Meet Jimmy Herrera

It sure looked like a young Jimmy Herrera was soccer bound. Enjoying success in the world of the punt and the pitch, his future in that sport looked promising. But a once distant siren call of hoops became amplified, the volume only increased and eventually it was all-in with basketball for the now Associate Head Basketball Coach at Foothill College.

A Live Oak High, Gavilan College and UC Santa Cruz graduate with a Master's in Kinesiology from San Jose State University, Herrera was involved in a myriad of sports as a youngster. But soccer was foremost.

"It was my primary sport," he recalled. "I played on very good teams, one that won the state cup and I was selected to be a part of a travel team."

However, he declined.

His sophomore year in high school was still a mix of soccer and basketball. After that, it was strictly the latter.

Why?

"I really liked my junior varsity high school basketball coach and he and I moved up to varsity when I was a junior," Herrera explained.

He added, "it's easy to play basketball. All you need is a ball, there are plenty of courts around town. You can play with others or on your own. I found that more difficult with soccer."

However, it wasn't a unanimous decision.

Herrera remembered, "My Dad thought I was a better soccer than basketball player."

But it was like bringing home a guy or gal who doesn't necessarily enthuse parents -- it makes the attraction even stronger and, for Herrera, there was no turning back.

That decision resulted in him earning all-conference honors at every level of his participation.

But with his college playing days behind him, Herrera wanted to continue an affiliation with the sport.

He assisted for a year at his high school and another community college and got the bug from which there is no known antidote.

Impressed by the style of play and program at Foothill College, he set about pursuing a position there.

"Chris Shoemaker, my coach at Gavilan, made a phone call on my behalf and Coach [Shanan] Rosenberg gave me a chance," Herrera said.

Five years later, he is now the associate head coach.

What was the attraction?

"Coach Rosenberg develops a great culture and builds a team together. He has a set of values he sticks with and holds everyone accountable. In fact, he usually demands more from our best players. The icing on the cake is he's very knowledgeable leader. He knows the game of basketball better than anyone else I know, puts everyone in a position where the player can succeed and he is not afraid of change. I'm constantly learning something."

Continuing on, "Coach Rosenberg teaches more verbally than most coaches do. Coaches run drills a lot and let guys run through them. He'll stop everything and point out something, making it a great teaching point. Actually, a lot of what Coach Rosenberg does isn't really connected to basketball. It's more individual development because certain behaviors and actions have to be addressed for our players and team to reach full potential. It's tough for some guys."

But Herrera noted, "even some of the players who quit call back and say being at Foothill had a big influence in their lives."

It's also worth noting that everyone except two student-athletes currently have a 3.0 or higher grade point average.

So what does the future hold for Herrera?

"I'd love to get a full-time job teaching and coaching at a community college. Community college basketball is fun, dynamic and constantly changing. I enjoy having positive influences on the lives of young men."

As noted earlier, that is an aspect certainly appreciated even if time and distance is sometimes required. Society needs more Herreras and Rosenbergs today.