Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
- Email:
- jmasi@calbaptist.edu
- Phone:
- N/A
Riverside coaching legend John Masi joined on the CBU men's basketball staff as an assistant to his former assistant Rick Croy prior to the 2013-14 season.
Masi spent 26 years (1975-2005) as the head coach at UC Riverside, accumulating a career record of 462-269 (.632). He led the Highlanders to 20 or more victories 12 times and oversaw the transition of the school from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I status and its move into the Big West Conference.
On the Division II level, Masi led UCR to seven California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season championships (1984, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995), three CCAA Tournament titles (1986, 1989, 1994) and 11 NCAA Division II West Regional bids. The Highlanders advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight three times (1980, 1989, 1995), claiming second place in 1995, third place in 1989 and fifth place in 1980. His 1994-95 squad went 26-6 and lost to Southern Indiana in the NCAA title game.
In 1988-89, the Highlanders recorded a school-record 30 victories, finishing the season at 30-4, losing in the national semifinals. That squad was ranked No. 1 in the nation the majority of the season and recorded one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history knocking off No. 4 ranked Iowa 110-92 in the championship game of the Chaminade Christmas Classic.
After leaving UCR in 2005, Masi joined longtime assistant coach Larry Reynolds’ staff at NCAA Division I Long Beach State for the 2006-07, helping lead the 49ers to the NCAA Tournament. He has also worked as a volunteer assistant at Cal State San Bernardino and as a consultant for Croy at Citrus College.
Masi graduated from UC Riverside with a bachelor’s in business in 1971. He and his wife, Mary, have two adult children, Brett, the head tennis coach at the University of San Diego and Leisha, a teacher and track/cross country coach at King High in Riverside. The Masi’s have three grandchildren.
