Andres Hernandez, Century’s new basketball coach, ‘wants to return the favor’

Andres Hernandez played basketball for four years at Century and now he’s the head coach. (Photo Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone)

Century High’s new boys basketball coach Andres Hernandez is right where he wants to be.

“This is home to me, this is where I first learned how to play basketball and playing it the right way through two great coaches Coach Greg Coombs and Coach Greg Chapman, who were both extremely important figures in my life,” said the 27-year-old Hernandez.

“Coach Coombs was always the X’s and O’s guy who knew basketball in the back of his hand. Coach Chapman…. really went out of his way to make sure to show that he cared about us and this was much bigger than basketball and that’s something I wanted to return back to the same school and the same city that I grew up.”

Hernandez was a 2010 Century High graduate where he made the top 100 Santa Ana Unified School District graduating class. He played basketball for four years with the Centurions and was a three-year starter on the varsity after playing with the freshmen team his first year.

Hernandez began his coaching careeer initially as the head freshman coach for his first four years at Century.

“We were very blessed that we had great people come and help me out, such as Tom Gorrell, who was the head coach over at Katella for a numerous amount of years,” Hernandez said. “He went out of his way to volunteer two years out of his life to mentor me and groom me at the freshman level. And he continues to do well at Fullerton College (as an assistant coach).”

Then the last couple of years, Hernandez helped out head coach Jeff Young on the Century varsity team. Young decided to step down after five seasons to spend more time with his family and Athletic Director Matt Cavanaugh announced that Hernandez was being promoted.

Hernandez was excited to get the opportunity to be the head coach.

“I’ve always wanted to return the favor to the kids by any means,” he said. “Coach Chapman had the biggest impact in my life and he was the assistant. I’ve always known I wanted to coach. Whether the opportunity as a head coach would come along, that’s a different story, but it came across my mind quite often.”

Hernandez said he realizes there are challenges that lie ahead but he’s excited about the opportunity to be the head coach.

“If my math serves me right, about 70 percent of our kids throughout my first year as a coach here until now all come from single family homes and basketball is an outlet for these guys,” he said. “It’s a sense of family, it’s a sense of belonging and that’s really what I want to continue building on here.

“I just want to be a good influence as a mentor, as someone these kids can look at it, and know they have someone they can trust and rely on and talk to most importantly.”

In his development as a coach, Hernandez said he has learned from a number of area head coaches including Gorrell, Tustin Coach Ringo Bossenmeyer, former Cypress coach Jeff Russell and Northwood Coach Tim O’Brien.

“I’ve kind of molded myself into a little bit of what they are,” Hernandez said. “I’ve learned from the best.”

Hernandez indicated that his team wants to be a “tough, gritty group of guys who get up and pressure. We want to be play smart and we will adjust based on whoever we are playing.”

Hernandez takes over a program that is coming off two Orange League titles and will return most of the players next season.

But he indicated that he is focused on more than wins and losses.

“We are extremely confident that if we teach these young men to be respectful and act the right way and show up to class and be responsible, the basketball games will take care of themselves just by doing those small things,” he said.

“Obviously, we want to continue putting up banners in our gym but we understand that’s not the most important thing to do.”

Heranandez works for B.Braun Medical in Irvine as an engineering technician. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Cal State Fullerton and is working on getting his teaching credential.

“It’s definitely an option I want to have,” he said.

But for now Hernandez is focused on his full-time job and his head coaching position at Century.

Cavanaugh, who described Hernandez as “bright, capable and fully invested,” has indicated that he believes the new coach has a bright future and Northwood’s O’Brien, one of the most successful and respected coaches in the state, said that the Centurions made the right choice.

“I love his passion, enthusiasm, optimism and willingness to learn,” O’Brien said. “Every time I am in the Century gym, he greets me, and has questions about coaching. It is so refreshing for young coaches be so open and wanting to learn. I love surrounding myself with guys like Andy. Century hit the jackpot with him.”

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com