Coach Peron's Career Overall Record: 578-232, .714 win percentage, 27 seasons (going into 2024-25 season)
Coach Peron's Career Playoff Record: 39-24, .619

PERON BECOMES ALL-TIME PCC WINS LEADER, click here

The longest current tenured head coach at Pasadena City College, Joe Peron is now the college's all-time winningest coach in any sport since the institution began athletics in 1925 with 578 career victories. 

Peron is just one of 13 coaches in California Community College history to reach as many as 500 wins. Peron has spent more than a quarter of a century in directing the Lancers program. His association with PCC Athletics goes as far back as 1982 when he played for the Lancers men's basketball team. 

Peron guided PCC teams to six South Coast Conference titles, and a string of seven consecutive trips from 2004-2010 to the CCCAA state tournament. 

In 2009, Peron reached his highest achievement when the Lancers captured the CCCAA state championship. It was the first state team crown in PCC women's sports history. His teams have a remarkable consistency at advancing to the postseason, doing so every year but once in 2001. After back-to-back spots in the state championship game in 2004 and 2005 and a pair of state semifinal finishes in 2007 and 2008, the 2009 South's No. 4 seeded Lancers scored wins over North No. 1 City College of San Francisco in the quarterfinals, undefeated 34-0 Ventura in the semifinals, and finally San Joaquin Delta in the '09 championship game played at Fresno's Selland Arena.

Peron was named the South Coast Conference Women's Coach of the Year for all sports in the 2008-09 season, and is one of only three PCC head coaches to ever receive the award. In 2005, he was named the WBCA Regional Coach of the Year.

In 2023-24, PCC had a successful 18-11 season, earning the #14 seed, defeating LA Valley in the first round and then taking eventual 3C2A state runner-up Glendale to the final seconds before losing 54-51 in round 2. The Lancers were led by All-State Third Team point guard Antuanae Garrett as well as All-SCC First Team players in Freshman of the Year Lamia Daley and Abigail Saville.

In 2022-23, PCC rebounded from an off year by finishing 16-14 overall, placing second in the SCC North Division and returning to the postseason. The Lancers came in as a #19 seed and then upset #14 San Diego Mesa before being eliminated in Round 2. PCC was led by All-State First Team center Tena Ikidi, who led the state in rebounding and broke the PCC single-season rebounds record with 448. She was one of four Lancers selected All-SCC North with point guard Maiya Villanueva also named to First Team with Ikidi. Peron himself was awarded a certificate of accomplishment by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. 

In 2021-22, the Lancers had a difficult season in finishing 9-16 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2001. However, the Lancers did have a supreme talent in shooting guard/forward Lupe Vazquez, who led the state in scoring at 27.8 points a game and was named to the All-State Second Team. Vazquez reached the program's 500-point club faster than any in PCC history.  She produced six of the 12 highest-scoring games in Lancers history. Her high was 44 points, second-highest ever at PCC, in a Dec. 2 win over MiraCosta. 

Despite playing on a last place team in the SCC North Division, Vazquez became the college's 12th SCC MVP after previous SCC Players of the Year in Dariel Johnson (2019-20), Alisa Shinn (2017-18), Dominique Scott (2010-11, then played at USC), Jeanine Deno (2006-2007), Dionne Pounds (twice--2003-2004, 2004-2005), Ariel Towns (2002-2003), Tyrea Smith (1999-2000), Tiana Sanders (1998-99), Jackie Sadler (1997-1998), and Biljana Bosanac (1992-93). Only Bosanac was not coached by Peron.

In 2019-20, PCC qualified for the Southern California Regional Playoffs for a remarkable 23rd time in 24 seasons under Peron's leadership. He coached two All-State players in Johnson, who became just the second Lancer ever be chosen All-State First Team in two consecutive seasons (PCC Hall of Famer Pounds the other in 2003-2005), and point guard Cosette Balmy, who was picked to the Third Team. Johnson finished her impressive community college career as PCC's all-time leader in both rebounds and blocked shots. The Lancers were beaten for the conference title on the final night of the regular season in a hard-fought loss at champion Mt. San Antonio College. 

In 2018-19, Peron guided redshirt center Johnson, who was named SCC North Division Freshman of the Year and was the CCCSIA State Athlete of the Month for January. Johnson performed the first points-rebounds-blocks type triple-double in PCC history and her 12 blocked shots in that performance v. LA Trade Tech was a new school record. Johnson was then named PCC's 2018-2019 Women's Athlete of the Year for all sports. 

In 2016-17, the Lancers reached the 20-win mark (21-10) for the 14th time under Peron's leadership. PCC advanced as far as the third round of SoCal Regionals, eliminated by East Los Angeles.

In 2015-16, the Lancers were part of an amazing year for the South Coast. Despite a 14th seed, PCC managed to upset No. 3 Ventura behind a playoff-record tying 35 points by point guard Judith Espinoza. The Lancers lost to East Los Angeles in Round 3, a team that went on to advance to an All-SCC state title game final that was won by SCC North Division champion Mt. San Antonio. PCC defeated ELAC during the regular season. Espinoza went on to be named All-State Third Team. And now she is an assistant coach on Peron's staff.

