Glendale High School Coach Selected to Direct Irvine Basketball Program

Steve Keith, who has won two Southern Section basketball titles in the last six years at Glendale High School, has been named basketball coach at Irvine High, Principal Gary Norton said Thursday.

The selection is expected to be approved by the Irvine Unified School District board Tuesday, Norton said.

Keith, 37, will replace Al Herring, who was forced to resign by Norton in February after nine seasons. Irvine has never qualified for the Southern Section playoffs in its 11-year history.

Glendale has qualified for postseason play eight times and has won five Pacific League championships in Keith’s 10 years at the school. Glendale won the Southern Section 2-A title in 1981 and the 4-A title in 1985. The 4-A championship team finished 28-0, and Keith was named coach of the year by Cal-Hi Sports of Sacramento.

“The community of Irvine was the real attraction for me,” Keith said. “I look forward to living in the area and working with the kids in the program. I had some great years at Glendale, but I thought this was a great opportunity for myself and my family.”

Keith, who holds a master’s degree in educational administration, will teach physical education at Irvine.