Irvine Valley men's basketball coach Jerry Hernandez has earned a lot of big wins in his almost three decades of coaching the Lasers.
But none could compare to the victory he achieved on Friday, Jan. 19 against Golden West at home.
IVC's 65-50 Orange Empire Conference triumph was Hernandez's 500th at the college.
Hernandez is in his 28th season as head coach of the Lasers.
"The wins are great, but for me it is more about all of the friendships along the way," Hernandez said. "People have been so kind."
The Lasers trailed, 29-26, at the half, but used a strong final 20 minutes, out-scoring Golden West, 40-21, to secure the big win for their coach.
Sophomore post player Jesse Stines led the way with 20 points and 12 rebounds, sophomore wing Marcus Carter came off the bench with 13 points and four assists and sophomore guard Luke Farrington added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals for IVC.
The win moved Irvine Valley's record to 13-6 overall and 4-3 in the Orange Empire Conference.
"It is fun to have some success," Coach Hernandez said. "The team has played really well this season."
Hernandez started at Irvine Valley in 1995 as head coach and under his guidance, the Lasers have had plenty of success and scored many significant accomplishments.
Those include winning a conference title in in the 1996-97 season, claiming a school record 27 wins in the 2007-08 campaign and reaching the state tournament for the first time in 2009-10.
Hernandez's coaching tenure has been marked by consistent playoff appearances (16 times in 27 years), 20 or more wins in 11 seasons and a No. 1 ranking in the state during the 2013-14 season.
IVC and Hernandez have strong reputations for being one of the better California community college programs in the state.
He has helped move on almost 140 players to continue their playing careers at four-year schools and has had a number of former players eventually compete in professional leagues overseas.
Hernandez has also always helped former players and assistants move on to coaching rolls at high schools and colleges.
But one of his all-time favorite times in coaching over the years was being able have both of his sons – Anthony and Daniel – on his team at Irvine Valley.
"That was awesome," Hernandez said. "It was so much fun and rewarding to have both of them on the court, playing together at IVC."
Release by Brent Shaver, Irvine Valley