Head Coach
Rick Croy
Rick Croy enters his 5th season at the helm of the Fighting Owls. In a short amount of time, Croy has staked his claim as one of the state's best. During the 2007-2008 season Croy led the Fighting Owls to their first ever State Championship. In his tenure, Croy has guided the Owls to a 101-32 record; including a 35-1 mark during the 07-08 campaign and a 28-5 record during the 2008-2009 season.
Along with his success on the court, Croy has also helped establish Citrus as one of the best community colleges in Southern California at moving its players on to the next level. Since his arrival at Citrus, Croy has moved nine players on to the NCAA Division I level, and ten more to various collegiate levels.
Croy spent the first two years of his coaching career at UC Riverside, working under the guidance of John Masi, one of the state's all-time leaders in victories. After leaving UC Riverside, Croy was then named head assistant coach at Concordia University in Irvine, CA, where he worked for Ken Ammann. As the lead recruiter, Croy's first recruiting class was instrumental in helping lead Concordia to their first-ever NAIA National Championship.
Croy returned to UC Riverside for the 2002-2003 season as Head Coach John Masi's top assistant. At the age of 25 he was the youngest Division I head assistant coach in the country. His duties included on-floor coaching, recruiting, strength and conditioning, individual workouts and scouting.
A tireless worker and sought-after speaker at camps and clinics, Coach Croy has coordinated and participated in basketball camps up and down the West Coast.
A 1999 graduate of San Francisco State University, Croy ranks among the leaders in five categories at SFSU, and holds the school record for three point field goals (167). He is second in games played, third in assists and steals, and eighth in scoring. Croy was the leading scorer for SFSU in each of his final three seasons and was named to the All-California College Athletic Association team three times.
Croy is a graduate of Northgate High School in Walnut Creek, CA, where he helped lead his team to the 1995 CIF State Championship. Croy is the only current community college head coach to have won a high school state championship as a player, and a community college state championship as a head coach.
Croy earned a master's degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific University in 2000. Born July 19, 1977, Croy and his wife Jamie have a daughter Kayden and a son James.
Associate Head Coach
Josh Dunaj
Coach Dunaj is entering his fifth season with Citrus, and his second season as the associate head coach. Coach Dunaj has played a large role in turning around the Fighting Owls, earning a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the state along the way.
Coach Dunaj’s 2006 and 2007 recruiting class’ ultimately paid off, with a State Championship during the 2007-2008 season. Along with his recruiting responsibilities Coach Dunaj is also involved in on-court coaching and development of Citrus’ permiter players.
Coach Dunaj spent his college days playing for NAIA powers Westmont and Concrodia. As a player, Dunaj was known for being a superb communicator and a tremendous competitor.
Along with his coaching duties at Citrus, Dunaj has coached with the LA Rockfish, which is one of the top club programs in America, since the 12th grade. Additionally, he has worked at a number of camps in the off-season including Duke University’s summer camp and the prestigious Snow Valley basketball camp in Santa Barbara California.
Josh graduated in 2005 from Concordia University with a bachelors degree in exercise sports science, and completed his masters degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific University in 2006.
Assistant Coach
Hardy Asprilla
Coach Asprilla begins his second season with the Fighting Owls. Asprilla will assist Citrus with player development, post player performance, scouting, and serve as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Asprilla comes to Citrus via Cal State Fullerton where he served as a grad assistant during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons. Asprilla is an alum of Fullerton, playing the 2004-2005 season with Titans, averaging 8.5 points and 8.8 rebounds before blowing out his knee, in what became a career ending injury.
A native of Bucaramanga, Columbia, Coach Asprilla got his collegiate playing career started at College of the Sequoias. During that time Asprill averaged 17.3 points and a Central Valley Conference high 9.7 rebounds per game. Along with his extensive collegiate resume, Coach Asprilla also brings a national resume to the table. Asprilla has played for the Columbian National team, representing his home country in various tournament across South America.
