Bio

James Giacomazzi enters his 11th season as the head men’s basketball coach at Las Positas College and 28th overall coaching California Community College basketball (including the Covid year 2020-21 when two scrimmages occurred, but no 3C2A sanctioned games took place). He brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and success to the program and has built the men’s basketball team into an annual JUCO state power. Since 2005, Giacomazzi’s teams have averaged 20 wins per year. In the 10 seasons of competition at LPC, Coach Giacomazzi’s teams have made the post-season every year, including 5 Sweet 16’s and 2 Elite 8 appearances in 2021-22 and again in 2024-25. Even more impressively, in the last 16 seasons, his teams have made the post season 15 times, the “Sweet 16” 10 times, and the “Elite 8” three times. As a head coach, Giacomazzi has won 391 games in his career, with a record of 189-78 at Las Positas, good for a win percentage of 71%. Las Positas has become a perennial playoff contender and developed a strong reputation for transferring players on to the four-year level, with 31 players transferring on scholarship since the 2015-16 season, including five at the NCAA Division I level. In 2021-2022, Giacomazzi took Las Positas to a record-breaking year. They logged the most overall wins (27), most conference wins (12) in school history to go with a 16-game winning streak, a then school record, before earning the #5 seed in Northern California for the 3C2A State playoffs. The team posted its best overall record at 27-4 while also advancing to the Elite 8. The Hawks were ranked in the top 10 throughout the year and closed the season ranked No. 4 in the State. In 2024-2025, the Hawks were ranked #1 in the state for five straight weeks and began the season with a 20-0 record, best in school history. They earned a #6 seed in the Nor-Cal state playoffs and reached the Elite 8 after beating Modesto JC on the road 78-69. The team finished 26-5 and Coach James was voted Northern California Coach of the Year.

Before being hired at Las Positas, Giacomazzi was the head coach at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento for 11 years. During his tenure at Cosumnes, Giacomazzi's teams won two Big 8 Conference titles, reached the postseason six times, and made five appearances in the 3C2A “Sweet 16.” After his first full recruiting year, Giacomazzi’s teams averaged 20 wins per season over that decade. In his final year at CRC (2014-15), he led the team to a 24-7 overall record with a 12-2 conference mark en route to winning the Big 8 championship, widely considered one of the most competitive conferences in California. Giacomazzi was named the Big 8 Coach of the Year twice (2009-10, 2014-15). His 202 career victories at the school put him near the top of the record book at CRC for head coaching wins. Giacomazzi has a long track record of graduating players and helping them earn scholarships at the next level. He has coached 13 First Team All-State players and 41 First Team All-Conference players at Las Positas and Cosumnes River. Including his six years as an assistant coach at San Jose City College (four of which he also served as the team's athletic advisor), 92 of Giacomazzi's players transferred to four-year colleges with scholarships (23 Division I, 69 Division II/III/NAIA) while 23 of his players went on to play professionally.

In the classroom, over 90 percent of Coach Giacomazzi’s players who exhausted their eligibility at Cosumnes River and Las Positas graduated/transferred and moved on to four-year institutions on scholarship, while 21 of his players were named Academic All-Americans. Prior to his work at CRC, Giacomazzi served as an assistant coach at San Jose City College under Hall of Fame head coach Percy Carr. Giacomazzi assisted in recruiting and coaching a team that finished 29-5 and had the longest winning streak in the nation with 24 consecutive victories in 1999-00. The following year, he helped guide the 2000-01 team to a 32-6 record and to the televised state championship game on Fox Sports. Both teams went undefeated in league play during those two seasons, finishing 24-0, and won two conference championships. During Giacomazzi’s six-year tenure at SJCC, 26 out of 29 (90%) student-athletes graduated and received scholarships at various four-year universities across the country.

As a player, Giacomazzi enjoyed a successful career at UC Riverside, earning All-Conference honors his senior year. Prior to playing for the Highlanders, Giacomazzi played for Coach Carr at San Jose City College, where his teams compiled a two-year record of 57-12. He also helped lead the Jaguars to two Golden Gate Conference titles. At the high school level, Giacomazzi played for head coach Guin Boggs at Washington High in Fremont. Coach Giacomazzi graduated from UC Riverside in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with an emphasis in political science and history. In 2001, Giacomazzi received his master’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Human Performance and Sport Management from San Jose State University. Coach Giacomazzi is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches Association (CCCMBCA). In addition to his teaching duties in the kinesiology department, he also serves as the CCCMBCA Past-President, Athletic Director at Las Positas, a member of the 3C2A Management Counsel and also serves on the Post Season Review Committee (PCRC). He currently resides in Livermore with his wife Kristi, their daughters Addison (16) and Devyn (13), and their dog, Snickers.