Dave Yanai

Dave Yanai received the John R. Wooden Award “Legends of Coaching” honor in 2021. Yanai, the first Japanese-American head basketball coach at any level of college basketball, considered John Wooden to be one of his mentors, along with Cal’s Pete Newell. Overall, Coach Yanai spent 28 years coaching in the Los Angeles area at Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Dominguez Hills and finished with over 400 victories, only the second California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) coaches to hit that milestone. More than the success on the court, when former players are asked about playing for him, they talk about learning the value of teamwork, integrity and commitment. Over Yanai’s coaching career, hundreds of former players and colleagues were touched by him, learning valuable life lessons that helped achieve their own personal success. Yanai spent 19 seasons as head coach at CSUDH, where his Toro teams advanced to the 1981, 1987 and 1989 NCAA Tournaments.