Heralding his ties to the Inland Empire and his commitment to winning through hard-work principles, UC Riverside on May 6 introduced its new men’s basketball head coach, Gus Argenal.

Argenal comes to UCR following its most successful run since it joined NCAA’s Division I 24 years ago. In the past five years, UCR has been 89-63, the second winningest team in the Big West conference. In the past three years, UCR has won more than 20 games twice, and earned its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament.

Argenal was head coach of Division II Cal State San Bernardino for the past two seasons, registering more than 50 wins and two NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Final Four. He has coached for more than 20 years, including stints at Nevada, Arkansas, Cal State Fullerton, Rice, and UC Davis.

The head coach search drew 200 applicants in “an unbelievably competitive process,” UCR Intercollegiate Athletics Director Wesley Mallette said in remarks during the May 6 press conference at the Student Recreation Center. More than 100 attended the press conference, including USC head coach Eric Musselman, with whom Argenal coached at Nevada and Arkansas.

“Gus knows what a championship program looks like,” Mallette said. “He knows what it takes to be successful. And he does it the right way.”

Mallette and Argenal both gave homage to departed head coach Mike Magpayo, who led Riverside during the past five years, and who is now head coach at Fordham University in New York. Magpayo was named Big West Coach of the Year in 2023.

Argenal set specific and lofty goals, including 10 or fewer turnovers and 200 passes per game, and promised “relentless recruiting.”

“I’m so excited to serve this community and recruit to it,” Argenal said. “My players will have high appreciation and low entitlement.”