MiraCosta College Retired Basketball Coach Inducted into California Hall of Fame

Clete Adelman’s passion for basketball is a family affair.  His brother, Rick Adelman, is the Houston Rocket’s head coach; his daughter is an assistant basketball coach in Oregon; and his son is the assistant coach for Orange Coast Community College.  But no one in his family can match Clete Adelman’s 39 years as a coach; 24 of which he spent coaching MiraCosta College’s men’s basketball team.

“People ask me, how did you do it for so long? How did you deal with not only what happened on the court, but off as well? Their girlfriends, their homework, their financial aid,” says Adelman.  “I tell them, it wasn’t me; it was the kids.  I always had great kids.”

Adelman’s passion for basketball and his passion for students are being recognized this March when he will be one of only two coaches in California inducted into the California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame. Despite his impressive record as MiraCosta’s coach, he attributes the award to his former students, whose athletic, academic and professional successes kept him in the game.

“When I learned I was going to get the award, I called practically every kid who played for me and thanked them. They are what made me successful.”

While the students may have kept Adelman on the court, Adelman’s dedication and his role as a mentor helped dozens of his students find success in their own lives. Twenty-two of his former students are coaches; one coaches in Australia, two in New Zealand and the rest in schools and programs throughout the United States. 

“Plus, one former student is the assistant coach for Humboldt State University,” Adelman says.  “Another former student is a television anchor, one is a pharmaceutical rep, one kid is a mailman and loves it, and another has really made a name for himself in Hollywood. I keep in touch with all of them. They all have great stories and it’s always fun to talk to the guys and share some great memories.”

Adelman began playing basketball in high school and continued to play throughout college. Once he graduated, despite wanting to become a teacher, he looked into jobs as either an insurance adjuster or a firefighter. One day before starting a career as an adjuster, he realized, “Hey, this will take me out of basketball.  So, I gave up on starting a different career and decided to stick with teaching and coaching.”

From 1966 until 1978, Adelman coached at high schools throughout California, including at Torrey Pines High School. In 1978, he was hired as a physical education and health instructor for MiraCosta College and three years later became the men’s basketball coach.  Adelman, who holds a master’s degree in education from Azusa Pacific and a bachelor’s in English from Loyola University, also served as MiraCosta’s athletic director for 13 years and the Physical Education Program chair for six years. Despite retiring in 2005, he is a regular at MiraCosta’s basketball practices and games and knows the names of all the players. He cheers on both the students and current MiraCosta men’s basketball coach, Patrick Conahan, who himself played ball for Coach Adelman.

Adelman will be inducted into the California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame on March 14, 2008, at 9 a.m. at the Stockton Grand Hotel in Stockton, California.  He will be cheered on by his entire family, three of his old high school friends, and six of his former MiraCosta College basketball students.  A photograph of Adelman is available on the Photos for the Media page.