Berkeley High School girls basketball coach Gene Nakamura, who coached the Yellowjackets to two CIF state championships, 15 North Coast Section titles and 563 wins during his 25-year coaching career, died July 4. “Coach Nak” was 81.
Nakamura was inducted into the California Coaches Assn. Hall of Fame in 2010.
Himself a 1962 graduate of Berkeley High School, Nakamura’s coaching career at his alma mater began in 1983 and ended in 2008. He spent 35 years in the Berkeley Unified School District as a teacher, mentor, coach, and administrator.
The BUSD praised Nakamura for shaping “generations of students” and helping them “understand the value of preparation, teamwork, resilience, and trust.”