‘He’s been a pillar.’ Merced College basketball coach retires just shy of 500 wins
When Allen Huddleston started coaching basketball, he wasn’t looking at it as a career move.
In fact, he Initially turned down an offer to assist former Blue Devils coach Don Reid.
However, when the boys group home Huddleston was working at closed down, he reached out to Reid to see if he was still looking for a coach.
“I thought I would just coach one year and it turned into 29 years,” Huddleston said.
Huddleston, 63, announced Friday that he is retiring as a health teacher and the women’s basketball coach at Merced College.
Huddleston retires just shy of 500 career wins, compiling a 490-288 record since taking over the Merced College program in 1997. He spent five years as Reid’s assistant before taking over the reins.
Huddleston’s win total ranks 14th all time in the state for junior college women’s basketball coaches. Huddleston led Merced College to an appearance in the state championship game in 2021 and led the Blue Devils to nine Central Valley Conference championships.
“The wins are nice but the most important thing for me was watching young women who went on to get their Masters or Doctorate degrees,” Huddleston said. “Watching a former player like Christie Bryant open two physical therapy clinics or Deshunna Ricks write two children’s books and knowing Merced College had an impact on their lives.”
Huddleston said it’s tough to walk away, but the time is right. He said the last few years have been tough to divide his time while trying to teach, coach and serve as a pastor.
“I love being a pastor, and that’s taking more of my time,” Huddleston said. “I want to be available for that.”
Merced College Associate Dean of Kinesiology and Athletic Director Bob Casey said Huddleston served as a mentor and advisor for so many of his players and coaches over the years.
“He’s been a pillar for a long as I can remember,” Casey said. “He’s just a steady hand who has overseen that program.”
“People see the wins and losses — he’s so much more,” Casey added. “In many cases, he’s a second dad for so many of his players, and in some cases, the only dad. He consistently helps his players move on and achieve things they probably didn’t think they could achieve.”
Huddlston credited his Merced College success to recruiting the right type of players, a focus on defense and creating a family atmosphere.
“I wanted kids who were coachable,” Huddleston said. “I would look to see how they reacted when their high school coach subbed them out of the game. I wanted kids who played hard and of course, kids who were long and athletic.”
Huddleston’s wife Barbara was always a big part of the program, often cooking team meals.
Huddleston’s son Allen, who played at Fresno State and the University of the Pacific, also assisted his father before taking over the Merced College men’s program in 2021.
Merced College players really became part of the Huddleston family.
“Sometimes as a coach, you have kids coming in with different backgrounds that you don’t know about,” he said. “I wanted them to know I wasn’t just their coach, they are part of our family. We took them in and I think that played a big part of our success.”
This story was originally published June 30, 2023 at 11:42 PM.
