Cal State San Marcos tabs UCSD assistant as new men’s basketball coach

Nick Booker, a prep star at The Bishop’s School and most recently an assistant coach at UC San Diego, has been named the third men’s basketball coach at Cal State San Marcos.

CSUSM made the announcement Monday.

Booker replaces BJ Foster, who left after six seasons and 99 wins for Southern Nazarene in Bethany, Okla. Foster led the Cougars into the NCAA Division II Tournament in each of the last two seasons; the 2022-23 team finished 20-11, losing to Cal State San Bernardino in the NCAA regionals.

Jim Saia started the program at Cal State San Marcos as an NAIA institution. He left after five seasons and 117 wins and is now the head coach at Cal State Los Angeles.

“My family and I could not be happier to join the Cougar family,” Booker said in a statement. “We’re excited about becoming part of this tight-knit community and contributing to its continued growth and success.”

In his three seasons at UCSD, Booker helped the Tritons make the transition from an NCAA Division II school to Division I.

UCSD coach Eric Olen said in a statement that he was “so happy” for his assistant.

“Coach Booker was an integral part of our staff during a transformational time in our program,” Olen said. “We look forward to seeing his continued success as a head coach.”

Prior to joining the UCSD staff, Booker was the associate head coach at Eastern Washington, helping the Eagles to 59 wins and a Big Sky Conference championship during the 2019-20 season.

Booker played college basketball at Davidson, leading the Wildcats in blocked shots and steals as a senior. He was a starter on the Southern Conference championship team that played Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament.

In 2016, Booker returned to Davidson as director of basketball operations.

He has also worked at UC Irvine and Saddleback College.

“Nick’s coaching experience along with his local ties in the San Diego area is exciting,” said Morod Shah, associate director of athletics at Cal State San Marcos. “I look forward to working with him and watching his impact on our student-athletes and our campus.”

Booker, who has a master’s degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific, is married with three children and lives in Oceanside.