Bryan Rooney has completed eight seasons as head coach of the Cal State East Bay men’s basketball program, building the Pioneers into one of the premier programs in NCAA Division II.
The 2025-26 season marked the pinnacle of Rooney’s tenure, as he led the Pioneers to a historic 33-1 record, capturing both the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament and NCAA West Regional championships while advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. For his efforts, Rooney was named the 2026 Clarence “Big House” Gaines National Coach of the Year, in addition to earning NABC Coach of the Year and CCAA Coach of the Year honors.
On Feb. 20, 2025, Rooney reached a major career milestone, recording his 100th win at Cal State East Bay and 300th overall victory in a 76-55 win over Cal State San Bernardino.
In 2024-25, Rooney guided the Pioneers to multiple all-conference selections, with two players earning All-CCAA Second Team honors and one receiving honorable mention recognition.
During the 2023-24 season, Rooney led Cal State East Bay to a 19-11 overall record and a berth in the CCAA Tournament, highlighted by a first-round victory over Chico State. The Pioneers produced two All-CCAA First Team selections and one honorable mention honoree.
The 2022-23 campaign featured a signature 79-73 road victory over Division I Pacific, while the Pioneers closed the season winning eight of their final 11 games. Freshman Grady Lewis earned First Team All-CCAA honors and ranked among the nation’s top 10 in field goal percentage at over 60 percent. Dimitrios Klonaras added All-CCAA Honorable Mention recognition.
In 2023, Rooney was selected to coach at the NCAA College Basketball Academy in Memphis and was inducted into the Cal Maritime Athletics Hall of Fame, becoming the first coach in the academy’s history to receive the honor.
Following the return from the canceled 2020-21 season, the Pioneers saw continued success in 2021-22 with one All-CCAA Honorable Mention selection and eight student-athletes named to the NABC Honors Court.
Rooney led the Pioneers to a 17-13 record in 2019-20 and a second consecutive appearance in the CCAA Tournament semifinals. Zafir Williams earned CCAA Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-CCAA, and both NABC and D2CCA First Team All-West Region honors, while Nai Carlisle was named All-CCAA Honorable Mention. Following the season, Rooney was recognized as one of the nation’s 50 Most Impactful Head Coaches by Silver Waves Media.
In his second season at the helm in 2018-19, Rooney became the first coach in program history to earn CCAA Coach of the Year honors and was also named NABC Coach of the Year. He guided the Pioneers to a 22-8 record, a 12-win improvement from the previous season, and the program’s first 20-win campaign since 1999-00. Cal State East Bay made its first-ever CCAA Tournament appearance and secured its first postseason victory before advancing to the semifinals. The team also earned a national ranking in the NABC Top 25 poll and set a program record with four All-CCAA honorees.
Rooney made an immediate impact in his first season in 2017-18, leading the Pioneers to 10 wins—just the third double-digit win total in the program’s CCAA era.
Under Rooney’s leadership, the Pioneers have also excelled academically. The program has earned the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for six consecutive years, with 44 total selections to the NABC Honors Court during his tenure. The 2022-23 team posted a 3.5 cumulative GPA, one of the highest in program history.
Prior to arriving at Cal State East Bay, Rooney enjoyed a decade of unprecedented success as head coach at California Maritime Academy. He compiled 200 career victories and led the Keelhaulers to seven CalPac Conference championships. In his third season, Cal Maritime captured its first intercollegiate championship in any sport, and his teams broke the program’s single-season wins record five times, including a 27-6 campaign and No. 17 national ranking in 2013-14.
Rooney led Cal Maritime to five consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances and was named CalPac Coach of the Year six times. He coached 32 all-conference selections, five All-Americans, and 10 Academic All-Americans, while also earning the conference’s Champions of Character Coaching Award in 2016.
A native of Stockton, California, Rooney began his collegiate career playing Division I football at Saint Mary’s before transitioning to basketball at San Joaquin Delta College. He completed his playing career at Dominican University, where he was an all-conference point guard and earned Athlete of the Year honors as a senior. During his tenure, Dominican posted a 45-22 record, set program wins records twice, and captured its first conference championship.
Rooney earned his bachelor’s degree in literature from Dominican in 2003 and later completed his master’s degree in education while serving as the program’s head assistant coach. He also spent time on the coaching staffs at San Francisco State and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps before becoming head coach at Cal Maritime in 2007.
