Irvine Valley men's basketball coach Jerry Hernandez earned his 250th win last Friday with the team's 89-62 Orange Empire Conference win over Orange Coast.
Hernandez is in his 13th season as the head men’s basketball coach at Irvine Valley College and 21st collegiate coaching campaign.
He improved his record to 250-150 at Irvine Valley.
Hernandez has guided this year's team to its best ever start with a 23-2 record. The team is ranked second in the state, which is the highest ever ranking in program history.
IVC has also been ranked as high as No. 3 in the state three different times this season. The team has also been ranked No. 1 in Southern California for the first time ever. The Lasers have captured two tournament titles, taking their own Irvine Valley Classic and the American River Tournament.
And two players from the 2007-08 team have already signed with Division I universities (Bryce Webster with Utah State and La'Shard Anderson with Boise State).
Hernandez has one conference title under his belt, having led the 1996-97 team to the crown.
That year Irvine Valley was ranked ninth in the final California state poll.
Hernandez has helped IVC to the playoffs in all but three of the 12 years he has been in charge of the program and his team’s have won 20 or more games six times.
Irvine Valley teams have been known for their attention to detail, hustling play and defensive prowess. As a result IVC teams have led the conference in either scoring defense or field goal percentage defense in seven of Hernandez’s 12 years at the helm.
Hernandez has also helped nearly 50 players receive scholarships at four-year colleges, with 16 of them playing at Division I institutions