Assistant Coach
Brett Lauer
Fresh off an impressive career at UC Irvine, Bay Area native Brett Lauer has joined the Citrus College Men’s Basketball Coaching Staff for his first season.
A six-foot one inch guard out of Concord, California, Lauer spent the last two seasons (his junior and senior campaigns) playing for the Anteaters where he averaged 8.5 points a game and led the Big West Conference in 3-point percentage with a .504 mark during the 2008-2009 season.
As a junior, Lauer made 13 starts for Irvine and ranked second on the team with 50 3-pointers. Prior to attending UC Irvine, Lauer played two seasons at the Community College level his first at Los Medanos and his second at San Diego Mesa, where he earned All-Pacific Coast Conference honors as a sophomore.
Lauer prepped for Clayton Valley High School where he averaged 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists a game at and was a two-time All-Bay Valley Athletic League 1st teamer. Lauer also set the school single game record of 10 three pointers in a game while at Clayton
Director of Player Development
Chris Acker
Coach Acker is in his third season with the Fighting Owls. During his first season on staff, Acker played a tremendous role in Citrus’ first ever State Championship. Coach Acker’s role with the Fighting Owls includes: player development, perimiter player
performance, conditioning, scouting, and serving as a summer camp director.
Coach Acker’s collegiate career got kick started at Howard College in Big Springs, Texas. From there Acker moved onto College of the Desert where he played one season with, and was a 1st team All-Conference selection as he scored over 20 points a game. After leaving COD Acker continued on to Chaminade University. While at Chaminade, Acker averaged nine points and eight rebounds a game.
When his collegiate playing career ended, Acker moved on to the professional ranks where he played professionally in China before spending a season with Marinkense Portugal. Acker went on to average 24 points, six assists, and four rebounds a game in Portugal. Following his stint in Portugal Acker moved on to the ABA, playing for the Detriot Wheels, before finishing his career in the CBA where he was a top ten scorer and All-League selection for the Pittsburgh Explosion.
Acker, whose brother Alex plays for for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, has a son Malakai Acker, and a fiance, Jennifer Wimmer.
Student Assistant
Troy Nielsen
Coach Troy Neilsen begins his first season on the Fighting Owls staff. Nielsen comes to Citrus after finishing high school at Riverside Poly. While at Poly, Nielsen prepped one varsity season for the Bears and Coach Mike Vanta. Coach Nielsen will help with perimeter players, the Citrus defense, and will help out Director of Basketball Operations Joey Wellman with day to day functions.
Senior Director of Basketball Operations
Jim Croy
As Director of Operations Croy is responsible for assisting the coaching staff with day-to-day operations, camps, marketing and sponsorship agreements. Croy began his collegiate playing career at Cal Poly SLO, before finishing his last two seasons at Westmont College where he served as team captain. He currently works for an investment firm in the Bay Area and is Director of Basketball at Renaissance ClubSport in Walnut Creek, CA. Croy and his wife, Maryann, have two daughters, Jaley and Josie.
Recruiter and Director of Basketball Operations
Joey Wellman
Wellman enters his fifth year working with the Citrus basketball program and his second year as the director of basketball operations. His role this year encompasses the organization of office activities, scouting videos, overseeing film exchange and assisting in player development. Wellman will also continue his duties as co-recruiting coordinator. Wellman again had a huge hand in bringing in top players for the 2nd recruiting class under Coach Croy because of his hard work the Owls were able to add much-needed depth and firepower to this year’s roster.
Wellman has put together an extensive resume in his young career.In addition to coaching youth basketball for four years in the San Gabriel Valley, he helped put together and coach a team of college basketball players for the Nike Summer Pro League, the premier college summer league in Southern California. Last spring, Wellman also began coaching and working with the LA Rockfish, one of the top club programs in America, and accompanied them on trips to Indiana and Las Vegas.