The offer coincided with Coccimiglio taking the head job at DVC after one season as an assistant coach.

“He was a guy who always knew where he wanted to get to in coaching, and he pursued that vigorously.”Ĭoccimiglio spurned an offer to join Nance at the University of Washington in 1990. “His energy is always the first thing that shines through,” said Nance, now an assistant coach at Louisiana State. The Spartans won 101 games during Coccimiglio’s five seasons and laid the foundation for today’s successful De La Salle teams.Ĭoccimiglio then played a pivotal role in bringing back Saint Mary’s College to prominence, working as an assistant under Lynn Nance in the late 1980s. Elizabeth in the now-defunct Catholic Athletic League. Many years later, he inherited a De La Salle High program that languished behind perennial powers St. It’s a long way from the days when Coccimiglio played games in his Concord backyard, alternating between the New York Knicks Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and the Warriors’ Rick Barry, and also performing as the play-by-play announcer as he honed his basketball skills. This is a real big deal for Steve and DVC.”Ĭoccimiglio, 53, got his milestone victory on the road Saturday in a Big 8 Conference game against Santa Rosa, 56-50. “It’s even more impressive than if it were done at the four-year level because we’re not getting top-of-the-barrel players. “It’s a monumental accomplishment,” said Percy Carr, the head coach at San Jose City College and the all-time leader at 785. In the process, Coccimiglio joined 11 other coaches who have amassed 500 or more victories in California junior college basketball history. On that night, the Vikings emerged with their 17th victory in 21 games this season. The veteran coach is doing everything he can to make sure this game, that every game, is played his way, the right way, the way he learned and has taught for more than three decades. Never mind that Coccimiglio’s first-place Vikings are playing a less-talented, last-place team. Less than two minutes into the game, Diablo Valley College men’s basketball coach Steve Coccimiglio already is stalking the sideline, working the referees and barking out instructions to his players.

Diablo valley college basketball