CS Fullerton Chooses UCLA’s Holland as Coach

Cal State Fullerton, catching what it hopes will be a rising star, selected former UCLA assistant Brad Holland as its head basketball coach Wednesday.

Holland, 35, has never been a head coach at any level, and his entire coaching experience consists of the four years he spent on Jim Harrick’s staff at UCLA.

But the former UCLA and Laker player says he is prepared for the challenge of leading a Division I program over the .500 mark it has been stuck at in recent years.

“I’ve never called a timeout or made a substitution, but with my basketball background I think I’ll quickly learn the ins and outs of being a head coach,” said Holland, who replaced John Sneed and will be the sixth coach in Fullerton basketball history.

“Certainly, that’s something I lack now, but I think I’m ready to tackle this level. I see this as a sleeping giant of a program that can finish in the top half of its conference (Big West) and have a chance for postseason play.”

Holland, a finalist for the Loyola Marymount job that went to John Olive, was one of two interviewed for the Fullerton post. The other was Dick Kuchen, the former California coach, who recently completed his sixth year at Yale.

Said Fullerton Athletic Director Bill Shumard: “The fact that Brad had no head-coaching experience came up a lot (in the search process), but I heard equally as much that people aren’t born as head coaches. Every great coach gets an opportunity at one point.”

Holland, a football and basketball standout at Crescenta Valley High and a four-year letterman at UCLA, signed a three-year contract at a base salary of $70,000 per year.

A Fullerton booster group will augment that with another $10,000 per year, and with a shoe contract and income from summer basketball camps, Holland’s total package should be in the $90,000-$100,000 range. He also will receive a car.

Known as a scrappy, sharpshooting guard during his playing days, Holland was a member of the Lakers’ 1980 NBA championship team, but his pro career was cut short by a knee injury in 1982. He spent several years in private business and worked as a broadcaster for Prime Ticket from 1985-88.