June 15, 2010
SAN DIEGO - Aztec head basketball coach Beth Burns announced the hiring Tuesday of Mark Trakh as associate head coach at San Diego State. Trakh (pronounced TRACK) has nearly 30 years of head coaching experience, including 16 at the NCAA Division I level at both Southern California and Pepperdine.
"We really like the talent level of our 2010-11 team," Burns said. "We are short on experience, however, and expect all five newcomers to compete for playing time this season. With that in mind, we chose to go after the absolute best teacher we could find to contribute to our program right now. Fortunately for us, that coach will be Mark Trakh.
"I've worked alongside coach Trakh, sharing ideas on everything from X's and O's to recruiting, for going on 20 years. This is a great day for Aztec basketball and SDSU. We're confident that coach Trakh will be a huge addition to our team. He will contribute and be involved in every facet of our program."
Trakh most recently was the head coach at USC from 2004-09, where he compiled a 90-64 overall record. In his first two seasons, he guided the Women of Troy to their first NCAA appearances in seven years, as the team advanced to the second round in both 2005 and 2006. The Trojans finished in the top half of the Pac-10 all five years and were the conference tournament runner-up in 2009 and regular season runner-up in 2005.
"I'm very honored to be a part of coach Burns' staff," Trakh said. "She is one of the best coaching minds in the country and I look forward to working with a talented group of players in an established program that just went to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. I'm very excited to be at San Diego State and can't wait to get started."
Trakh coached four all-Pac-10 performers at USC, including two-time first-team honoree Eshaya Murphy, who was later tabbed in the second round of the WNBA Draft in 2007. In all, his players made various all-Pac-10 teams 20 times and also excelled in the classroom, garnering a spot on the conference all-academic squad on 14 occasions.
On the recruiting trail, Trakh helped the Trojans sign four classes ranked in the top 12 nationally, including the No. 1 class in 2006, according to USA Today and All Star Girls Report. Trakh successfully recruited 10 Street & Smith All-Americans, seven McDonald's All-Americans, three Parade All-Americans and the 2006 National Player of the Year.
Before accepting the position at USC, Trakh had a highly successful 11-year tenure as head coach at Pepperdine from 1993-2004. Under his direction, the Waves posted six consecutive 20-win seasons from 1997-2003, made six straight postseason appearances and claimed four West Coast Conference titles. Trakh was twice named the league's coach of the year in both 1999 and 2002, and ended his tenure with a 199-123 overall record and a 99-55 mark in the WCC.
The Waves had two WCC Players of the Year in Rasheeda Clark (2000) and Tamara McDonald (2002), with Clark going on to become the school's first ever WNBA Draft pick. Trakh coached 10 first-team all-conference players at Pepperdine and his student-athletes posted an impressive 100 percent graduation rate during his stay in Malibu.
Before entering the collegiate ranks, Trakh had a Hall of Fame career as the head girls' coach at Brea Olinda High School in Brea, Calif., from 1981-93. He helped lead the Ladycats to national prominence with a 354-45 (.887) overall record, highlighted by four state titles (1989, 1991, 1992 and 1993), six CIF Southern Section championships and 12 Orange League Crowns. In his final five campaigns, Brea Olinda posted an amazing 161-8 record (.953) and did not lose more than two games in any single season.
Among his standouts at Brea Olinda were former Aztec guard Tammy Blackburn, current Long Beach State head coach Jody (Anton) Wynn and current Hawai'i associate coach Da Houl. Trakh, a California State High School Coach of the Year, is a member of both the City of Brea Athletic Hall of Fame as well as the Southern California High School Basketball Coaches' Hall of Fame.
A 1981 graduate of Long Beach State, the Wanque, N.J., native earned his bachelor's degree in journalism and also has his teaching credential.
The Mark Trakh File
Birthdate
May 31, 1955
Hometown
Wanque, N.J.
High School
Lakeland Regional High
Alma Mater
Long Beach State `81
Coaching Career
2004-09
University of Southern California (Head Coach)
1993-2004
Pepperdine (Head Coach)
1980-1993
Brea Olinda High School (Head Coach)
Collegiate Coaching Honors/Accomplishments
- NCAA First Round (2000, 2002, 2003)
- NCAA Second Round (2005, 2006)
- WNIT (1999, 2001, 2004)
- WCC Champions (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003)
- WCC Coach of the Year (1999, 2002)