Pasadena City College Men's Basketball Coaching Staff

Pasadena City College
Men's Basketball

Coaching Staff

swanegan

Head Coach:
Mike Swanegan (626) 585-7783

Year at PCC: 3rd season in 2009-2010

Record at PCC: 26-32

Career wins: 143 victories at community college level

Mike Swanegan, the 14th men's basketball head coach in Pasadena City College history, turned the Lancers into the most improved team in the state in just his second season running the program in 2008-2009.

Swanegan, 51, came to PCC after eight seasons directing SCC North Division rival Mt. San Antonio College. At Mt. SAC, Swanegan coached the Mounties to Co-SCC titles in 2002 and 2005.

PCC accomplished a 22-win season in '08-09, defeating eventual state finalist Saddleback earlier in the season. The team was amazingly left out of the postseason tournament despite finishing in the top 15 in state RPI. The Lancers' disappointment was extended when the school later learned that South Coast Conference North Division champion Los Angeles City College forfeited its title and two wins against the Lancers due to using ineligible players.

The Lancers were a second place finisher at the season-opening Ventura Tournament, captured the consolation title at the Palomar Tournament, and took third at the College of the Canyons Tournament.

Swanegan has the distinction of coaching two state-scoring leaders in the past four seasons, including PCC's Harold Cleveland in '07-08. Although the team didn't finish high in the SCC standings, the Lancers did come up with a highlight victory when it upset then state No. 1-ranked LA Trade Tech in PCC's home finale.

Accumulating 117 victories at Mt. SAC, Swanegan’s most successful campaign was the team’s 21-6 mark in the 2004-2005 season. Swanegan’s team was ranked No. 4 in Southern California going into the state playoffs, but was upset by Moorpark in the first round. The team’s biggest win was a 23-point victory over perennial conference power Los Angeles City College that allowed Mt. SAC to finish tied for the division’s best record at 8-2.

In 2002-2003, Swanegan coached the Mounties to a 22-win season. His teams advanced to the state playoffs seven of his eight seasons, making it to the second round twice.

Before coaching at Mt. SAC (1999-2007), Swanegan had a successful 10-year prep coaching career at three high schools, Duarte, Rosemead and Rowland. He compiled a 161-85 winning record (.654 percentage), including a run of five consecutive league championship teams at Duarte High (1994-1998). His Duarte boys' teams advanced as far as the CIF Southern Section Division III semifinals three times.

He began his head coaching career at Rosemead in 1989-90 and coached the team to a 19-5 record and a league title his second and final season there. He directed Duarte from 1991-1998 and then coached one season at Rowland (18-9 record in 1998-1999) before moving on to the California Community College ranks.

“I’ve always felt that coaching men’s basketball at Pasadena City College is one of the greatest jobs in the state,” Swanegan said upon his hiring. "I have a good relationship with the area high school coaches and I’m going to work at getting some of the top local players to choose PCC, rather than leave the area.”

At Mt. SAC, Swanegan coached All-State talents and former SCC MVP’s in Marquis Poole (2002, Idaho State, All-Big Sky Conference) and Antonio Sykes (2005), plus 2005-2006 state leading scorer Rishawn Norwood. Fourteen of Swanegan’s players have moved on to receive scholarships at the Division I and II level.

A native of Camden, Arkansas, Swanegan attended Little Rock Central High, playing for a state basketball champion team as a junior in 1974-75. After playing two seasons at Paris Junior College in Texas, he competed two more collegiate seasons at Langston University in Oklahoma. He was team captain his senior season.

Swanegan earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Langston, and later completed his Master’s Degree in Education from Azusa Pacific University.

Swanegan lives in Chino Hills with his wife Linda. The couple has one son, Michael, 17, who is currently attending Diamond Ranch High School.

Assistant Coach:
Jesse Ellis

Men's Basketball in Powerful South Coast Conference

The Lancers play in the South Coast Conference, where member teams have been dominating the State Championships since 1967. PCC, Compton, Los Angeles City, LA Southwest, Cerritos, Long Beach, El Camino and LA Harbor Colleges have won 21 of the past 42 state titles compared to just 8 won by Orange Empire Conference schools and 6 by Western State Conference members.

PCC Sports Hall of Famer and former NBA LA Lakers guard Michael Cooper, considered by many as the best defensive player of his era, played for the Lancers back in 1974-76 and is one of 11 players who scored more than 1,000 points in their PCC careers.

In 2003-2004, the Lancers finished in the State's Final 16 in the playoffs, losing to eventual state champion Compton in the SoCal Regionals

Sports 20th Century icon Jackie Robinson played for the Pasadena Junior College basketball team, leading the 1938-39 squad to the Metropolitan Conference and State championships

Late 1960s Lancer greats were brothers John and George Trapp, who each went on to NBA playing careers

Recent Head Coach George Terzian, Jackie Robinson, Cooper and all-time PCC leading scorer Sam Robinson ('66-68) are all inductees in the California Community College Men's Basketball Hall of Fame

Sam Robinson was MVP of the 1968 State Championship Tournament, followed a year later by George Trapp as MVP of the '69 State Tourney
Horace Wormely, from the 2001-2003 basketball teams, was selected Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Year in his senior season at Vanguard University in 2006
Harold Cleveland became the 11th player in school history to score 1,000 points in his career and set a single-game PCC scoring record with 48 points in the team's 2007-2008 season opener against San Jose

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