State Coach of the Year Marlon Wells won a CIF Southern Section last season (2025) for Rancho Christian of Temecula and his team this season was in the CIFSS Open Division. He also went past 600 career wins. Photos: Courtesy school.
For the third time in six years, the state’s most prestigious and long-running girls basketball coaching honor goes to someone from the Inland Empire. But Rancho Christian’s Marlon Wells hasn’t won that many of his more than 600 career wins at the school located in Temecula. He’s gained success at two schools in the CIF San Diego Section where he coached the two most prolific scorers in state history.
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The first time we had the pleasure of meeting Marlon Wells was in 2001 at the CIF San Diego Section Division I playoffs. He had been brought on to coach just before the first round game when the San Diego High administration had to make a quick coaching change.
The 1991 San Diego High graduate and boys basketball player under Dennis King had been coaching the San Diego JV and freshman boys. His only involvement with girls was training 2004 Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year Candice Wiggins of La Jolla Country Day, who was playing with the boys on his Rising Stars club team.
We had come out to see freshman phenom Charde Houston, who along with Wiggins was considered two of the top freshmen in the state for that season. San Diego lost that game to Poway in a game where the Cavers couldn’t seem to get a call, and Wells was upset. Afterwards when we interviewed Wells he was asked if he was coming back the next season to coach and help develop Houston. With what he felt had happened in the game, he said he wasn’t sure.
That was when we took a chance.
Marlon Wells is shown above coaching at his previous school, Bishop’s of La Jolla, where he led program from 2007 to 2022. Photo: Courtesy school.
Wells had braids, the bling jewelry and what he now calls “the gear.” He was told don’t change what’s in your heart and soul, but you might want to consider the possibility of changing your appearance for what was then a fairly conservative San Diego area. At first he looked at us with a bit of disdain and disbelief as he probably should have, but after reflecting on it a bit he says he “took it to heart.” Things have changed a lot since then about judging people by what they wear, even in areas like San Diego, but Wells came back that next season without the gear, and even in his second stint at Bishop’s of La Jolla, he coached in a suit and tie.
With all due respect after what we saw back in 2001, and not trying to be disparaging, was it ever thought that someday Wells could be the recipient of the highest coaching honor in the state of California? Probably not, but he did have what it takes to succeed.
Now, 25 years later and with 607 career coaching wins under his belt that qualifies him for a spot in the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book on the State Girls Basketball Coaching Leaders list, Wells has been named the 2026 Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year. The CIF Southern Section, where he coaches now at Rancho Christian of Temecula, has had many coach of the year winners, but Wells becomes only the fourth coach to get the bulk of his wins in the CIF San Diego Section. The others are 1975 winner Janet Balsey of San Diego Pt. Loma, 1987 recipient Lee Trepanier of Point Loma, and for the for time since 2012 when Terri Bamford of La Jolla Country Day was honored.
Counting Marlon as from the Inland Empire where Rancho Christian is considered, he also is the third from there to be State Coach of the Year in the last six years from the region. He joins Stan Delus of Etiwanda for 2024 and Martin Woods of Corona Centennial for 2021.
When Cal-Hi Sports Executive Editor and Co-Founder Mark Tennis called to say he thought Wells’ time had come for the award, it brought a tear to my eye with the quarter century of girls basketball history we’ve shared.
“When you called me to tell me I was the Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year I couldn’t believe it,” Wells remarked. “All I could think of was to give the credit to the players and assistant coaches I’ve had along the way.”
From a somewhat humble start, Wells has always had his share of successes and the ability to develop scorers, and not just any scorers.
At San Diego from 2001-2006, Marlon won the CIF San Diego Section Division I championship in 2004, then won the CIF Southern Regional Division I title before losing to Oakland Tech 58-54 in the state final at the old ARCO Arena in Sacramento.
Houston, who had made a shot from beyond half court in a 71-61 victory over powerhouse Long Beach Poly in the SoCal D1 final at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, drew gasps from the crowd at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento a week later when she tried one from the same spot against Oakland Tech. She didn’t make that shot in a close loss but made a lot more to finish at the time as the all-time leading score in state history to earn one of several spots in the state record book with 3,837 career points.
The 2006 team won the San Diego Section D1 crown with Paris Johnson (current La Jolla Bishop’s head coach), who went on to San Diego State, and Elise Paty (Biola) who earned a spot in the state record book on the Most Three-Point Field Goals Made (Season) list with 125 that season.
