One state record coaching category we track at Cal-Hi Sports for all sports combined are those coaches who have reached 1,000 career wins.
Rocklin girls volleyball coach Bret Almazan-Cezar made history by collecting the 1,000th win of his career last weekend at a tournament. Photo: RocklinHighVolley.com.
There have been two from boys basketball in recent seasons who have done it — Mike LeDuc from Damien of La Verne and Harvey Kitani of Rolling Hills Prep (San Pedro) — and one for girls hoops who is closing in on it — Kevin Kiernan from Troy of Fullerton.
Last weekend, the milestone win was recorded by Rocklin High’s Bret Almazan-Cezar for girls volleyball. He is the winningest girls volleyball coach in state history and is one of just 12 coaches in state history covering all combined sports who has a 1,000th win.
Bret, who went to Stagg High in Stockton one year behind Cal-Hi Sports co-owner and wife Kathleeen Moody (we have the yearbook photos to prove that), won his 1,000th game last weekend while coaching for Rocklin High at a tournament. The Thunder defeated Rio Americano of Sacramento for the 1,000th win in the semifinals of the Carmichael Invitational tournament played McClellan Park. They later topped Nevada Union of Grass Valley for the tourney title and improved their record to 27-5.
Most of the wins in Bret’s career came during a 20-year run at Archbishop Mitty of San Jose in which the Monarchs won 11 CIF state titles. He left Mitty after the 2020 season and coached for one season at Granite Bay before taking over at Rocklin. Almazan-Cezar’s team last year at Rocklin went to the CIF Open Division state final where it lost to Mater Dei of Santa Ana.
The all-sports state record of 1,666 coaching wins was set in 2010 by Brent Bohlender, who coached boys-girls swimming and boys-girls water polo for 39 years at Modesto schools Grace Davis, Beyer and Johansen. Before going to Mitty, Bret also had a run of success at Lincoln of Stockton.