While the 2014-15 season had its ups and downs, the Lancers featured one of the state's most dynamic duos in All-State Third Team forward Regerina Baker, who was named the CCCSIA State Women's Athlete of the Month for January, and the record-setting Espinoza. Baker had the highest scoring average by a Lancer this century at 18.4 points per game and added an 11.4 rebounds average, the highest by a PCC player since 1996-97. Espinoza, who was second in the state in assists, averaged a new PCC standard of 7.5 assists a game and set the single-game mark of 17 in a Jan. 7 game at El Camino College-Compton Center.

In 2013-14, the Lancers made it to the SoCal regional quarterfinals and settled for a 22-8 overall record. PCC won the Glendale and Irvine Valley Tournaments and placed second in the SCC North Division. PCC had the distinction of defeating eventual CCCAA state champion Ventura twice, handing the Pirates two of their three losses. All-State First Team center Kaitlyn Parks (Prarie View A&M) and All-State Second Team point guard Desiree Loving (Arkansas-Fort Smith) were among five Lancers sophomores who earned university scholarships.

PCC had an amazing streak of 18 straight postseason home wins snapped in 2013 when Irvine Valley upset the Lancers for the program's first playoff loss at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium since it opened its doors in 1999. The loss was also the first time PCC lost a first-round playoff, home or road, ending a 16-game win streak in opening playoff games. The state's No. 9-ranked Lancers still had a rebound season with a 22-7 overall record and a strong third place (12-4) in the powerful South Coast Conference. 

In 2012, the Lancers made the biggest rally in their playoff history, coming back from 25 points down to defeat Antelope Valley, 67-65, in a Round 1 game. PCC, a 15th seed, pushed No. 2 Ventura to the brink before being eliminated in the second round, 55-50.

Under Peron's leadership, 44 Lancers have earned 4-year university playing scholarships. Forty-eight of the Top 50 All-Time Leading Scorers in PCC women's hoops history played for Peron.

PCC had three State Player of the Year selections in Jeanine Deno in 2007, Dionne Pounds in 2005, and Tiana Sanders in 1999.

The Lancers twice made it to the state championship game at the University of San Diego, losing to Mt. San Antonio in 2004 and Cypress in 2005, as the program established itself as a perennial state power. In the next three seasons, the state runner-ups from the North--Foothill in 2008, Sierra in 2007, and San Joaquin Delta in 2006, each beat PCC at the state tournament held in Northern California at both Selland Arena ('06-07) and Stockton's Spanos Center ('08). In 2010, the team was knocked out in the quarterfinals by San Francisco at Cal Lutheran University.

In 2006-2007, PCC ran off a school-record 28-game winning streak and recorded another school mark for most wins in a season with 34. Deno was a CCCAA/CCCSIA State Athlete of the Month for December, 2006.

The Lancers finished 29-2 in 2004-2005, including a 25-game winning streak. In 2003-2004, PCC won three tournament championships in the regular season and started the year with a 22-game winning streak. The Lancers then knocked off three Orange Empire Conference teams, Fullerton, Cypress and Saddleback, in the Southern California Regional Playoffs to reach the state final four.

In 2008-09, the Lancers boasted CCCAA Tournament MVP and point guard Kinyada Johnson and All-CCCAA Tournament team selections in forward Easter Faafiti and guard Melia Basavand. Johnson was the CCCAA/CCCSIA Athlete of the Month for March, 2009 and Faafiti was a State Farm All-American honorable mention as well as winning a South Coast Conference Special Achievement award. Faafiti went on to become an All-American at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., and was a member of the USA Deaf Olympics gold medal winning team. 

Forward Monique Diaz (who went on to Cal State Los Angeles) had the distinction of twice being named to the All-State Tournament team. In 2006-2007, it was transfer guard Adriana Tovalin who made All-State Tournament.

Shinn joined Kinyada Johnson, Pounds, a Kodak All-American, and Deno as members of the elite PCC 1,000-point club. Johnson is the college's all-time leading scorer with 1,091 points. Sanders was inducted into the PCC Sports Hall of Fame in 2011 and Pounds took her spot in the HOF in 2013. Sanders was selected to the CCCWBCA Hall of Fame in March, 2016.

Peron played at PCC under Lancers Hall of Fame head coach George Terzian, who he later served as an assistant coach (1994-1996) before switching roles with Terzian becoming an assistant for him in the early 2000s. Peron was the point guard on PCC's 1983 state runner-up squad, a team that lost in triple overtime to Cerritos in the title game.

In his two seasons at PCC, Peron joined the 500-point club as he is still #57 on the school's all-time scoring list. He accepted a playing scholarship at Biola University and helped that college to the NCCAA national championship in 1984. He received an All-American honorable mention. After graduating from Biola with a bachelor's degree in communication, he would earn his master's in education from Azusa Pacific University in 2001. 

A resident of Long Beach, Peron lives with his wife Zandra. The couple has two children in son Le'Raun, a PCC student-athlete, and daughter Zadan.

COACH PERON FILE

2009 CCCAA State Crown
3 State Championship Final Appearances, 2004, 2005, 2009
7 Consecutive Appearances in the State Championship Tournament, 2004-2010
6 South Coast Conference Titles, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007
12 SCC Most Valuable Players
25 Appearances in the SoCal Regional Playoffs
3 seasons of 30-plus victories, 1998-99, 2006-07, 2008-09
8 seasons of 25 or more wins
14 seasons of 20 or more wins