Jesse Pruitt Joins Cal Poly as Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach
5/7/2024 1:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SAN LUIS OBISPO – “I think I know every (high school) counselor in California,” Jesse Pruitt, the Cal Poly men’s basketball first-year assistant coach, says with a laugh.
During his eight years as an assistant coach at Stanford (2016-24) – arguably, the most academically-selective athletics department in the nation – Pruitt played a part in recruiting 43 Pac-12 All-Academic Team honorees, five Academic All-Americans and five Pac-12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
“It’s not necessarily about being admissible; it’s about thriving,” said Pruitt, who joined first-year head coach Mike DeGeorge’s staff in April. “College can be very stressful – especially your freshman year. You want to make sure a student-athlete can do the work. We had a process at Stanford and I think that’s going to translate [at Cal Poly].”
On the court, the personnel Pruitt helped recruit was equally as impressive with the Cardinal enjoying multiple top-20 recruiting classes. In eight years, Pruitt coached 13 All-Pac-12 selections and five Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honorees.
“Jesse brings great experience for this role and will compliment the strengths of our staff. His experience in California at the Division I level and highly selective universities make him a great fit for Cal Poly and brings a perspective that will benefit our staff. More importantly, he’s a tremendous coach and person.”Mike DeGeorge, Cal Poly Head Coach
After helping Stanford to 126 total victories, the program’s best Pac-12 finish (third) and highest conference victory total (11) in a decade during the 2017-18 season and the second round of the 2018 NIT, the option of joining DeGeorge at Cal Poly was straightforward.
“Right away, we meshed,” said Pruitt of his initial conversation with DeGeorge. “Philosophically, and in terms of how we see the game, it felt natural from the start. Then we got into the small talk about our families – his four kids, my three kids. The conversation started with basketball – was there an interest for me to come – and went quickly to families.
“(DeGeorge) said he wants to play fast. Everyone says they want to play fast, but when you say 60 percent of your shots happen in the first 10 seconds of the shot clock, that’s playing fast. That was intriguing. Defensively, he has a lot of principles that I’ve been comfortable teaching. Very quickly, I saw that how we see the game aligned.”Jesse Pruitt
With the Mustangs, Pruitt’s primary responsibilities include serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator, opponent scouting and, counterbalancing fellow assistant coach Kyle Bossier’s offensive tenets, directing Cal Poly’s defensive efforts.
“(DeGeorge) said he wanted somebody who can coach defense,” Pruitt said. “Kyle is a great offensive mind. (DeGeorge) said ‘I’m bringing Kyle with me from my previous staff at Colorado Mesa. I’m a defensive guy, but I want an assistant who can kind of run with the defense, run with recruiting and someone who has recruited at this level.’
With Pruitt, Stanford closed the 2022-23 season ranked 27th nationally in three-point percentage. Academically, forward James Keefe was Stanford’s third straight Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year honoree while forward Brandon Angel and guard Michael Jones were named Academic All-Americans.
Elite recruiting continued with Pruitt in 2023 as Stanford signed two top-40 recruits for the first time in 17 years in McDonald’s All-America selection Andrej Stojakovic and Kanaan Carlyle.
Stanford’s 16-win total during the 2021-22 season included its first victory against an AP top-five opponent (No. 4 Arizona) since 2007. Forward Harrison Ingram was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year – Stanford’s first such selection in 22 years.
During a 2020-21 season turned upside down by the COVID-19 Pandemic, Stanford’s 14-win total included 10 Pac-12 victories, three wins against eventual NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 programs, two triumphs against Elite Eight sides and a season sweep of Arizona for the first time since 2008. During the 2021 offseason, Stanford signed a third top-20 recruiting class in four years.
Stanford finished the 2019-20 season with a 20-12 mark while remaining solidly in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth before the postseason was curtailed by the pandemic. Boasting the nation's No. 16-ranked scoring defense, Stanford also recorded its top field goal percentage (46.9) in 16 years. The Cardinal capped the season with a top-10 national recruiting class.
#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/NGm5peIrau
— Cal Poly Men’s Basketball (@calpolymbb) May 7, 2024
Completing the 2017-18 season with 19 wins and an 11-7 Pac-12 mark, Stanford reached the NIT second round. Stanford’s third-place finish in the Pac-12 standings was its best in 10 years.
A native of Pomona, Calif., Pruitt previously served eight seasons on Santa Clara’s staff with the final four coming as an assistant coach. He helped Santa Clara to the 2013 College Basketball Invitational postseason tournament title and the 2011 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Championship. Santa Clara finished the 2012-13 season with a 26-12 mark that included 21 regular season victories.
Overseeing Santa Clara’s recruiting and scouting efforts, Pruitt helped develop several All-West Coast Conference selections. The Broncos placed an individual on the conference’s all-freshman team for three consecutive seasons with guard Kevin Foster finishing as Santa Clara’s all-time leading scorer and second-leading scorer in WCC history.
Santa Clara was equally successful in the classroom under Pruitt with at least one player earning a spot on the WCC All-Academic team in seven of his eight seasons with the Broncos. All 19 players who reached their senior season earned degrees and the men’s basketball program enjoyed a 100 percent graduation rate during Pruitt’s time on staff.
Prior to joining the Broncos coaching staff, Pruitt served as Santa Clara’s Director of Operations from 2008-10. He began his tenure as the team’s video coordinator for the 2008-09 season.
Before arriving at Santa Clara, Pruitt was an assistant at Division II powerhouse Cal Poly Pomona under Greg Kamansky from 2006-08. He was instrumental in the recruiting efforts that led to back-to-back national title game appearances (2009 and 2010) and the 2010 NCAA Tournament title.
Pruitt graduated from UC Davis in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in sociology. He was a member of the UC Davis men’s basketball team for two seasons.
Pruitt married the former Mary Jo Alexander on Oct. 2, 2010 at Stanford Memorial Church. His wife was an All-American runner at UC Davis and former assistant coach with Stanford’s track and field and cross country programs. They have three children: Gisele Brin, Paige Elizabeth and Trae Robinson.
