played in all 27 games during his senior season in 2003-04. He started 22 games and was seventh in the conference in steals (39) and ninth in assists (79). He was also presented with the team’s “Most Inspirational Player” award.
 
He started his coaching career as a volunteer student assistant coach for then-head coach Dave Yanai in the 2004-05 season. When Coach Stephen Thompson took over for the 2005-06 season, Vasquez was promoted to the No. 1 assistant coach position.
 
The Whittier native came to Cal State L.A. to complete a college basketball career that started at East L.A. College, where he played for two seasons from 2000-02. He then played for one year at San Jose Christian in 2002-03 and led the program to its best-ever record at 19-12 while setting a school single-season record for assists (174).
 
He played three years of varsity basketball at St. John Bosco and earned All-Serra League honors as a senior. He was a two-year team captain.
 
Vasquez received his Master’s degree in education from AIU after receiving his bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from Cal State L.A. in 2005.
 
He and wife Nicole have a son, Landon, who was born in January 2012.