Cary Nerelli steps down as Hancock College women's basketball coach
May 19—After spending nearly a decade at the helm of the women's basketball program, Cary Nerelli has stepped down from his duties with the team at Allan Hancock College. He exits the AHC coaching ranks with an overall record of 118-108 through nine seasons.
"It has been an honor to serve Allan Hancock over the last nine seasons," Nerelli said. "I have been blessed to coach some great young women on my teams here and I am proud of the success we've had, both on and off the court."
This season, the Bulldogs had an overall record of 18-12 with an 8-4 mark against Western State Conference foes. Hancock advanced to the second round of the SoCal Regionals after collecting the program's second consecutive postseason victory by topping Victor Valley in the opening round.
Prior to the pandemic, Nerelli's squad finished the 2019-20 season with a 14-16 overall record, which included a 3-5 mark in Western State Conference action, and qualified for the SoCal Regional playoffs. The No. 19-seeded Bulldogs upset South Coast Conference Champion and No. 14-seed, Long Beach City College (20-9, 10-0), in the first round while giving AHC its first postseason victory since 1993.
Nerelli's 118 career wins at AHC ranks him as the second winningest coach in program history behind long-time head coach Sheri Bates' total of 170. During his tenure, Nerelli has coached one CCCAA All-State athlete, 20-plus All-Conference selections and has helped more than 35 athletes move on to the next level.
"I will miss Cary very much and I'll miss his passion for coaching. He's been in the coaching ranks for more than five decades and showed no signs of slowing down. I respect and appreciate him as he turns the page for this next chapter," shared athletic director Kim Ensing. "He has done a tremendous job with the women's basketball program and I'll always be grateful for his dedication to the success of our student-athletes, both on and off the court. He has always given his heart and soul to the program."
Information on applying for the position be available at a later date.
Prior to coming to Hancock, Nerelli spent 26 years as the head coach of the girls basketball program at Morro Bay High. He won five league titles and three CIF championships with the Pirates. He was named the Los Padres League's Coach of the Year six times.
Nerelli also coached cross country at Morro Bay and won 33 league titles and seven CIF championships.
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