California State University, Dominguez Hills Men's Basketball

A Southern California native, Steve Becker is in his 12th season as head coach of the Cal State Dominguez Hills men’s basketball program, where he has transformed the Toros into one of the nation’s premier Division II programs. In the past two seasons, Becker’s Toro are a combined 54-12. The Toros historic 2024-25 season marked the most successful stretch in program history under Becker’s leadership. Dominguez Hills set several new program records with 30 wins in the season, including a record setting 20–2 mark in CCAA play, capturing both the CCAA regular season and CCAA tournament championships. The Toros continued their historic run by winning the programs first NCAA West Region Championship and advancing to the national championship game. In the national championship game, Becker’s squad showcased its defensive identity, holding Nova Southeastern, the nation’s highest-scoring offensive team at over 102 points per game to just 74 points, despite falling one point short of the national title. The 2024-25 historic season was accompanied by widespread recognition for both Becker and his players. Becker was honored as the NABC West Region Coach of the Year and earned back-to-back CCAA Coach of the Year awards (he is one of only four CCAA coaches to earn back-to-back CCAA Coach of the Year recognition, in the last twenty years). On the court, Jeremy Dent-Smith became the first Toro men’s basketball player to earn consecutive NABC All-American honors, while Jordan Hilstock was named the program’s first-ever CCAA Defensive Player of the Year and also earned CCAA Tournament MVP. Adam Afifi captured the West Region Tournament MVP, and both Dent-Smith and David Cheatom were selected to the Elite Eight All-Tournament Team. In addition, five Toros were recognized as All-CCAA performers, underscoring the team’s depth and balance. The 2023-24 campaign marked one of the programs finest to that point, as Becker and the Toros captured just the fourth CCAA Conference Championship in school history and advanced to the NCAA Tournament culminating a 22-8 record, 17-5 in CCAA play. The team was powered by All-American and CCAA Player of the Year Jeremy Dent-Smith, alongside Jakob Alamudun, who earned CCAA Newcomer of the Year. Both Dent-Smith and Alamudun received NABC West Region All District 1st Team recognition, and Becker was recognized as the CCAA Coach of the Year. Throughout his tenure, Becker has built a culture of discipline, teamwork, and excellence, developing Dominguez Hills into a consistent contender on both the conference and national stage. His commitment to his student-athletes extends beyond the court, emphasizing academic achievement, character, and leadership. In 2023-24 the Toros set another program record, but this time it was in the classroom. Eleven members from the CSUDH men’s basketball team were recognized as NABC Academic Honors Court Honorees (requiring the recipients uphold a 3.2+ GPA for the entire school year). The Toros eleven honorees were the most of any school in the California State University system, D1 & DII. After the 2020-21 season was canceled due to COVID-19, the Toros responded in 2021-22 with their best finish in more than a decade, placing fifth in the CCAA and reaching the semifinal round of the conference tournament. In 2019-20, the Toros earned a fourth consecutive CCAA Tournament berth, and Kresl cemented himself as the program’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made while setting a new single-season record. The 2018-19 season marked a breakthrough as Alex Garcia became the first Toro to win CCAA Freshman of the Year. That year also saw Colten Kresl nearly break a 32-year-old 3-point record, while Becker coached both Kresl (All-CCAA First Team) and Wonder Smith (Honorable Mention). In his second full season as head coach, Becker guided the Toros to a 15-12 overall record and an 11-9 mark in league play, earning the program’s first CCAA Tournament berth in more than five years. He later coached standout Justin Sadler to three All-CCAA awards and Vincent Golson to two. He joined Cal State Dominguez Hills as the top assistant in 2012-13, where he was responsible for recruiting, scheduling, scouting, fundraising, academic advising, and program operations. Promoted to interim head coach in 2013-14, Becker quickly made his mark by doubling the Toros’ CCAA win total and mentoring three All-CCAA selections. In 2011-12, he served as director of basketball operations at NCAA Division I Cal State Fullerton under Bob Burton, helping the Titans to a 21-10 record and just the seventh 20-win season in program history. Becker began his coaching career at the high school level, serving as an assistant boys’ varsity basketball coach at Fountain Valley High School and Marina High School under Roger Holmes. Becker, who prepped at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, holds every assist record in school history, including most assists in a single game (18), and was the team captain of Marina’s 24-9 CIF finalist team. Intercollegiate, he produced one of the most prolific careers in Cal State Monterey Bay basketball history, appearing in 98 games (No. 2 in school history) while ranking seventh in career assists. He graduated with a degree in Human Communications in 2008 before earning his master’s in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University Irvine in 2012. He and his wife, Staci, a physician, reside in Huntington Beach with their son Dominic and daughter Reagan.     Head Coaching Record Year Record % Postseason/Honors/Notes 2023-24 22-8 .733 CCAA Tournament First Round NCAA West Region First Round 2022-23 12-16 .429 -- 2021-22 14-11 .560 CCAA Tournament Semifinal 2020-21 -- -- Season Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic 2019-20 14-15 .483 CCAA Tournament First Round 2018-19 14-14 .500 CCAA Tournament First Round 2017-18 13-17 .433  CCAA Tournament First Round 2016-17 15-13 .556  CCAA Tournament First Round 2015-16 10-18 .357 2014-15 7-21 .250 2013-14 2-10 .167 Coached final 12 games of season Total 101-134 .430  

John Peterson enters his 4th season as an assistant coach at CSUDH, and his 31st season overall (28 years on the collegiate level).  He assists Coach Becker in all aspects of the basketball program.   Prior to joining the CSUDH staff, JP was the head girls coach at El Segundo HS, where the Lady Eagles won 72% of their games and the only league title in school history.   From 2014-2016, he served as the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Loyola Marymount University.   Peterson was the head coach and tenured faculty at Ohlone College (Fremont, CA) from 2000 – 2014, and left as the all-time leader in wins (300), win percentage (300 - 126, 71%), conference titles (5), winning seasons (14), most wins in a season (28), and 20-win seasons (11).  While at Ohlone, Peterson was 5x Coast Conference North Coach of the Year, State Co-Coach of the Year (2010) and his teams participated in the playoffs in 13 of his 14 seasons (2x Elite 8, 6x Sweet 16), and finished ranked in the state Top 20 poll in 13 of his 14 seasons and Top 10 in 7 seasons. Most importantly, 93 of his players in the 14 years moved on to the 4 year level. He was inducted into the CCCMBCA Hall of Fame in 2015.   Prior to Ohlone, he spent three years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator (1997-00) at NCAA Division II Metro State College in Denver. Metro went 87-15 during that stretch, won a National Championship in 2000, was National Runner-up in 1999, and won three league titles. The 2000 Championship team was inducted in to both the Metro State and RMAC Hall of Fame’s.   JP began his college coaching career at the University of San Francisco, working five seasons (1992-97) for both Phil Mathews and Jim Brovelli.   In addition to coaching, Peterson is Founder and CEO of California Basketball Group, which has owned and operated Shoot 360 basketball training facilities in SoCal and Utah since 2020.    Peterson earned his B.A. in Law and Society from UC Santa Barbara in 1991 where he was a student manager for the men’s basketball team and earned an M.A. in Sports Management from San Francisco in 1994. He and his wife, Susan, live in El Segundo, and have two children, Ben (coaches for the Perth Wildcats in the NBL) and Jordan (Senior at Smith College).