May 30, 2012
FULLERTON, CA - Jorge Cerna, an assistant women's basketball coach and director of player development at San Diego State for the past four seasons, has been hired as an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton effective June 1, Titans' head coach Marcia Foster announced on Wednesday.
"I would like to welcome Jorge Cerna to the Titan family," Foster said. "Jorge comes to us with the knowledge gleaned from his experience of working for two very successful head coaches. His passion for recruiting and teaching will assist in our quest to become a championship-level program."
Cerna is the second newcomer to the women's basketball coaching staff for the 2012-13 season, joining fellow assistant coach Lori Morris, who began her duties at Cal State Fullerton on May 14 after spending four seasons at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Cerna recently completed his second season as an assistant at his alma mater, helping the Aztecs to a 25-7 overall record, Mountain West Conference regular season (12-2 overall) and tournament titles, as well as a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years as a No. 12 seed. SDSU fell to No. 5-seeded LSU in the first round, 64-56, in Baton Rouge.
He assisted in all aspects of the Aztecs' program, including recruiting, scouting, and player development. On the court, he worked directly with San Diego State's frontcourt, assisting in developing the Aztecs' post players.
Prior to becoming an assistant coach, Cerna spent two seasons as the program's Director of Player Development, coordinating film exchange, breaking down game and practice film, developing team highlight videos, and supervising student managers. He also was a student manager for the Aztecs' men's squad for three seasons, helping with practice set-up, game statistics, summer camps, and team travel.
Overall, he was part of a women's basketball coaching staff that laid claim to three NCAA Tournament bids, including a spot in the "Sweet 16" in 2010 and a second-round appearance in 2009, and back-to-back 20-win campaigns from 2008-10.
A native of San Diego, Cerna graduated from Christian High School in 2001, where he played four seasons of varsity basketball, and coached at Marian Catholic High School while a student at San Diego State, serving as the boys freshman team coach and assisting with the boys and girls varsity squads.
Cerna graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in social science and recently received his master's degree in kinesiology from San Diego State in 2010. He and his wife, Sarah, were married in 2011 and will reside in Laguna Hills.