Men's Basketball
Savino, Darren
Darren Savino
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Alma Mater:
- Jersey City College, '16
Darren Savino enters his seventh season as UCLA’s associate head coach in 2025-26. He has helped the Bruins’ program compile an overall record of 138-64 over the past six years (2019-20 through 2024-25), playing a major role in the development of the team’s frontcourt players.
Savino has served as a college basketball coach for the past 29 seasons and will enter his 30th year as an assistant coach or associate head coach in 2025-26. He arrived in Westwood in April of 2019 after spending the previous nine seasons on the coaching staff at the University of Cincinnati. The 2025-26 season will mark his 18th year working alongside head coach Mick Cronin. Savino has worked with Coach Cronin for six years at UCLA (2019-25), nine seasons at Cincinnati (2011-19) and two years at Murray State (2005-06).
Through the past six seasons at UCLA, Savino has played a substantial role in helping the Bruins return to national prominence. The Bruins have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in four of the past five seasons, with a trip to the 2021 Final Four and back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2022 and 2023. UCLA won the Pac-12 regular-season title in 2023, the Bruins’ first league championship since 2013. In addition, the Bruins finished in second place in the Pac-12 in 2019-20 and 2021-22, in fourth place in the Pac-12 in 2020-21, and in fourth place out of the 18-team Big Ten Conference in 2024-25. Over the past six seasons, UCLA has compiled a 38-23 record in games that were decided by five points or fewer (including games that extended into overtime).
Savino, working alongside Cronin at Cincinnati and UCLA, has helped his teams win at least 20 games in 13 of the past 15 seasons. UCLA’s 19-win campaign in 2019-20 was abruptly cut short due to the outbreak of COVID-19. He has been part of 30-win seasons at both UCLA and Cincinnati. The Bruins went 31-6 in 2022-23, advancing to the Sweet 16. While at Cincinnati, he helped the Bearcats to a 30-win season in 2016-17 and to a 31-win campaign in 2017-18. Over the past 12 seasons – six at UCLA and six at Cincinnati – Savino has guided his teams to a combined 167-58 record in conference play (.742).
Savino has seen six Bruins secure first-team All-Pac-12 honors – Adem Bona (2024), Tyger Campbell (2021, 2022, 2023), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (2022, 2023), Johnny Juzang (2022) and Chris Smith (2020).
Over the previous four seasons, UCLA has secured seven spots on the league’s All-Defensive Team. In 2024-25, Kobe Johnson was honored on the Big Ten’s All-Defensive Team. In 2023-24, Adem Bona earned All-Defensive Team recognition for the second straight season. In 2022-23, Jaylen Clark and Bona earned All-Defensive Team recognition. In 2021-22, Clark, Jaquez Jr. and Myles Johnson secured All-Defensive Team acclaim. Bona (2024) and Clark (2023) were honored as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
The Bruins’ program has produced five NBA Draft selections in three consecutive drafts from 2022-24, including first-round picks Peyton Watson in 2022 (Denver Nuggets) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. in 2023 (Miami Heat). The three second-round selections included Amari Bailey (2023), Jaylen Clark (2023) and Adem Bona (2024).
UCLA has led its conference in scoring defense in each of the past four seasons (2022-24 in the Pac-12 and 2025 in the Big Ten). Most recently, the Bruins held their opponents to 65.2 points per game, the lowest average of any of the 18 schools in the Big Ten.
The Bruins have also been among the nation’s leaders in fewest turnovers committed per game. In 2022-23, the Bruins ranked No. 15 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.0). In 2021-22, UCLA ranked No. 2 in that turnover stat category (8.9) and in 2020-21, the Bruins were No. 13.
UCLA’s 2024-25 team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after securing a top-four finish in the competitive Big Ten. Tyler Bilodeau was honored as a third-team All-Big Ten selection, and the Bruins closed their season with 12 wins over the final 17 games. UCLA ranked No. 7 nationally in turnover margin (+4.6) and No. 16 in turnovers forced per game (15.1). The Bruins led all Big Ten program in steals per game (8.1).
