MANILA, Philippines – Mike Magpayo will call the shots for the University of California Riverside, making him the first coach of Filipino and Asian descent to be appointed as head coach for an NCAA Division 1 team. 

The Filipino-American Magpayo will replace David Patrick, who will move to the University of Arkansas as associate head coach. 

“I am honored, humbled, and absolutely thrilled for the opportunity to lead our University of California Riverside men’s basketball program into the future,” Magpayo said in a press release. 

Magpayo served as defensive coordinator for the University of California, which recorded a school-best 17 wins in the previous NCAA season, before he got promoted to associate coach last month. 

Patrick only had praises for his successor. 

“[I] am thrilled that Mike Magpayo will have an opportunity to lead the way forward,” Patrick said. “I have no doubt about the way Mike and the staff will represent this program.”

Magpayo also worked in the University of San Francisco, Campbell University, and Columbia University. 

Outside the NCAA, Magpayo is the founder and president of the Asian Coaches Association.– Rappler.com