Not long after the final buzzer sounded, head coach James Giacomazzi transported back to 2019. To the deathbed of his friend.
It was sparked by a familiar face, reminding him of the significance of the result. His Hawks had beaten Shasta College, 90-75, in an afternoon matchup in the 46th Annual James Clark Classic. He was all business as he made his way down the sideline, shaking hands with Shasta’s players and coaches. That’s when he saw her. Candace Wilder.
She asked the teams to clear Clark Court at Cosumnes River College. She then announced what Giacomazzi had just achieved — his 400th career win as a community college men’s basketball coach.
On the same floor where he earned his first head coaching gig, Giacomazzi reflected on the journey to this moment. Several former players watched from the stands. His wife, Kristi, surprised him by showing up, along with a handmade sign.
JAMES GIACOMAZZI, left, secured his 400th career win against Shasta, Dec. 5 at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, Calif. His wife, Kristi Giacomazzi, decorated the milestone with a homemade sign. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/The Express)
But it was Wilder who sparked the journey through his past. As she presented a rundown of his accolades, his mind traveled all the way back to his relationship with her father. Charles Wilder, Giacomazzi’s first assistant coach at Cosumnes River back in 2004. They called him Big Chuck.
“I immediately thought of him, who’s just such a great individual. He was so important to me, and their family is important to me. And so I thought about him, thought about how much he would enjoy all this too…. So I mean, a really, really cool moment.”
Charles died in 2019. Just 24 hours before, Giacomazzi traveled to Antelope and spent time with his long-time friend. The moment left a lasting impact.
Giacomazzi remembered arriving to Wilder’s excited eyes. As a coach, Wilder often relied on the fist bump. A physical gesture of connection, of trust. An unspoken confidence. A unification without words.
By the time Giacomazzi arrived six years ago, Wilder’s condition had made him non-verbal. So he extended his fist. One last time. It was an expression of love, of loyalty, of a friendship that would not die with him. Words weren’t required.
“It was a moment I’ll never forget,” Giacomazzi said. “Super, super impactful to me.”
‘BIG CHUCK’ Charles Wilder, far left, with his wife, Zeporia Jean, poses for a picture with James Giacomazzi, far right, and his wife, Kristi. (Photo courtesy of James Giacomazzi)
That’s what seemed to strike Giacomazzi about this milestone of 400 career wins. Wins without memories are worthless. The games fade. The speeches blur. The players move on. So will the minutiae of the 15-point win over Shasta. He won’t remember that sophomore Jaden Woodard led the way with 26 points. Or that freshman Ted Bigg-Wither had his first monster game as a Hawk with 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting with 16 rebounds. He won’t remember freshman forward Kodey Weary having seven turnovers — Weary hopes.
The moments are what remain.
What Giacomazzi will remember is that his late friend’s daughter presented him with the honor. And his wife witnessing his career achievement. And all the players who remembered him enough to show up. The calls and texts from people genuinely happy for him.
Giacomazzi’s path to this moment is rooted in the connections formed along the way. And 198 of those wins have come at Las Positas College. It’s what has helped him create a formula for constant success.
It’s a formula he hopes the rest of the LPC athletic department will build on. He’d love for his success to serve as a blueprint for what can be achieved at Las Positas. In his 11th season on campus, his programs have always set the bar for athletics on campus. The latest success of men’s hoops — last year’s state championship appearance, the Hawks’ second in four years, and the 9-0 start this season — have raised it even higher.
Along with it, a culture is being formed.
“I want great success for all of those teams,” Giacomazzi said. “And not just wins, but to have those relationships where people come back, and they’re a part (of the program), and that’s how you develop an alumni. That’s how you develop pride in the college, pride in Las Positas. Not just an athletic department, but pride in the school itself.”
Giacomazzi inherited a program that had five playoff appearances since launching in 2006. Three of them — 2008, 2011, 2012 — were under Tony Costello, the inaugural coach at Las Positas. Lon Rork led the Hawks to the playoffs in 2014.
Giacomazzi, when he was hired in 2015, immediately led the Hawks to a 19-10 record and a No. 4 seed in the NorCal Regional Playoffs, the school’s highest-seed ever. It was the first of nine consecutive playoff appearances, not counting the canceled 2020-21 season. Giacomazzi’s teams have never not made the postseason.
The Hawks have won 20 or more games five times under Giacomazzi and are on pace to do so again. The program’s only two state tournament appearances came in the Giacomazzi era — in 2022 and 2025. He’s now two shy of 200 wins with the Hawks in 10 total seasons. Which means at Las Positas, Giacomazzi averages 20 wins a season.
FRESHMAN WING Cole Loud splits a pair of Siskiyous defenders on a driving layup. He scored six points in the Hawks’ 95-60 win over the Eagles on Dec. 5 in the James Clark Classic at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, Calif. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/ The Express)
In September of 2020, Giacomazzi’s role expanded to athletic director. His responsibilities became advancing athletics as a whole. His approach is to lead by example.
“He runs a super successful program,” said Andrew Cumbo, head coach for the men’s and women’s soccer teams at Las Positas. “Just the fact that he’s a winner, he’s successful and he’s consistent, … Obviously, those are also things I’m always working on with my teams, too.”
Giacomazzi’s mindset within the role mirrors his philosophy as a head coach. The focus is on creating a culture built around connections. Around an embrace of players. Around an appreciation for community and accomplishment.
That’s what makes this level special. He said that’s what makes Las Positas special.
“Everybody’s trying to pull the rope the same way to be successful across the board,” Giacomazzi said. “Everybody is being a fan of everybody else’s programs and watching everybody, and then being proud and basking in the success of every single team that we have.”
After Giacomazzi finished taking pictures with his former players following the win over Shasta, he made his way to join his roster. The squad was ready for him, waiting in a classroom that doubled as their locker room. Each player held two paper Gatorade cups filled to the brim with cold water.
As soon as Giacomazzi stepped through the door, they unloaded.
When it was over, and the Hawks celebrated a 90-75 win over Shasta, players doused James Giacomazzi.
It was his 400th career victory. And the kind of moment he’s come to cherish.
Our story on the milestone for LPC’s hoop coach: https://t.co/U9GPWbP6sf
(🎥 @CoachGiacomazzi) pic.twitter.com/VUNMqx1Y9w
— Journalism & Media Studies (@Lpcjams) December 7, 2025
They drenched him from head to toe. Afterwards, they each embraced their coach, huge smiles plastered on all their faces.
Slightly outside the scrum of joy stood sophomore guard Richard Banks, leaning on one crutch for stability. In the game before, a 30-point win over Siskiyous, he sprained his ankle. He still played against Shasta. He never doubted for a second whether he’d be on the court. Nothing could keep him from playing this game. For his coach.
Banks hit four three-pointers en route to 14 points. Then, with an icepack wrapped tight to the top of his right ankle, a single crutch beneath his left armpit, he joined in the celebration.
“One of the best experiences I could’ve asked for,” Bank said.
In that intimate space, the game faded. The score didn’t matter. The stats? Irrelevant. But what remains will be this moment. It’s worthy of a Wilder fist bump.
***
TOP PHOTO: Giacommazzi poses with his team, coaches and wife for a moment to remember. He earned his 400th career win, 90-75, over Shasta College at the 46th Annual James Clark Classic in Sacramento, Calif. on Dec. 5. (Photo by Ian Kapsalis/The Express)
Jakob Arnarsson is an alum of The Express currently studying journalism at Arizona State University.