The Bruins’ 2022-23 team went 31-6 and won the Pac-12 regular-season title for the first time since 2013. UCLA went 18-2 in the Pac-12 and limited the opposition to an average of 60.7 points per game – the Bruins’ best per-game average since 2007-08. UCLA held its opponents to 40.8 percent shooting, the lowest opposing percentage by any Bruins’ team since 1972-73 (at 39.6 percent). In addition, the Bruins limited the opposition to 31.1 percent shooting from 3-point range, the second-lowest opposing percentage at UCLA since the introduction of the 3-point line in 1986-87. For the second straight season, UCLA finished second in the Pac-12 in scoring offense (74.1 ppg in 2022-23, and 75.4 ppg in 2021-22).
Jaquez Jr. was honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2023, becoming UCLA’s first such selection since Kevin Love as a freshman in 2008. He was recognized as a consensus second-team All-America selection and earned the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award (by CollegeInsider.com). Clark was honored as the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year, the NABC’s Defensive Player of the Year and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Bona was named the 2023 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
UCLA went 27-8 in 2021-22, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year. The Bruins went 15-5 in Pac-12 play, finishing in second place. The 2021-22 team became UCLA’s first to lead the Pac-12 in scoring defense (64.5 ppg) since the Bruins’ 1973-74 squad.
In 2020-21, Savino helped UCLA post a 22-10 record and a 13-6 mark in the Pac-12. UCLA opened its Pac-12 schedule with eight consecutive wins, the program’s best conference start since opening with a 9-0 record in 1982-83 (in Pac-10 play). UCLA finished in fourth place in the Pac-12, behind a trio of NCAA Tournament-bound teams (Oregon, USC and Colorado).
In 2019-20, the Bruins engineered a strong mid-season turnaround. UCLA went 19-12 and won 11 of its final 14 games, only for the basketball season to abruptly get cut short with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. UCLA’s team finished second in the Pac-12 with a 12-6 mark, entering the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed. Chris Smith was honored as the 2020 Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year in addition to being named a first-team All-Pac-12 selection.
While at Cincinnati, Savino helped the Bearcats to nine consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2011 through 2019. During that nine-year span, Cincinnati won at least 22 games each season and finished within the top three spots in the American Athletic Conference during their final six years (2014 through 2019).
A native of New Jersey, Savino helped Cincinnati secure two American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular-season titles in 2014 and 2018. In addition, Cincinnati won back-to-back AAC Tournament titles in 2018 and 2019, the program’s first back-to-back conference tournament crowns since 1995 and 1996.
Savino was elevated to the role of associate head coach at Cincinnati in April 2018. In 2018-19, he helped the Bearcats compile a 28-7 overall record and win the AAC Tournament title despite losing AAC Player of the Year Gary Clark (Houston Rockets), Jacob Evans III (Golden State Warriors) and Kyle Washington (NBA G League), the Bearcats won 13 of their final 16 conference games to finish second in the league’s regular-season standings. Jarron Cumberland secured AAC Player of the Year acclaim, marking Cincinnati’s second such selection in as many years, as the Bearcats clawed out 11 victories by five points or fewer.
In 2017-18, Cincinnati matched its school record for single-season victories, compiling a 31-5 record. Savino helped Cincinnati record back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time in program history (after Cincinnati had gone 30-6 in 2016-17). The 2017-18 Cincinnati squad had secured its first outright regular-season league championship since 2002 and its first conference tournament crown since 2004. The Bearcats won 16 consecutive games and climbed to the No. 5 spot in the Associated Press poll midway through the 2017-18 season.
Through nine seasons at Cincinnati, Savino helped the Bearcats’ program compile a 235-79 record (.748 winning percentage). In addition, he temporarily had been the associate head coach at Cincinnati during the 2014-15 season while Cronin missed 25 games due to health reasons.
