Rich Boyce resigns as Edison boys’ basketball coach, retires from coaching

Rich Boyce said Monday he’s resigning as the boys’ basketball coach at Edison High and retiring from coaching altogether.

Boyce will remain as Edison’s athletic director.

“I’ve got to find my replacement,” he said.

Boyce coached at Edison for 24 years. Before that, he spent 13 years coaching at Estancia after coming from his alma mater, Tustin High, with the late standout coach Tim O’Brien.

He said some family members have been sick, and the family recently lost his mother-in-law.

“It’s just a good time,” said Boyce, 56. “It’s tough when you’re coaching basketball and you feel you should be somewhere else, helping out family members. It’s been 39 years of missing Christmases and Thanksgivings and all of that kind of stuff, so it’s time.”

Edison won nine league championships during his tenure and advanced to two CIF Southern Section championship games in 2015 and 2016. Boyce was also proud that the Chargers had made the playoffs 23 straight seasons.

Edison head coach Rich Boyce yells instructions to his team during a Surf League game against Fountain Valley last year.

(File Photo)

This year, Edison went 20-9 overall and 2-4 in the Surf League. They advanced to the Division 1 playoffs, losing at West Ranch in the first round.

“It’s been emotional, not so much stepping away but talking to guys and hearing how I’ve helped them or been a part of their life,” Boyce said. “It’s just been awesome.”

Estancia boys’ basketball coach Xavier Castellano, a point guard who graduated high school in 1998, was one of those high school kids who Boyce helped mold while at Estancia. Current CdM coach Jason Simco was another.

Boyce said he’s enjoyed watching the success of the Eagles and Sea Kings this year, as both teams advanced to the CIF Southern Section semifinals and will play in the CIF State Southern California Regionals this week.

Boyce assisted O’Brien as Estancia won the Division 3-AA title in 1990 and a CIF State Division III championship the following season. Boyce took over as Estancia head coach in 1996, before leaving for Edison in 2000.

He led Estancia to the CIF semifinals in Castellano’s senior year of 1997-98, before they fell in double-overtime to Bishop Montgomery.

“He changed my life,” Castellano said. “He was hard, man, but it worked for me, if that makes sense. Either I was going to make it or I wasn’t, and he wasn’t going to make things easy. It makes you tougher, or you quit. It’s just the way coaching was back then. You were really held accountable. You were able to push the kids to their best, and he did that for me.

“He’s just been successful everywhere he’s gone. Edison has been great because of the accountability, the responsibility and the culture he brings in there.”