For just the eighth time in school’s 51-year history and fourth time in the last 26 years, the Cerritos College men’s basketball program will be introducing a new head coach. After serving as the head coach for the past nine years, Gary Cain stepped down when he was appointed the college’s Coordinator of Judicial Affairs. Taking over a program that went 17-14 last year and advanced to the second round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs will be Jesse Teplitzky, who spent last year as the head coach at Santa Monica College.

    In his first year as a head coach, Teplitzky led the Corsairs to a 17-15 record and a tie for fifth place in the Western State Conference South Division. Teplitky’s team saw their season end against the Falcons in the first round of the playoffs with a 65-51 setback. The coaching style of Teplitzky seemed to impress Cain.

    "I noticed that when we played Santa Monica in the playoffs, he had his team well-prepared,” said Cain, who finished with a 171-116 record and two South Coast Conference South Division championships. Back during the 2001-02 season, Cain led his team to the state championships, while he was an assistant coach in his first year under Dean Ackland when the Falcons won the state title in 1999.

    Prior to his one year with Santa Monica College as their head coach, Teplitzky spent time as an assistant coach at Metro State in Denver, CO, where he was an assistant coach. While serving on the staff, Metro State won two NCAA Division II championships in 2000 and 2002 and won four consecutive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships. After his time with Metro State, Teplitzky coached at Ohlone College in Fremont, CA, where he spent three seasons and helped lead the team to the Coast Conference North Division championship in two out of three seasons. He then moved on to Chabot College for two years before taking over the head coaching position at Santa Monica College.

    “Coach Teplitzky seems driven and has goals for himself and his program,” added Cain. “He sets his standards high and his level of expectation is equally as high. He is aware of the tradition we have set at Cerritos College and he told me he was excited to get started and do his very best to maintain that tradition.”