2011-12 CCAA Most Valuable Player Jay Flores enters his third season as an assistant coach for Pioneer men's basketball in 2015-16.
Flores brings professional playing experience to East Bay, having spent the 2012-13 season playing for Soles de Mexicali of Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, Mexico's top professional basketball league. Flores was the starting point guard for Soles, leading them to a 31-9 record and a postseason appearance. He played in 52 games, averaging 3.1 points per game and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting 56.8 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from three-point range.
Flores was an outstanding point guard at Chico State and finished his three-year career as one of the most decorated players in program history. As a sophomore in 2009-10, he started every game and led the Wildcats in minutes, assists, and steals. He ranked fourth in the CCAA that year with 4.1 assists per game.
In his second season at Chico, he averaged 11.0 points per game, while once again pacing the squad in steals and minutes played. He led the conference in three-pointers made and assist/turnover ratio and ranked second in assists (4.8 apg), earning himself a second-team All-CCAA selection.
As a senior, Flores led Chico State to a 25-8 record, its first CCAA title in school history, and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Championship tournament semifinals. Again he led the conference in assist/turnover ratio and ranked second in assists (4.2 apg), while anchoring one of the nation's top defenses. Flores was named conference MVP, first-team All-CCAA, first-team All-West Region, Academic All-West Region, and he was a third-team All-American.
For his career, East Bay's assistant coach ranks third all-time in Chico State history with 387 assists and 137 steals and fourth all-time with 153 made three-pointers. He was also an 81.3 percent shooter from the free throw line. During his college career, Flores coached summer camps at top Division I programs like UCLA, Cal, Saint Mary's, and Michigan State.
Flores played his prep ball at Jesuit High School in Sacramento, Calif. An All-League honoree as a senior, he led the Marauders to a combined record of 60-8, consecutive appearances in the Delta League championship, and back-to-back Sac-Joaquin section titles in his final two seasons.
Flores then played in 24 games in one season as a freshman at Sonoma State before transferring Chico State (as one of coach Argenal's recruits) to complete his college career. He graduated in 2012 with a degree in business administration.
