John Saintignon has always been a basketball legend, especially in his hometown of Tucson. He played college basketball at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he became the All-Time Leading Scorer in University history. Saintignon went on to lead the entire United States NCAA college basketball with a scoring title. He eventually went on to lead the entire nation in scoring in 1985-1986, averaging 31.2 points per game. The man had basketball written in his veins, and he absolutely loved every second of it.
In 1990 he transferred to the University of California, San Diego, and eventually graduated with a degree in Economics. He then took up a Master of Arts degree in 2012 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He went on to successfully coach four high school programs and was recruited to become a member of the coaching staff at Oregon State University in the Pacific 10 Conference.
His time at Oregon State University ended after three seasons, and he became the Head Coach of the Culiacan Caballeros shortly after. It was during this time that he lived in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, for an entire season. With Saintignon’s basketball prowess and excellent coaching capabilities, the Culiacan Caballeros managed to finish 6th place overall in the 24-team Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP), the top professional basketball league in Mexico.
Later in 2009, Saintignon was hired as the Head Coach of an overseas professional organization at Sitra Club in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Within the first season, Saintignon helped the Sailors move to the round of 6, finishing a game away from the Final 4. In the next season, he led the team to a 4th-place finish with a 6-3 record. However, due to civil unrest, the season was forced an early cancellation due to the Arab Spring movement.
Saintignon has had worldwide experience with coaching basketball teams. He eventually came back home in 2018 to work with the Los Angeles Clippers as an independent scout. He oversaw players in Poland, Croatia, and Italy. He also scouted for talents within the NCAA circuit, where he has many connections. Saintignon has always moved around the globe, bringing his talents to where they are needed. In 2019, Coach Santignon went to Japan as a replacement coach to provide stability and guidance to the team that hired him. The B League season is a long season, but it was abruptly canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Saintignon’s guidance, the team was playing their best basketball, with 20 games remaining and was a playoff contender. The breadth of his experience speaks for itself; Saintignon is a basketball authority. Having spoken in various countries such as Italy, Poland, China, Bahrain, Mexico, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Japan, and many more. Saintignon also released a book called “Take Your Shot, Make Your Play!” He is also scheduled to release another book soon, something a little more personal regarding his origins and his quest to rediscover his birth parents.
John Saintignon has had an amazing career, and everywhere he goes, he just proves himself to be one of the most talented basketball coaches out there. His talents are unique, and so is his life story. As a Latino who was adopted at birth, he provides a whole new perspective on life as a basketball coach. He was the first-ever Hispanic to become the leading scorer of the NCAA in College Basketball.
He has achieved so much in his entire lifetime, creating positive value all around him. There’s no telling where John Saintignon will go from here, but his journey is exceptionally captivating.
Get updates on Saintignon by visiting his website.
