In a surprise event honoring Charlens to recognize his 400th career win, back on Nov. 21 against Barstow, jerseys and cupcakes were given to fans in attendance, all marked with 400 in honor of the achievement.
For decades, San Diego City College men’s basketball head coach Mitch Charlens has built a winning program that has endured the test of time.
Under Charlens, the Knights have won nine conference titles and a state championship in 2017.
He was also named Coach of the Year in 2025 – his ninth as head coach at City.
He has connected with players, both off-and-on the court, instilling in them what it takes to develop as a team and, more importantly, flourish as young men.
Led by Charlens in his 20th season, City powered past a struggling Imperial Valley College, 108-70, on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at Harry West Gym.
Dylan Griffin again showed why he was Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Month in January by leading all scorers with 29 points, 8 rebounds and a season-high five blocks.
City (19-5, 12-0 PCAC) currently holds the top spot and is undefeated in the PCAC.
Success has been a staple of Charlens’ tenure at City, and the current players aimed to honor that legacy, as evident by the high-flying dunks and the 38-point margin of victory against the winless Desert Warriors (0-24, 0-12 PCAC).
Before tipoff, Charlens was presented with a special banner and a framed jersey inscribed with his name and 400 by City College president Ricky Shabazz.
“Many of you may not know this, but I got to see (Charlens) play at UC Davis,” Shabazz said in the pregame presentation. “Had I known then that 15, 20 years later, I would be standing next to him celebrating 400 wins.”
As he typically does, Charlens deferred the spotlight of success to his coaching staff and past players, many of whom were in attendance at the Feb. 4 game, including former NBA player Malcolm Thomas.
“Thanks for putting me on the spot right before a game, – Prez,” Charlens said jokingly to Shabazz after being handed the microphone. “I obviously love this group of players and all the former players that have given this program success.”
He also expressed gratitude for the support from the City College community and his current team.
A documentary, aptly named Beyond 400 and produced by City Times Media, shown after the game, included voices of congratulations and thanks from former players, coaches, and others who credit Charlens with a lot of their success in life.
With only four games remaining in the 2025/2026 regular season, City is within reach of another conference championship and a trip to the playoffs.
The Knights will return home to Harry West Gym against San Diego Miramar on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 5 p.m.
Sophomores from this year’s teams will be honored at Harry West Gym on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
The season will then wrap up against Palomar, which holds second place in the conference, on Friday, Feb. 20.
This story was edited by Chrisdan Peralta and Tresean Osgood.
