Michael Fenison begins his fourth season as the head coach of the Mt. SAC Men’s Basketball Team, having taken the helm in March 2020 as the program’s 13th head coach.

In the latest season, Fenison guided the Mounties to a 25-4 record and a conference title, which earned him the prestigious Coach of the Year award for the South Coast Conference, North Division. His leadership helped develop standout players, including South Coast Conference Player of the Year Nick Hopkins and All-Conference Player CJ Fisher.

In his first season (2021-2022), Fenison led Mt. SAC to a 19-8 overall record, achieving a 6-2 record in the South Coast Conference and a second-place finish in the SCC North Division. Under his guidance, the Mounties, as the #15 seed, advanced to the second round of the CCCAA Men’s Basketball Playoffs.

No stranger to Mt. SAC Athletics, Fenison is an alumnus who played under legendary coach, Gene Victor. He also served as an assistant coach over thirty years ago under another esteemed coach, Ralph Osterkamp, and was instrumental in founding the Mt. SAC Athletics Hall of Fame. 

Before returning to Mt. SAC in 2020, he spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the College of the Canyons Men’s Basketball Program. His coaching career includes a notable 12 seasons at El Camino College, where he served as head coach, assistant coach and athletics director. As head coach, he transformed the Warriors from a 3-28 record in his first season to a remarkable 20-11 record and CCCAA regional playoff appearance in 2008 - the first 20-win season for El Camino Men's Basketball since 1990. 

After one season at the helm, Fenison stepped in as El Camino’s interim athletics director, overseeing the college's 21 intercollegiate athletic programs and implementing an Academic Athletes Achievement program aimed at improving student-athlete retention and matriculation rates. 

In addition to his coaching career, Fenison is a respiratory therapist who has worked at Centinela Medical Center in Inglewood for over 20 years. His contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic were vital, as he saved hundreds of patients through various critical care techniques including administering breathing treatments, drawing arterial blood gas and managing life support ventilators.

His coaching experience extends to assistant positions at several institutions, including Loyola Marymount University, CSU Los Angeles, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly Pomona, Azusa Pacific, and Chaffey College. As a player, Fenison played at Mt. SAC before transferring to Azusa Pacific University to compete for the Cougars

Fenison has also served as an executive board member on several organizations including the California Community Colleges Men’s Basketball Coaches Association, the El Camino College Faculty Federation and National Union of Healthcare Workers. He is a former executive board member of the SEIU-UHW and a current member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

updated  10/08/24