1993-94 TIMES ALL-VENTURA COUNTY BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAM : COACH OF THE YEAR : Cvijanovich Takes Pride in an Overachieving Team

Santa Clara High’s 1993-94 season was dwarfed by the career accomplishments of Coach Lou Cvijanovich.

It did not include one of his two state championships.

It did not include one of his 13 Southern Section championships.

It did not include a defeat in league play, but neither have 30 of his 36 seasons.

It included 20 victories, but that merely is his career average. Cvijanovich, 67, has racked up a mind-boggling record of 721-226, a .761 winning percentage.

Yet this season was among the most rewarding in Cvijanovich’s illustrious career. The team practiced what their coach preaches--tenacious defense, high-percentage shooting and pure hustle.

“It was a good season because nobody expected us to get this far,” Cvijanovich said after the Saints were eliminated from the Southern Regional Division IV state playoffs by San Diego Lincoln.

With one returning starter and no player taller than 6-foot-4, Santa Clara opened with a challenging nonleague schedule, and promptly lost seven of 13.

But the stiff competition paid off in the playoffs. After waltzing through the Frontier League with eight victories in a row, the Saints advanced to the Southern Section Division IV final.

Along the way, Santa Clara upset No. 1-seeded Serra. After falling in the final to Verbum Dei, Santa Clara (20-9) defeated Bassett in the first round of the regional.

Santa Clara’s season lasted three weeks longer than that of any other county team.

“These boys made me proud,” Cvijanovich said. “This team achieved its maximum.”