Savino joined Cincinnati’s coaching staff after a four-year stint as an assistant coach at Rutgers University (Piscataway, N.J.). He was named the associate head coach at Rutgers in April 2010 after the resignation of head coach Fred Hill. Savino helped to recruit Mike Rosario to Rutgers in 2008. Rosario was the first McDonald’s All-American to sign with the Scarlet Knights in program history. A native of Jersey City, Rosario made a name for himself in the Big East, averaging 16.2 points and 16.7 points as a freshman and sophomore, respectively. While at Rutgers, Savino helped develop big man Hamady Ndiaye, a second-round NBA Draft selection in 2010 (Washington Wizards).
Prior to having worked at Rutgers, Savino served as an assistant coach for two seasons on Cronin’s coaching staff at Murray State (2004-05, 2005-06). While at Murray State, Savino was involved in nearly every facet of the program as the basketball team secured two Ohio Valley Conference titles and one NCAA Tournament appearance (2006).
Savino served as an assistant coach at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., for two seasons (2002-03 and 2003-04), overseeing the program’s recruiting efforts and player development. Savino had joined Quinnipiac’s coaching staff after a three-year stint at the University of New Mexico (2000-02). Working in Albuquerque under head coach Fran Fraschilla, he helped the Lobos secure three consecutive trips to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
Savino held a similar title at East Carolina University in 1998-99 and at St. John’s University from 1996-98. During the second of his two seasons at St. John’s, the Red Storm advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. That team featured future NBA players Ron Artest, Felipe Lopez, Zendon Hamilton and Lavor Postell.
Before working at St. John’s, Savino spent the 1995-96 season as an administrative assistant at Seton Hall University (South Orange, N.J.). He began his coaching career as a junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach at Marist High School in Bayonne, N.J.
Savino graduated from Jersey City College with his degree in business administration, specializing in sports management. He was a member of the Jersey City basketball team that advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1992.
A graduate of St. Anthony High School in 1989 (Jersey City, N.J.), Savino played under legendary coach Bob Hurley, Sr., where he teamed with Bobby Hurley and Roderick Rhodes, a high school All-American, on a team that won the USA Today national championship during his senior season.
Savino has served as a college basketball coach for the past 29 seasons and will enter his 30th year as an assistant coach or associate head coach in 2025-26. He arrived in Westwood in April of 2019 after spending the previous nine seasons on the coaching staff at the University of Cincinnati. The 2025-26 season will mark his 18th year working alongside head coach Mick Cronin. Savino has worked with Coach Cronin for six years at UCLA (2019-25), nine seasons at Cincinnati (2011-19) and two years at Murray State (2005-06).
Through the past six seasons at UCLA, Savino has played a substantial role in helping the Bruins return to national prominence. The Bruins have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in four of the past five seasons, with a trip to the 2021 Final Four and back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2022 and 2023. UCLA won the Pac-12 regular-season title in 2023, the Bruins’ first league championship since 2013. In addition, the Bruins finished in second place in the Pac-12 in 2019-20 and 2021-22, in fourth place in the Pac-12 in 2020-21, and in fourth place out of the 18-team Big Ten Conference in 2024-25. Over the past six seasons, UCLA has compiled a 38-23 record in games that were decided by five points or fewer (including games that extended into overtime).
Savino, working alongside Cronin at Cincinnati and UCLA, has helped his teams win at least 20 games in 13 of the past 15 seasons. UCLA’s 19-win campaign in 2019-20 was abruptly cut short due to the outbreak of COVID-19. He has been part of 30-win seasons at both UCLA and Cincinnati. The Bruins went 31-6 in 2022-23, advancing to the Sweet 16. While at Cincinnati, he helped the Bearcats to a 30-win season in 2016-17 and to a 31-win campaign in 2017-18. Over the past 12 seasons – six at UCLA and six at Cincinnati – Savino has guided his teams to a combined 167-58 record in conference play (.742).
Savino has seen six Bruins secure first-team All-Pac-12 honors – Adem Bona (2024), Tyger Campbell (2021, 2022, 2023), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (2022, 2023), Johnny Juzang (2022) and Chris Smith (2020).
