California Irvine Athletics

IRVINE, Calif. – Nick Booker makes his return to Irvine in June 2025, rejoining head coach Russell Turner's staff as an assistant coach.
 
Booker first joined the Anteaters in 2010 as the Director of Operations and was promoted to assistant coach a season later. He was involved in the school's historic 2014-15 season when UC Irvine won the Big West Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.  The Anteaters fell to the three-time national champion Louisville by just two points in an NCAA Second-Round game in Seattle. Booker played a part in UCI's then-school record 28 wins along with new marks in non-conference victories (15) and road wins (13) which were both dethroned by the 2024-25 squad. That 2015-16 team advanced to the championship game of the CollegeInsider.com (CIT) postseason tournament.
 
"We are excited to welcome Nick and his family back into our basketball program and campus community," remarked head coach Russell Turner. "With the addition of Nick, we have someone who understands the successes of our program and what it takes to accomplish our collective goals. Nick is someone that I see as a gifted communicator, highly intelligent, talented evaluator, and as hard working at his craft as they come. I am excited about the level of energy and expertise that Nick will inject into our program and look forward to the impact he can have right away on our current players."
 
Recently, Booker served as the head coach of Cal State San Marcos for two seasons, just the third to be named to the helm of the Cougars. During his time at CSUSM, the Cougars were both competitive on the court and active in the community through various outlets that promoted connectivity throughout campus and within the North Country San Diego community.
 
Prior to his promotion to head coach, Booker spent three seasons at UC San Diego (2020-23) where he was a critical piece in laying the foundation for their competitive future in the Big West. During his time with the Tritons, Booker helped UCSD transition from NCAA Division II to Division I with a focus on recruiting, scout preparation, defensive emphasis, and served as a member of the Tritons' diversity council.

Booker made his way to UC San Diego from Eastern Washington where he served as the Associate Head Coach from 2017-2020 under Shantay Legans. While at EWU, they had consecutive third-place finishes that culminated into a Big Sky regular season championship in 2019-20 with a school record 16 victories in conference action. After helping develop a pair of Big Sky Players of the Year in Bogdan Bliznyuk (2017-18) and Mason Pealting (2019-20), Booker was recognized as one of the top 50 impactful NCAA Division I assistant coaches in the nation by Silver Waves Media.

After his seven-year stint at UC Irvine, Booker returned to Davidson College, his alma mater, where he served as the director of operations. Before his time with the Anteaters, Booker was an assistant coach for three seasons at powerhouse Saddleback College. He was instrumental in helping recruit and develop several All-State players, and the team won the California Community College State Championship in 2009.
 
Booker graduated from Davidson College in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in history. He was a member of the Wildcats' team under the legendary Bob McKillop. Booker was a starter for the 2002 Southern Conference championship team that competed in the NCAA Tournament against Ohio State.  In his time playing for the Wildcats, he was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and contributed to back-to-back regular-season conference championships in 2001 and 2002.

He earned his master's degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific in 2010.

A native of San Diego, Calif., Booker is joined by his wife, Alayna, and his four children, Philip, Kaleb, Ella, and Madisyn.