In 2007, Wells accepted the head coaching job at the prestigious Bishop’s School in La Jolla, where he also had stints as the assistant to the Dean of Students and the assistant Athletic Director. His 2009 team won the San Diego Section D4 championship behind sharpshooting Ukrainian born Inga Orekhova and Gizelle Studevant (Penn State). Orekhova has a spot in the state record book as well with 129 three-pointers and after playing at South Florida she has had a career in the WNBA.
Destiny Littleton isn’t just the all-time career scoring leader for California girls basketball with 4,300 points. She’s also the adopted daughter of State Coach of the Year Marlon Wells. Photo: Courtesy school.
Then came Destiny Littleton. As a freshman in 2014, Littleton led Bishop’s to the San Diego Section Open Division title in the open’s first year for the section. Of all of Wells’ players, Littleton has more spots in the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book than any of his other players, and some of the most spots all-time with the top one being the state’s all-time leading scorer. When Wells, whom we defended when he was accused of running up scores when he refused to curtail Houston from her dream of passing Cheryl Miller as the all-time leading scorer in the state at the time, knew Littleton had reached 4,300 career points in a 2017 SoCal Open Division loss to Clovis West, he took her out. That mark may someday fall, but right now it’s 463 points ahead of No. 2 Houston.
When he left Bishop’s and moved from San Diego to the southeastern Inland Empire area and took the job at Rancho Christian to start the 2022-23 season he inherited a team with Aaliyah Stanton as its top scorer. The Eagles won the CIF Southern Section Division 3A championship and Stanton, who is now at UC Riverside, is another of Wells players to make the state record book with 1,009 points that season.
Julia Wilson, who just completed her freshman season at Gonzaga, was next. Rancho Christian moved up to 2AA in 2024 and made it to the quarterfinals, but in 2025, with Wilson once again the centerpiece, the Eagles won the CIFSS Division I championship.
This year’s version of Wells’ Rancho Chistian team was led by freshman Addison Archer. The Eagles were in the CIF Southern Section Open Division and then the Southern Regional Division I playoffs where they lost to eventual state champion Centennial (Corona) in the title game. In fact, all of Rancho Christian’s losses were to elite squads such as Ontario Christian (twice), Etiwanda, Archbishop Mitty and Sierra Canyon other than Fairmont Prep and Moreno Valley, which were both teams the Eagles beat later in the season.
“She’s a bad girl,” said Wells of Archer emphasizing bad in a positive way.
Archer has already earned a spot in the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book on the Most Points (Season) list with 905 points.
“She’s the latest in the pipeline of bucket-getters despite not yet developing a consistent three-point shot,” Wells said.
Archer could very well be the one to break Littleton’s record because according to Wells she already has more points than Littleton did in her freshman season.
Wells had another player that will go into the record book off this year’s team as well and that is senior three-point specialist Ebony Taylor-Smith. In a loss to Etiwanda we covered where Archer was triple-teamed, Taylor-Smith made 11 three-pointers to make that list. Plus, of all the great shooters he’s had, Ebony tops them all with 165 three-pointers last season, and that’s top 10 and No. 2 this season on the Most Three-Point Field Goals Made (List), and reportedly top five nationally as well.
Wells has not just had an impact on the high school game but club basketball as well. He started with EBO and now coaches and develops players as a director for Hype Her Hoops and a head coach for Why Not Premier where he guides the 17U teams. He is sending two players to NCAA Final Four semifinalist Texas, Amalia Holguin of Sage Hill (Newport Beach) and Aaliah “Lizzy” Spaight of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman. A third player that may be the best of all of them on his 17U team is Tatiana “Tati” Griffin of Ontario Christian.
Despite all his success and countless players he’s sent on to the next level since embracing the girls game starting in 2001, there are naysayers.
“A lot of people say I can’t coach,” said Wells reflecting the same humbleness seen in him for over a quarter of a century. Because of that humility, it’s not surprising it took three years for him to acknowledge his win total and figure it out although those of us at Cal-Hi Sports that track coaches’ wins knew he had over 500.
“The way I see the game it’s not that difficult to play solid defense and score at all three levels, layups, midrange and the great equalizer, the three-pointer,” Wells remarked. “Scoring is an art and there’s not too many kids that can put the ball in the basket they way the kids I’ve coached can.
“Just watching and studying the game I’ve come up with my own philosophy,” said Wells in conclusion.
Wells’ philosophy includes a strong commitment to family. The 52-year-old Wells and wife Shawne have three adult children. Two naturally, Marlon Jr and Tyrese, and one adopted daughter, Destiny Littleton, whom they adopted when she was going though hard times that were chronicled in her story when she was named the 2017 Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year.
