Bio

Michael Fenison enters his sixth season as an assistant coach with the College of the Canyons men’s basketball program, having joined the program during the 2014-15 season.

Prior to arriving at COC, Fenison served as head coach of the men’s basketball program at El Camino College from 2004 to 2008 and again from 2009 to 2012.

In that position Fenison demonstrated his coaching acumen by improving his team’s performance from a record of 3-28 during his rookie head coaching campaign in 2004 to a mark of 20-11 and an appearance in the CCCAA regional playoffs in 2008. Additionally, achieving a 20-win season was something that had not been accomplished at El Camino since 1990. 

After one season at the helm, Fenison stepped in as the Interim Athletic Director at El Camino College, where he provided administrative oversight of the college’s 21 men's and women’s intercollegiate athletic programs and all associated support staff.

During his time as athletic director Fenison implemented an Academic Athletes Achievement program designed to improve student-athlete retention and matriculation rates. 

In all, more than 75 percent of his former basketball players have gone on to graduate from a four-year school.

During Fenison’s tenure at El Camino College he concurrently worked as a Respiratory Therapist at Centinela Medical Center in Inglewood. For two of his 14 years he worked as lead therapist and performed a broad spectrum of duties. His work ranged from administering breathing treatments, drawing arterial blood gases, managing life support ventilators, and issuing assignments to other therapists. 

Before being named head coach at El Camino College, Fenison also held assistant coach positions at a number of four-year schools — including Loyola Marymount University, CSU Los Angeles and UC Santa Barbara — where his responsibilities included recruitment, game scouting, athlete development, academic coordination and various administrative duties.

Fenison has also served as an executive board member on several organizations including the California Community Colleges Men’s Basketball Coaches Association, the El Camino College Faculty Federation and National Union of Healthcare Workers. He is a former member of the SEIU-UHW executive board, and a current member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. 

Fenison is a native of Los Angeles, California and a very proud father to daughter, Brittany.

—Bio current as of Sept. 2019