On April 5, 2007, Jim Saia was named the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Fresno Pacific University. Known as a proven winner throughout his career, no one doubted the impact he would have on the struggling program. However, very few could predict just how quickly he would lead Fresno Pacific into national prominence.
In his first season at Fresno Pacific, Saia wasted little time laying a strong foundation by posting the fifth-best record in school history by going 19-12. Fresno Pacific jumped out to a school-record 7-0 start and defeated NAIA Division II National Champion Oregon Tech. The Sunbirds also snapped a 32-game losing streak to conference foe Azusa Pacific, while sweeping Biola for the first time in over a decade. The season was highlighted by a 65-44 upset of the University of Southern California, marking the first time ever that a GSAC team defeated a PAC-10 opponent.
The 2008-2009 Sunbirds exploded onto the national scene by going 26-8 and setting a school record for single season wins. Despite being picked to finish seventh in the Golden State Athletic Conference by the league's coaches, Fresno Pacific ran away with the GSAC race by winning 17 of their first 18 GSAC games before eventually capturing the league title and appearing in the NAIA National Tournament for only the second time in the program's history. Yet another school record was set as FPU climbed as high as 6th in the national rankings before finishing 9th in the final poll. The historic season also included a victory over NAIA National Champion Rocky Mountain and a Division I road victory over the University of San Francisco.
In 2009-2010 the Sunbirds once again did not disappoint as they went 25-9, good enough for the second best record in school history. FPU advanced to the “Sweet Sixteen” of the NAIA National Tournament after defeating number nine seed Campbellsville in the first round. The Sunbirds reached as high as 3rd in the national rankings and defeated four top 10 teams (#1 Robert Morris, #3 Biola, #9 Westminster, and #9 Campbellsville), along with ten teams ranked in the top 25.
Through his first three seasons at Fresno Pacific, Saia has compiled a 70-29 record. He has coached three NAIA All-Americans, and two of his former FPU players are competing professionally in foreign countries. Saia was also named the 2009 Golden State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
Prior to coming to Fresno Pacific, Saia spent the 2004-2005 season at the University of Southern California. Serving as an assistant coach initially, Saia was named Interim Head Coach when Henry Bibby was let go four games into the season. Deciding it was in the best interest of the program to go young, Saia did just that. Freshman guards Nick Young and Gabe Pruitt were inserted into the starting line-up along with sophomore Lodrick Stewart. While the Trojans finished the season with a 10-15 record, the year would ultimately prove to be a success. Young, Pruitt and Stewart all gained invaluable PAC-10 experience that would eventually help USC reach the Sweet 16 two seasons later. Both Young (Washington Wizards) and Pruitt (Boston Celtics) are currently playing in the NBA.
Before going to USC, Saia spent seven years (1997-2003) as the top assistant at UCLA. It was here that he earned a reputation as one of the top basketball minds on the West Coast. He helped the Bruins advance to one Elite Eight (1997) and five consecutive Sweet 16 (1998-2002) appearances. UCLA won 20 games in each of his first six years there.
Serving as the UCLA offensive coordinator from 2000 to 2002, Saia directed an offense that led the PAC-10 in field goal percentage (48%) in 2000 and was second in three-point percentage (37.1%). In 2001 UCLA finished second in three-point percentage (35.5%) and third in scoring (79.5). In 2002 the Bruins were second in both field goal percentage (47.2%) and three-point percentage (39.0%). In his three years as offensive coordinator, the Bruins put up the most productive three-point numbers in school history, making a school-record 223 in 2002, 205 in 2000, and 190 in 2001.
During his time at UCLA, Saia built his reputation of being one of the country's best recruiters. He helped the Bruins land the nation's No. 1 (2001, 1998) and No. 2 (1997) ranked recruiting classes. While at UCLA, he coached 10 players who went on to NBA careers. The list includes Baron Davis, Dan Gadzuric, Earl Watson, Jason Kapono and Jerome Moiso.
Before his time at Westwood, Saia served as Head Coach at Columbia College from 1994 to 1996. During his two years in Sonora, he led the Claim Jumpers to a 61-10 overall record, captured two Central Valley Conference (CVC) championships, and earned two CVC Coach of the Year honors. In 1996 Columbia advanced to the Final Eight in the California Junior College Championships and ended the season ranked third in the state with a 30-5 overall record.
His two-year conference mark at Columbia was 25-3. Every sophomore on Saia's Columbia teams graduated or pursued their education at a four-year college. When Saia took over the Columbia program in 1994, the Claim Jumpers had no returning starters, and Saia only had six weeks to recruit a team. He compiled a 31-5 record in his first year, while finishing ranked 7th in the state.
Prior to his head coaching stint at Columbia, Saia was an assistant coach at the Division I level at Fresno State (1990-94, while earning a master's degree), Indiana State (1989-90), and California (1988-89). During his years at Fresno State, he helped the Bulldogs go 21-11 in 1993-94 and advance to the NIT. The 1990-91 Fresno State team finished second in the Big West Tournament. While Saia was at Cal in 1989, the Golden Bears were 20-13 overall and also played in the NIT.
As a player, Saia's basketball career began at Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, California. In 1981 and 1982, Saia's junior and senior prep years, Sir Francis Drake was 65-1 overall and won two California state championships. From 1982 to 1984, he played at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and helped lead the Mustangs to a 20-win season. Saia spent the 1984-85 college season at College of Marin in Kentfield, California, leading the Mariners to the state tournament and earning all-conference honors. He concluded his college career at Chapman University. From 1985 to 1987 at Chapman, Saia earned Best Defensive Player and Coaches Awards.
Jim and his wife, Stacey, have two daughters and one son: Jillian (5), Tatum (3), and baby Dominic.
| Head Coaching Record |
| School |
Season |
Record |
| Columbia Junior College |
1994-95 |
31-5 |
| Columbia Junior College |
1995-96 |
30-5 |
| Total Junior College Record |
2 |
61-10 |
| University of Southern California |
2004-05 |
10-15 |
| Fresno Pacific |
2007-08 |
19-12 |
| Fresno Pacific |
2008-09 |
26-8 |
| Fresno Pacific |
2009-10 |
25-9 |
| Career Record |
4 |
141-54 |
