This basketball season has been stellar. Maybe you’ve seen some highlights of the games, perhaps a buzzer-beater moment, or heard some chatter around campus about winning a CIF Title. Even if the UC High Boys Basketball Team is a vacant hole in your brain, its significance to the heart of the school and the passion of its spirit can be recognized by anyone.
Head Coach Alex Golland, UC High’s wizard of the court, the smooth-talking, sharply competitive, dedicated man who runs magic through the court, has been leading the team to success. Players have described his fiery relationship to the game as ambitious and his value to the players a compliment about his confidence, almost as if he can foresee future plays, making his final moves during a tied game cause victory effortlessly. But who exactly is he?
Golland has been with the UC High program for the past nine years. Prior to coaching the Centurions, he explained that he coached three seasons of freshmen basketball at San Pasqual High School. He came to UC High as a freshman coach before moving up to junior varsity coach, a role he held for six years. Golland earned the varsity coach role in 2021, beginning his journey with these student-athletes.
His talent transcends the average coach, as his players say that he truly understands them. “When players are younger, they want it so badly but lack the maturity to handle the moment. In our CIF and state run, we met a lot of adversity. The difference this year, compared to prior years, was we had the mental toughness and maturity to get through our biggest tests,” said Golland. Being able to pull the team together through its weaknesses and have the strength and patience necessary with the players is something truly unworldly.”
Having known the sweet words of victory, Senior Ben Gavani described the significance of Golland’s fluid enlightenment: “He probably is the best pregame speech specialist in the whole county; he has some incredible pregame speeches that really get your hearts pumping. Specifically, during our semi-final game against Victory Christian Academy. I don’t think I have heard anything so beautiful in my life. Oh my goodness, it was amazing.”
This ability to win over the player’s anxiety stems from his admiration for UC High and the sport. “I try to speak from passion. I care a lot about how we perform. We all, players and coaches, make huge sacrifices in our personal lives to be there in that moment. I speak from the heart, and I think that resonates with my players,” said Golland.
Coach of the Year isn’t just about smooth sailing pep talks. His relationship to the players gains him the title. Senior Ash Aka said, “Other coaches are in it for different reasons, but he is in it to better us as people and players. He loves this school and he loves us and that’s what separates him.” Golland describes his team as, “…a great group of kids that want to get better and work together to accomplish our goals. There’s no better feeling for a coach than when your team reaches its goals.” They did just that this season, winning the Division 2 CIF Championship Title for the first time in thirteen years.
Golland took an introspective look at his coaching: “I’ve learned that if we share the ball and commit to defense, we can beat anyone. We pride ourselves on our effort on the defensive side of the ball. We really grind there.” Exercising this and floating up to the top, Golland landed a big win for UC High. “Winning CIF was a dream. We talked about ‘hanging a banner’ for years with this group. Many of my seniors were on the Varsity Team for three seasons. We’ve always wanted to accomplish that and when we did it felt like a dream. I feel great. I’m so proud of my team and so proud of what we accomplished. It felt like a journey that was years in the making,” said Golland.