SARATOGA -- West Valley men's basketball announced the hiring of new head coach Mykel Morse. Morse, an assistant coach under the legendary Danny Yoshikawa from 2021-2024, spent the last two seasons at the Division I level at Cal State University, Northridge, and will look to lead the Vikings to their sixth straight Elite 8 appearance.
"We are thrilled to welcome back Mykel Morse as our interim head coach for men's basketball," said Associate Vice Chancellor of Intercollegiate Athletics John Vlahos. "Mykel was an integral member of our staff that went 33-0 and won the state championship."
Morse is a former junior college and Division I student-athlete, playing junior college football at Scottsdale CC before spending two seasons as a defensive back at the University of Northern Colorado, the same university that former Viking standout guard Quinn Denker attended. Prior to heading to West Valley, Morse spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at the University of the Southwest.
At West Valley, Morse helped lead the 2023-24 Vikings to a 33-0 finish and a state championship, helping the team become one of just five in California history to finish undefeated.
"The thing that I'm feeling the most is gratitude," said Morse. "Being at the Division I level was a really great experience, but this has always been a job that I had on my board. It's a dream job for me. Spending the three years here as an assistant and learning so much from Coach Yosh, I was honored to get the call about being the head coach."
Morse replaces the departed Yoshikawa, who spent six seasons at West Valley and is now the associate head coach at Oregon State University. Morse credits Yoshikawa for much of his personal development as a coach and is looking forward to continuing the culture Yoshikawa helped develop.
"I learned so much from [Yoshikawa]," said Morse. "Prior to coming here as an assistant, I was an NAIA graduate assistant, so I did a bit of everything, and I learned a ton. I thought I knew a lot about basketball but I was humbled very quickly because I ran into a guy that is a master of teaching the game. The thing that I'll take the most from Coach Yosh is the culture that he has instilled in West Valley. That's something that I'm going to really try to continue. Guys know when they come to West Valley, it's a serious thing. We do things a certain way, and everybody comes to work hard every single day."
One of Morse's strongest characteristics is his ability to connect with a junior college athlete, both in personal experience and showing what needs to be done to help them transfer to the four-year level.
"I have youth on my side," said Morse. "I can be in the trenches a little bit more with the guys. I can lift weights with them. I can go through some of the workouts and show them things. Just leading more by example. My youth is one thing, and then the energy that I bring every day is going to be something that I'm excited to show."
Vlahos echoed the sentiment.
"I've always been impressed with Mykel's work ethic, energy and passion," said Vlahos. "He has an outstanding ability to connect with student-athletes, and I am excited to see what he can do with our basketball program."
Over the years, West Valley has built its identity on defensive pressure and relentlessness, while playing an efficient offensive game. Morse is excited to keep that defensive mindset, while looking to add a new layer to the offensive attack, part of what he learned at Northridge. Morse credits former Viking, and current CSUN head coach, Andy Newman, for mentoring him during his time in the Valley.
"Coach Newman is the ultimate competitor," said Morse. "The offensive system at CSUN is very fast-paced and free flowing. You can expect us to play fast on offense and to really hold guys accountable on the defensive end."
The only team in the state to reach the Elite 8 in each of the last five seasons, Morse has big shoes to fill after learning from Yoshikawa and Newman, both coming from the legendary Bob Burton tree. A Viking through and through, Morse is excited to build off the culture built by those before him.
"I'm going to bring a lot of excitement to West Valley basketball," said Morse. "It's a hard deal to follow in the footsteps of some of the amazing coaches that have been here before. But I'm going to continue the trend of excellence, and I'm going to put my own stamp on it."