San Bernardino Valley College stayed close to home in selecting the next coach for its marquee athletic program as Quincy Brewer has been named men’s basketball coach.
Brewer, 34, spent last season as an assistant to Gerry Wright. He is the program’s fourth coach in as many years. The past three coaches were once assistants in the program.
Brewer is an Inland Empire product. He graduated from Riverside North High School in 1992 and later came back to get his start in coaching at Riverside Ramona High School after finishing college.
He has a bachelor’s degree in social work and master’s degrees in education and physical education.
“I grew up here and I like this area,” Brewer said. “This job doesn’t have to be the stepping stone for anything else for me.”
Brewer’s appointment was finalized at the monthly Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday although word of his selection has been circulating for several weeks.
Wright, then an assistant, took over the program in December of 2006 when Derrick Pugh was let go only minutes before the team was leaving for an afternoon game. Wright did an admirable job and led the team to a Foothill Conference title, earning conference coach of the year honors in the process.
The team settled for fourth in 2007-08, missing the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. But that is deceiving. The Wolverines finished 13-15 overall and a respectable 9-5 in conference and were part of a four-way tie for first on the final day of the season.
Wright was not retained because his master’s degree is in education and the position is full-time, based out of the physical education department which requires a master’s in that area.
The two boast contrasting styles.
“He’s the guy that’s cool as ice and I’m the guy that’s fiery hot,” Brewer said. “One isn’t better than the other. We’re just different.”
While his demeanor may be different, Brewer said one thing that has been a trademark of the program will not be altered.
“All the coaches here have done a good job of advancing players and that will not change,” Brewer said. “Our goal is always an education. It’s nice to win games but it’s about getting guys to the next level.”
Before arriving on the SBVC campus, Brewer spent three seasons as the coach at Ramona where he directed the Rams to an overall mark of 71-16, with a pair of league titles.
That record is noteworthy because the Rams won just three games the year before Brewer took over. The team made the playoffs all three seasons, reaching the CIF quarterfinals in 2005 and the semifinals in 2007, the best playoff run for the Rams in three decades.
As a player, Brewer helped the Riverside North Huskies to a pair of appearances in the CIF finals.
He went on to Arizona State, where he was a three-year starter. The Sun Devils advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 his junior year. After college, he played professionally in six countries.
Athletic Director Dave Rubio was pleased with the pool of 24 applicants. The school interviewed five before deciding on Brewer.
“He gave a great interview, by far better than anyone else. He was well prepared and had all the right answers,” Rubio said. “He also has great work ethic and will run a disciplined program.”
In addition to coaching with the Wolverines, Brewer runs the NextLevel basketball training company. He and his wife, Berenice, live in Riverside. They have three children — Kenneth, Andrea and Brianna.
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