Boys Basketball

Justin Williams-Bell: Head Coach | Varsity Basketball

Coach Justin Bell is entering his 4th season as head boys’ basketball coach at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. In the 2021-2022 season, the Eagles finished with a record of 20-4, and a second-place finish in the Trinity League with a 7-3 league record. During the 2020-2021 season the Eagles won the CIF State Regional Championship.

Bell comes to Orange County after serving as the associate head men’s basketball coach at the University of California, Riverside as well as the interim head coach during the 2017-18 season. Prior to UCR, Bell was the associate head coach at Concordia University Irvine, where he helped lead the team to a NAIA national championship in 2011-12. He also served as an assistant boys’ basketball coach at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif. from 2007-10. Coach Williams-Bell attended Escondido High School in San Diego County where he was a four-year, All-League basketball player, and lead his team to the CIF Championship game his senior year. Following his high school career, he went on to play point guard at Saddleback College for Bill Brummel and Andy Ground. Following his career at Saddleback College, Bell went on to play point guard UC Riverside in the Big West Conference. Immediately following his playing career, Bell worked for the Golden State Warriors as an assistant youth basketball coordinator for three years. Bell received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California Riverside, and his Master of Arts from Concordia University – Irvine. He resides in south orange county with his wife Seyram, and there three daughters Noelle, Giselle, and Jenelle.

Andy Ground: varsity assistant coach

Andy Ground comes to Santa Margarita after a successful stint as the Head Coach at Saddleback College and Tustin High School. Ground won seven Orange Empire Conference championships during his tenure, and also teamed with Brummel for an eighth OEC championship in 2006-07.  His teams made it to the state final four on five occasions, winning state titles in both 2010 and 2015 while finishing runner-up in both 2009 and 2016.Ground was voted the Orange Empire Conference Coach-of-the-Year seven times ('09, '12, '13, '14, '15, '16, '19) and was the CCCAA State Coach-of-the-Year on three occasions ('11, '15, '16). During Ground's tenure, over 70 players earned scholarships to four-year universities. Ground played at Saddleback during the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons under Coach Brummel before earning a scholarship to play at the University of Hawaii-Hilo. He later played professionally in Lima, Peru, and in Bonn, Germany. Ground returned to Southern California where he spent seven seasons as the varsity boys coach at Tustin High School, compiling a 154-49 record with three league titles and post-season playoff appearances in each of those seven seasons. Five of his teams reached the CIF quarterfinal round. Ground and his wife reside in Ladera Ranch. They have two children who attended San Juan Hills High School. His daughter graduated from Arizona State University, and his son recently graduated from Cal State Fullerton.

Andrew Ammann: Varsity Assistant & Head JV Gold Coach

Coach Andrew Ammann is a first-year varsity assistant coach at Santa Margarita. Prior to joining the SM coaching staff, Andrew was a high school standout basketball player at Foothill High School in Tustin, California. He was a 2-year varsity starter, winning a Century League Championship and CIF-SS Division 1A Championship. Following the conclusion of his high school career, Andrew went on to play at Citrus College in Glendora, California. During his time at Citrus, Andrew was a two-year starter, winning back-to-back Conference Championships and enjoying a 51-12 record during those two seasons. Following Citrus College, Andrew transferred to NCAA Division II Concordia University Irvine, playing for his father, Ken Ammann. At Concordia, Andrew was a starter in his Senior year. Following graduation with a degree in History and Political Thought and earning a teaching credential, he was hired as a teacher here at SM; where he teaches US History, MUN US History, and AP Micro/Macro Economics.

 

Atur Turakhia: Varsity Assistant Coach

Coach Atur Turakhia, better known to the team simply as “Doc,” is entering his second season with the varsity coaching staff. He joined the Eagles for the 2020-21 season and was a part of that team’s 2021 CIF Southern California Boys Basketball Division 2-AA Championship run. Turakhia brings a wide range of experience to Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Focused on making the intangibles tangible, he has created and authored a self-published playbook titled Find Net Mindset: A Playbook for Aspiring Leaders and Champions. The book has four chapters -- Grit, Grind, Chemistry, & Culture -- and he brings these concepts to the team. The foreword of this book is written by NBA skills coach Drew Hanlen, who Turakhia has been mentored by for 3 years. Hanlen is best known for his work with NBA stars such as Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, and more. Turakhia spent time assisting Hanlen with pre-draft and offseason workouts and was able to learn insider practices about working with rising stars at all levels of basketball, including drill development, teaching microskills, and using film to give feedback. Born and raised in Southern California, Turakhia later graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, obtained his medical degree at UC Irvine, and completed both general psychiatry residency and child & adolescent psychiatry fellowship at UC San Diego. He has been recognized by peers in his region as a 3-time Physician of Excellence and served as the chair of the Youth Sports Committee for the International Society for Sports Psychiatry. From early on, Coach Turakhia embodied the Eagle way of pursuing excellence while still upholding important community values, becoming the youngest Boy Scout in his troop to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. He looks forward to contributing to future teams' successes.