“My pops receiving the State Coach of the Year means everything to me,” said Littleton after practice playing in France on Thursday morning. “He’s one of the most deserving people I know, and he’s been one of the biggest reasons I am where I am today, both as a player and a person.
“He’s a hard-nosed coach that does not let his players give anything less than one hundred percent, and he pushed me to break the record for most points in California girls’ basketball,” Littleton continued. “I’m so proud of you pops and I love you and can’t wait to celebrate this feat with you as soon as I get back from France.”
Can Marlon Wells coach? If winning and putting girls players names in the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book is part of the criteria, you’d have to say heck yes.
Now, after getting a spot of his own for his 607 wins, Wells gets another one on the greatest coaching list of all.
STATE COACHES OF THE YEAR
GIRLS BASKETBALL ALL-TIME LIST
(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports)
Our State Coach of the Year from last season just accepted the head coaching position at the University of Nevada (Reno). Photo: Mark Tennis.
2026 – Marlon Wells,
Temecula Rancho Christian (26-9)
2025 – Kelly Sopak, Concord Carondelet (30-6)
2024 – Anna Almeida, Caruthers (25-8)
2023 – Stan Delus, Etiwanda (32-3)
2022 – Stephen Pezzola,
Richmond Salesian (21-5)
2021 – Martin Woods, Corona Centennial (25-1)
2020 – Vanessa Nygaard,
Los Angeles Windward (26-7)
2019 – Alicia Komaki,
Chatsworth Sierra Canyon (33-1)
2018 – McKinsey Hadley, Gardena Serra (25-8)
2017 – Craig Campbell,
Fresno Clovis West (34-2)
2016 – Mark Lehman,
San Bernardino Cajon (27-6)
2015 – Kelli DiMuro,
West Hills Chaminade (27-4)
2014 – Doc Scheppler,
Los Altos Hills Pinewood (30-3)
2013 – Malik McCord, Oakland Bishop O’Dowd (30-3)
2012 – Terri Bamford, La Jolla Country Day (32-1)
2011 – Steve Smith, Los Angeles Windward (29-4)
2010 – Melissa Hearlihy,
North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (34-1)
2009 – Ron Hirschman, Danville Monte Vista (29-3)
2008 – Lorene Morgan, Long Beach Millikan (28-5)
2007 – Carl Buggs, Long Beach Poly (36-1)
2006 – Brian Harrigan, San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral (30-2)
2005 – Richard Wiard, Bishop Amat (35-0)
2004 – Tom Gonsalves, Stockton St. Mary’s (32-4)
2003 – Kevin Kiernan, Fullerton Troy (31-2)
2002 – Lisa Cooper, Torrance Bishop Montgomery (28-5)
2001 – Dwayne Tubbs, Hanford (31-2)
2000 – James Anderson, Harbor City Narbonne (34-0)
1999 – Sue Phillips, San Jose Archbishop Mitty (31-0)
1998 – Jeff Sink, Brea Brea-Olinda (33-1)
1997 – Yvette Angel, Torrance Bishop Montgomery (29-3)
1996 – Mary Hauser, Santa Ana Mater Dei (29-3)
1995 – Scott Brown, Moraga Campolindo (32-3)
1994 – Mike Ciardella, Atherton Sacred Heart Prep (38-0)
1993 – Ellis Barfield, Lynwood (31-0)
1992 – Wendell Yoshida, RH Estates Peninsula (33-0)
1991 – Gene Nakamura, Berkeley (30-2)
1990 – Frank Scott, Inglewood Morningside (32-3)
1989 – Mark Trakh, Brea Brea-Olinda (31-2)
1988 – Richard Hull, Willows (26-4)
1987 – Lee Trepanier, San Diego Pt. Loma (34-0)
1986 – Van Girard, Lynwood (28-4)
1985 – Tom Campbell, Chico Pleasant Valley (28-0)
1984 – Joe Vaughan, Ventura Buena (31-0)
1983 – Larry Newman, Anderson (26-1)
1982 – Tom Pryor, Cerritos Gahr (29-5)
1981 – Art Webb, L.A. Locke (19-2)
1980 – Spike Hensley, Berkeley (29-0)
1979 – Harvey Green, Woodland Hills El Camino Real (19-0)
1978 – Joanne Kellogg, Huntington Beach (25-2)
1977 – Tami Yasuda, Fair Oaks Bella Vista (30-1)
1976 – Chuck Shively, Ventura (23-0)
1975 – Janet Balsley, San Diego Pt. Loma (34-0)
1974 – No selection
1973 – Mary Brown, Fresno San Joaquin Memorial (12-0)
1972 – Judy Hartz, Ventura Buena (8-0)
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
