RIVERSIDE – After a brief nationwide search, the best option was one of the closest.
Gus Argenal, who spent just two seasons at Cal State San Bernardino, was announced as UC Riverside’s next men’s basketball coach on Thursday.
“Gus understands the trajectory our program is on and what it will take to elevate it to the next level,” UCR athletics director Wesley Mallette said in a statement.
Argenal will be publicly introduced at the SRC Arena on Tuesday, May 6 at noon.
He replaces Mike Magpayo, who left last month to become the head coach at Fordham.
UC Riverside (21-13 overall) finished third in the Big West Conference with a 14-6 record and accepted its first ever National Invitation Tournament bid last season.
The Highlanders have posted two 20-win seasons over the last three years and had the second-best win-loss record in the Big West while coached by Magpayo.
Argenal totaled 50 wins and led Cal State San Bernardino to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, including a trip to the Final Four in his first season in 2023-24.
“To have the opportunity to continue coaching in the Inland Empire at an elite academic institution is humbling and inspiring,” Argenal said. “My family and I are truly excited and honored to join the UC Riverside community.”
Prior to arriving in San Bernardino, Argenal was an assistant coach at multiple Division I programs, including Arkansas, Nevada, Cal State Fullerton, Rice and UC Davis.
While at Nevada and Arkansas (under current USC head coach Eric Musselman), Argenal helped guide teams to four NCAA Tournament appearances and seven tournament victories, including two trips to the Sweet 16.
“He is one of the best coaches I have ever been around whether it is in college or even at the NBA level,” Musselman said in the UCR release. “Big things are ahead for the Highlanders.”
Argenal also has helped develop nine players currently competing in the NBA or G League, including the Orlando Magic’s Anthony Black, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ricky Council and the Dallas Mavericks’ Caleb Martin.
“Players lucky enough to play for Gus are getting someone who will coach them and always be in their corner,” Black said. “He pushes everyone he works with to be a better player, and more than that, he will make you a better man.”
The lead assistant in charge of recruiting during his time at Arkansas, Argenal signed eight four- and five-star prospects between 2022-23.
“A home-run hire for UC Riverside,” ESPN college basketball analyst Sean Farnham said in the release. “He has long been on the track to lead a Division I program.”
Argenal holds a bachelor’s degree in history from UC Davis, where he still holds the school’s single-game record for assists (13). He earned his master’s degree in education from Arizona State in 2005.
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