Tyler Ojanen: Varsity Assistant Coach

Tyler Ojanen comes to SM after being an assistant coach on the NAU men's basketball staff since 2019. Since arriving in Flagstaff, Ojanen has twice been named to Silver Waves Media's Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistant Coaches. Ojanen headed to NAU after serving for one year as the Assistant Athletic Director of Men's Basketball at Saint Mary's College, which marked his second stint with the Gaels. Prior to his administrative role at St. Mary's, Ojanen was an assistant coach on the men's basketball staff at San Jose State for three seasons (2014-17). The Spartans improved dramatically during Ojanen's tenure as they improved their victory total seven-fold from his initial to final season in San Jose. In Ojanen's final season at San Jose State, the Spartans posted their highest Mountain West Conference victory total since 2010-11 and the seven conference wins were the most for the program since 1996. Ojanen's first stint at Saint Mary's College was 2008-13 when he served as video coordinator during his initial season before being promoted to Director of Basketball Operations, a position he held for four seasons. During his time at Saint Mary’s, the program won three West Coast Conference championships and made four trips to the NCAA Tournament topped off by an appearance in the Sweet 16 in 2010. Ojanen, who got his coaching career started at Cortez High School in Phoenix from 2005-08 as the head junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach, also spent one season at Cal State East Bay as an assistant coach in 2013-14. A 2004 graduate of California Baptist University, Ojanen earned a degree in history and was an Academic All-American in 2003. A two-year starting guard for the Lancers, Ojanen left as the program's all-time leader in career and single season free throw percentage and eighth in career assists per game. Prior to his time at California Baptist, he competed at Phoenix College (2000-02) where he was a two-year starter. Ojanen is married to his wife, Kristi, and they have four kids, Jarren, Mitchell, Eliott and Kamden. He is also a full-time social studies teacher here at SM.

Kevin Tate: JV Gold - Assistant coach

Coach Kevin Tate attended Trabuco Hills High School. After high school, he continue playing basketball in competitive men’s leagues. His pursuit to be a better basketball player and coach lead him to JW Basketball were he has been trained and has coached for the last 5 years. Working with kids for the ages of 3 - high school . Kids with special needs, international club teams. His present day basketball quest has has led him to Nikos were the everyday focus is to develop youth and teens basketball skills and character by leading by example and always putting the interest of the individual youth or teen first.

 

 

 

Greg evans: jv blue - head coach

This is Coach Evans’ first year on the Eagle Basketball Staff.  Previously, he coached at Saddleback Valley Christian School for 5 years where he oversaw the lower-level programs. Coach Evans was a standout high school basketball player at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach where he earned All-CIF Southern Section and was nominated to the McDonalds All-American Team. He also played volleyball where he was selected on the All-County Team. After high school, Coach Evans received an athletic scholarship to play basketball at Loyola Marymount for Paul Westhead and the “Run-N-Gun System”.  After a midseason knee injury his freshman year, he finished his career at Chapman University. Greg has been working in the electrical industry for over 25 plus years, but his true passion is mentoring young men and teaching the fundamentals of basketball. Coach Evans lives in Mission Viejo with his wife Carol and Sixteen-year-old daughter Savannah. Greg enjoys watching and supporting Savannah who plays volleyball at JSerra and Club. Coach enjoys spending time with his family at the beach or lake where they like to relax, listen to music, play volleyball, surf and paddleboard. 
 

donald green: jv blue - assistant coach

Coach Green is in his first year on the Eagle's Basketball Staff, and 4th season coaching overall. Donnie is excited to serve as an assistant coach for the Freshmen team, and instill what it means to be an SM Eagle both on and off the court. Donnie is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. Donnie attended Saint Louis University where he earned his  B.A. in Media and Journalism  with  a minor in Sports Business.  He went on to earn his Masters in Education from the University of Notre Dame in 2015. Through his time in education, he has served in various roles of teacher, coach, and administrator. Donnie enjoys boxing, paddle boarding, listening to podcasts, and cheering on all of the Cleveland sports teams. 

 

 

 

Chuck Walker: Freshman gold - head coach

Coach Walker is in his fourth year on the Eagle Basketball Staff. He will continue to focus his time on the incoming Freshman. He received his B.A. in Business from Loyola Marymount University and his M.B.A from Pepperdine University. Coach has worked for over 30 years in executive leadership positions in the IT Consulting industry. During the coming season Coach Walker will also finish up his master’s in theological studies and be available to substitute teach. He was born in Salem, Ohio and played under legendary coach Jack Errion at Saint Anthony’s High School in Long Beach, California. Coach brings what he learned from Coach Errion to his teams today, they will be fundamentally sound, disciplined and will always respect the game, teammates and opponents. Prior to joining the staff at Santa Margarita, Chuck coached for over 30 years in the local youth sports scene. He coached travel basketball and soccer teams. Many of the kids Chuck has coached have gone on to excel at SMCHS, including Wolfie Wood, currently on the coaching staff. Although this is Chuck’s fourth year coaching at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, he has been involved with the school since 1992, watching his 6 children graduate. They were all active in SMCHS athletics; daughter Sarah, basketball and swimming; Melissa, soccer; Johnny, football and track, Jessi, basketball and track; Chris, basketball and soccer and Emily, volleyball.