Over the previous four seasons, UCLA has secured seven spots on the league’s All-Defensive Team. In 2024-25, Kobe Johnson was honored on the Big Ten’s All-Defensive Team. In 2023-24, Adem Bona earned All-Defensive Team recognition for the second straight season. In 2022-23, Jaylen Clark and Bona earned All-Defensive Team recognition. In 2021-22, Clark, Jaquez Jr. and Myles Johnson secured All-Defensive Team acclaim. Bona (2024) and Clark (2023) were honored as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons.
The Bruins’ program has produced five NBA Draft selections in three consecutive drafts from 2022-24, including first-round picks Peyton Watson in 2022 (Denver Nuggets) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. in 2023 (Miami Heat). The three second-round selections included Amari Bailey (2023), Jaylen Clark (2023) and Adem Bona (2024).
UCLA has led its conference in scoring defense in each of the past four seasons (2022-24 in the Pac-12 and 2025 in the Big Ten). Most recently, the Bruins held their opponents to 65.2 points per game, the lowest average of any of the 18 schools in the Big Ten.
The Bruins have also been among the nation’s leaders in fewest turnovers committed per game. In 2022-23, the Bruins ranked No. 15 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.0). In 2021-22, UCLA ranked No. 2 in that turnover stat category (8.9) and in 2020-21, the Bruins were No. 13.
UCLA’s 2024-25 team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after securing a top-four finish in the competitive Big Ten. Tyler Bilodeau was honored as a third-team All-Big Ten selection, and the Bruins closed their season with 12 wins over the final 17 games. UCLA ranked No. 7 nationally in turnover margin (+4.6) and No. 16 in turnovers forced per game (15.1). The Bruins led all Big Ten program in steals per game (8.1).
The Bruins’ 2022-23 team went 31-6 and won the Pac-12 regular-season title for the first time since 2013. UCLA went 18-2 in the Pac-12 and limited the opposition to an average of 60.7 points per game – the Bruins’ best per-game average since 2007-08. UCLA held its opponents to 40.8 percent shooting, the lowest opposing percentage by any Bruins’ team since 1972-73 (at 39.6 percent). In addition, the Bruins limited the opposition to 31.1 percent shooting from 3-point range, the second-lowest opposing percentage at UCLA since the introduction of the 3-point line in 1986-87. For the second straight season, UCLA finished second in the Pac-12 in scoring offense (74.1 ppg in 2022-23, and 75.4 ppg in 2021-22).
Jaquez Jr. was honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2023, becoming UCLA’s first such selection since Kevin Love as a freshman in 2008. He was recognized as a consensus second-team All-America selection and earned the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award (by CollegeInsider.com). Clark was honored as the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year, the NABC’s Defensive Player of the Year and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. Bona was named the 2023 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
UCLA went 27-8 in 2021-22, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year. The Bruins went 15-5 in Pac-12 play, finishing in second place. The 2021-22 team became UCLA’s first to lead the Pac-12 in scoring defense (64.5 ppg) since the Bruins’ 1973-74 squad.
In 2020-21, Savino helped UCLA post a 22-10 record and a 13-6 mark in the Pac-12. UCLA opened its Pac-12 schedule with eight consecutive wins, the program’s best conference start since opening with a 9-0 record in 1982-83 (in Pac-10 play). UCLA finished in fourth place in the Pac-12, behind a trio of NCAA Tournament-bound teams (Oregon, USC and Colorado).
In 2019-20, the Bruins engineered a strong mid-season turnaround. UCLA went 19-12 and won 11 of its final 14 games, only for the basketball season to abruptly get cut short with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. UCLA’s team finished second in the Pac-12 with a 12-6 mark, entering the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed. Chris Smith was honored as the 2020 Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year in addition to being named a first-team All-Pac-12 selection.
While at Cincinnati, Savino helped the Bearcats to nine consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2011 through 2019. During that nine-year span, Cincinnati won at least 22 games each season and finished within the top three spots in the American Athletic Conference during their final six years (2014 through 2019).
