Jesse Aguirre has served as the varsity boys basketball coach at Sweetwater High School since 2010. He has helped the Red Devils reach elite levels within the San Diego Section, including a runner-up finish in the 2014 Division III championship game.
He’s a lifelong SuHi supporter and ardent Red Devil alumnus. He’s given back to the National City community by creating the boys basketball program’s Hall of Fame, with annual inductions of deserving alumni.
Aguirre attended Sweetwater from 1983-85. His two mentors included coaches Gene Alim and Gary Zarecky.
“I never played football in high school because of a disease I acquired in elementary school called encephalitis,” Aguirre said. “This is a cold virus of the brain. It affected my lower right calf muscle. Basically, my right calf muscle stopped growing. It created a bad limp that I still have today.
“Doctors shut me down for four years. I started hanging around with the wrong crowds which was easy to do in National City back in the early 1980s.
“In ninth grade there were basketball try-outs at SuHi and Jim Secrest was the coach at the time and kept me on as a manager. I played JV my junior year and varsity my senior for coach Zarecky. He took us places we would have never been to and have not been back to since. We went to tournaments in Canada, New Mexico and Yugoslavia.
“The Yugoslavia trip was three weeks long and finished up with a week in Paris. Coach Alim was my Spanish teacher for three years. He taught his class like he coached his football teams. He had amazing philosophies. He taught us systems on learning Spanish and it prepared us for college.
“I had coach Zarecky for criminal justice class. He also taught his class like a college instructor would. It was 80 percent lecture and tended to get into life-long lessons as well. He prepared us for life.
“I obviously learned my basketball philosophies from coach Zarecky and coach David Ybarra, who took over for coach Zarecky in 1986. Coach Zarecky took me in my sophomore year and I was with him often and watched and learned how to build a program and fundraise as well. He took me under his wing those three years. He saw something in me and for that I appreciate everything he did for me.
“Coach Ybarra took me to my first coaching clinics and I basically moved up the ladder every year with him. We won CIF in 1990 and that team didn’t lose to any teams in San Diego County. I started as the seventh-grade coach and five years later I was the JV coach. I coached from 1987 through 1996.
“I then left and took a couple years off. I coached at San Diego High School with the late Eddie Gross and was his assistant coach there for three years. I was then hired as the head coach at Mar Vista in 2003. I stayed there for seven years before coming back to Sweetwater as head coach in 2010.
“I was blessed with a great freshman group my first year back and that team went on and made history in 2014 as they went 25-0 in the regular season. They lost in the finals but that didn’t ruin the season they had. We have won six banners in 10 years. Before 2012, there was a 21-year gap since a team won a league banner.
“I am very proud of our accomplishments over the last 10 years. We produce a 70-page full color basketball program every year which is one of our biggest fundraisers as well. We have started an Alumni Night which is named after Michael Lemaster, a fellow student from 1984 who was killed in Afghanistan. On this night we put four former players who were either stars when they played or were loyal leaders on the court and in the classroom in the Sweetwater basketball Hall of Fame. They receive nice plaques with full write-ups and their playing picture on it. We have honored past coaches as well.
“Two years ago we honored all the living past and present principals. This was a very special night. Sweetwater is a proud school and the people of National City take pride in their school and students. Sweetwater is special as it’s the only high school in National City. I have alumni at my games who are in their 70s and 80s and still come up to me after every game win or lose and tell me how proud they are of the team.
“We have Mark Baca from the class of 1984 who will come and film our games and put highlight films together for us. Mark is a true fan and loyal alumnus. Jonathan Bayani does most of our photographs for our program and is a professional photographer. He drives down from the Los Angeles area numerous times throughout the year to takes photographs. He is as loyal as they come to our team and program. Bayani played from 1980-82 at Sweetwater and was on one of the best teams to ever come out of Sweetwater. They were nationally ranked.
“I would be doing a disservice to the school if I did not mention our administration. I have had two principals since I’ve been back at Sweetwater. Roman Del Rosario, who is now at Bonita Vista, and Maribel Gavin, who is our present principal. They both supported our program 199 percent. These two can be seen at our games at any time.
“They would come to our holiday tournaments on the road during the winter breaks when most people were with their families. They are loyal and trustworthy. I was and still am in contact with them all the time. Ms. Gavin knows what is going on at all time with our basketball team. Success starts at the top. With the right direction one can succeed.
“Zarecky, Secrest, Alim, Ybarra, Gavin and Del Rosario all played a huge role in my success as a coach. Since we’ve been back at Sweetwater we have an overall 167-107 win-loss record and overall league record of 78-22.”