Andrew Calcaterra: Freshman Gold- Assistant Coach

Coach Andrew Calcaterra is a first-year freshman assistant coach for Santa Margarita Catholic High School. He also serves as the head coach for a local 6th grade youth team.  In addition to coaching, Coach Calcaterra is a math teacher on staff, teaching Algebra 2 Honors and Geometry Honors. An alumnus of the SMCHS basketball program, Coach Calcaterra went on to study at The Ohio State University majoring in Business and Premedical studies. Following graduation, he worked in the medical field for Aerie Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson before transitioning into teaching and coaching at his alma mater. Andrew is most excited and grateful to mentor and develop students into men of high character, giving back to a school that has done so much for him. Last fall, Andrew trained and participated in his first half Ironman competition at Indian Wells. Coach Andrew Calcaterra is a first-year freshman assistant coach for Santa Margarita Catholic High School. He also serves as the head coach for a local 6th grade youth team.  In addition to coaching, Coach Calcaterra is a math teacher on staff, teaching Algebra 2 Honors and Geometry Honors. An alumnus of the SMCHS basketball program, Coach Calcaterra went on to study at The Ohio State University majoring in Business and Premedical studies. Following graduation, he worked in the medical field for Aerie Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson before transitioning into teaching and coaching at his alma mater. Andrew is most excited and grateful to mentor and develop students into men of high character, giving back to a school that has done so much for him. Last fall, Andrew trained and participated in his first half Ironman competition at Indian Wells.

derek mcgregor: freshman blue - Head Coach

Coach Derek has twenty years of experience coaching sports; six of those years at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. He has and is currently coaching two sports at SMCHS: Boys’ Basketball and Girls’ Softball. His philosophy is simple work hard, put your team first, be prepare, implement structure, encourage each other, and keep a positive mindset. Coach Derek has watched three of his own play sports at SMCHS prior to attending TCU and Oklahoma State. He also had an exchange student for six years who played basketball at SMCHS and is now a professional player in China. He has been married for the past twenty-nine years to wife Debbie McGregor. Coach Derek currently runs a successful engineering firm for the past thirty-five years. Along with coaching, Derek gives back to his community by sitting on public and private boards and teaching after school programs.

 

 

Dennis Kozak: Freshman Blue- Assistant Coach

Santa Margarita Catholic High School announces the hiring of Dennis Kozak as Assistant Coach for the Boys Freshman Basketball Blue team.  Coach Dennis served as Head Coach for 5 years in Rancho Santa Margarita National Junior Basketball, including leading the RSM NJB All-Star U-11 team to the Regional Championship. Coach Dennis lettered in High School basketball four years, playing for Birmingham Brother Rice in Michigan, where he was a two-year starter, helping lead them to two Detroit Catholic League Championships, a #11 ranking in the U.S. while earning all Detroit Catholic League honors.  Dennis graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing.  Dennis worked for 36 years for Pfizer Pharmaceutical, with roles in sales and marketing, retiring recently after serving the past 20 years as Vice President of Sales. Dennis and his wife Andrea have been a part of the SMCHS community beginning with their older daughter Grace, class of 2020, who was a 4 year letter winner and 3 year starter for the SM Girls Varsity basketball; continuing now with their younger daughter Emma, a freshman who plays for the SM Girls Junior Varsity. “My wife Andrea and I have been blessed as parents to experience the impact of SMCHS on our older daughter Grace due to the incredible environment and culture rich with high values and standards.  Grace is excelling now at Boston College, in large part due to the rigor and quality of education and leadership at SMCHS.   And now I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to help develop our young men in the SM Freshman basketball program in character and faith,” Coach Dennis said.

Debbie mcgregor - director of basketball operations

Bio coming soon!

 

 

 

 

Watch exciting Eagle basketball broadcasted live by the Eagle TV 2.0 student broadcasting class.

CLICK TO VIEW

Click Here For Tickets

• 1993 - League Champions
• 1994 - CIF Champions
• 1994 - League Champions
• 1995 - League Champions
• 1996 - CIF Champions
• 1996 - League Champions
• 1998 - CIF Champions
• 1998 - League Champions
• 1998 - State Champions
• 1999 - League Champions
• 2004 - CIF Champions
• 2004 - League Champions
• 2005 - CIF Champions
• 2008 - State Champions
• 2014 - CIF Champions
• 2019 - CIF Champions
• 2021 - CIF-SS Regional Champions