Trutanic takes over as women’s basketball coach
Saddleback athletics announced this week that Mario Trutanic has taken over as the head coach of the women's basketball program. Trutanic has over 20 years of experience in a variety of positions at varying levels.
Trutanic becomes the 12th head coach in program history and looks to turn around a program that has battled COVID-related issues for the past two years. Now on the job, he says he can't wait to get started in implementing a mindset.
"I am grateful and blessed for the opportunity to lead the women's basketball program at Saddleback College," Trutanic said. "I am excited to build a program that will develop successful young women in the classroom, on the court, and in the community. We will foster a culture of hard work, toughness, and discipline that will create a tradition of success."
Trutanic most recently served as an assistant coach at the University of Redlands. He was instrumental in Redlands winning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship in 2021-22 and, as a result, was part of a staff that was named SCIAC Coaching-Staff-of-the-Year.
Previous to Redlands, Trutanic has coached at varying levels of collegiate basketball and also at the high school level. He served as the Director of Basketball Operations at Long Beach State in 2007-08 and was an assistant coach at San Francisco State University in 2008-09. Trutanic also spent five seasons on the sidelines at Cal State Northridge as an assistant coach, helping the program to some of its most successful seasons in program history. Trutanic has had multiple stints at the community college level, as an assistant coach of the women's program at Santa Monica College in 2009-11 and Palomar College in 2016-17.
Trutanic has a bachelor's of arts degree in liberal studies from Antioch University and a master's of arts degree in sports management from the University of San Francisco.
Trutanic and the Bobcats are scheduled to open the season at the Pasadena City College Tournament on November 10.