A native of New Jersey, Savino helped Cincinnati secure two American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular-season titles in 2014 and 2018. In addition, Cincinnati won back-to-back AAC Tournament titles in 2018 and 2019, the program’s first back-to-back conference tournament crowns since 1995 and 1996.
Savino was elevated to the role of associate head coach at Cincinnati in April 2018. In 2018-19, he helped the Bearcats compile a 28-7 overall record and win the AAC Tournament title despite losing AAC Player of the Year Gary Clark (Houston Rockets), Jacob Evans III (Golden State Warriors) and Kyle Washington (NBA G League), the Bearcats won 13 of their final 16 conference games to finish second in the league’s regular-season standings. Jarron Cumberland secured AAC Player of the Year acclaim, marking Cincinnati’s second such selection in as many years, as the Bearcats clawed out 11 victories by five points or fewer.
In 2017-18, Cincinnati matched its school record for single-season victories, compiling a 31-5 record. Savino helped Cincinnati record back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time in program history (after Cincinnati had gone 30-6 in 2016-17). The 2017-18 Cincinnati squad had secured its first outright regular-season league championship since 2002 and its first conference tournament crown since 2004. The Bearcats won 16 consecutive games and climbed to the No. 5 spot in the Associated Press poll midway through the 2017-18 season.
Through nine seasons at Cincinnati, Savino helped the Bearcats’ program compile a 235-79 record (.748 winning percentage). In addition, he temporarily had been the associate head coach at Cincinnati during the 2014-15 season while Cronin missed 25 games due to health reasons.
Savino joined Cincinnati’s coaching staff after a four-year stint as an assistant coach at Rutgers University (Piscataway, N.J.). He was named the associate head coach at Rutgers in April 2010 after the resignation of head coach Fred Hill. Savino helped to recruit Mike Rosario to Rutgers in 2008. Rosario was the first McDonald’s All-American to sign with the Scarlet Knights in program history. A native of Jersey City, Rosario made a name for himself in the Big East, averaging 16.2 points and 16.7 points as a freshman and sophomore, respectively. While at Rutgers, Savino helped develop big man Hamady Ndiaye, a second-round NBA Draft selection in 2010 (Washington Wizards).
Prior to having worked at Rutgers, Savino served as an assistant coach for two seasons on Cronin’s coaching staff at Murray State (2004-05, 2005-06). While at Murray State, Savino was involved in nearly every facet of the program as the basketball team secured two Ohio Valley Conference titles and one NCAA Tournament appearance (2006).
Savino served as an assistant coach at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., for two seasons (2002-03 and 2003-04), overseeing the program’s recruiting efforts and player development. Savino had joined Quinnipiac’s coaching staff after a three-year stint at the University of New Mexico (2000-02). Working in Albuquerque under head coach Fran Fraschilla, he helped the Lobos secure three consecutive trips to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
Savino held a similar title at East Carolina University in 1998-99 and at St. John’s University from 1996-98. During the second of his two seasons at St. John’s, the Red Storm advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. That team featured future NBA players Ron Artest, Felipe Lopez, Zendon Hamilton and Lavor Postell.
Before working at St. John’s, Savino spent the 1995-96 season as an administrative assistant at Seton Hall University (South Orange, N.J.). He began his coaching career as a junior varsity coach and assistant varsity coach at Marist High School in Bayonne, N.J.
Savino graduated from Jersey City College with his degree in business administration, specializing in sports management. He was a member of the Jersey City basketball team that advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1992.
A graduate of St. Anthony High School in 1989 (Jersey City, N.J.), Savino played under legendary coach Bob Hurley, Sr., where he teamed with Bobby Hurley and Roderick Rhodes, a high school All-American, on a team that won the USA Today national championship during his senior season.
UCLA M. Basketball Media Availability - Players (Aug. 26, 2025)
Tuesday, August 26
UCLA M. Basketball Media Availability - Coach Cronin (Aug. 26, 2025)
Tuesday, August 26
UCLA M. Basketball Postgame - vs. Tennessee (March 22, 2025)
Saturday, March 22
UCLA M. Basketball Press Conference – Players (March 21, 2025)
Friday, March 21
