Just learned about the recent passing of Yutaka Shimizu, the longtime Los Angeles high school basketball coach who was described as a "quiet institution," with a coaching career that spanned over fifty years. He was 84: Yutaka Shimizu dies at 84; longtime L.A. high school basketball coach.
He was the head coach at Hamilton High from 1959 to 1981, coaching future UCLA All-America Sidney Wicks and leading the team to a City Section runner-up finish in 1965. He was also head coach at Granada Hills Kennedy High from 1982 to 1999.Former players and coaches who have known "Coach Shim" since he began coaching in 1959 have been posting messages on a special Facebook page.
Later Shimizu became a trusted assistant coach and advisor to Taylor at Woodland Hills Taft and St. John Bosco, staying in the background while offering sage advice.
"He's the most underrated, great high school coach in our era," Taylor said. "No one understood how good a coach and how brilliant a basketball mind he is."
