David Hiroshi Yanai (born 1943) is a retired basketball coach from the 1960s to 2000s. Yanai primarily coached boys basketball from the late 1960s to mid-1970s with Fremont High School. During this time period, Yanai won the 1975 CIF Los Angeles City Section title in boys basketball with Fremont. He continued his boys basketball career with Gardena High School during the late 1970s. As a high school coach, Yanai had 120 wins and 31 losses.
In the late 1960s, Yanai went to Los Angeles to work as a baseball coach for Fremont High School.[1] While at Fremont, Yanai became a basketball coach in 1969.[4] During the 1970s, Fremont reached the boys' basketball final for the CIF Los Angeles City Section title.[5] In individual years, Yanai and Fremont were runner-ups in 1972 and 1974.[6][7] In 1975, he won the CIF boys' basketball title for Los Angeles City with Fremont.[5]
The following year, Yanai left Fremont to coach for Gardena High School.[8] With Gardena from 1976 to 1977, Yanai and his team made it to the semifinals of the Los Angeles City tournament for the 3A section.[9][10] With the two schools, Yanai had a combined total of 120 wins and 31 losses as a basketball coach.[9]
In 1981, Yanai and his team were first in the CCAA.[15] At the CCAA men's basketball tournament, Yanai reached four semifinals with Dominguez Hills.[13][16] He also won this tournament with the Toros in 1987.[17] Yanai appeared at several tournaments as a member of the NCAA, which included the final of the West region during the 1981 NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament.[13][18] With his combined 244 wins and 186 losses in the NCAA, Yanai had 288 wins and 233 losses before he finished his coaching position at Dominguez Hills in 1996.[13][19] Yanai was also an assistant coach for the men's basketball event at the 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival while with Dominguez Hills.[20]
During his coaching experience, Yanai taught basketball in Japan during the mid-1980s.[26] Yanai was also working for them as an advisor before he retired from basketball during the mid-2000s.[24] In California, Yanai held basketball camps for teenagers by the late 1980s.[27] Yanai's sports experience also included a position in drug prevention and working in youth sports.[28]
Honors and personal life
With Dominguez Hills, Yanai was Coach of the Year in men's basketball for the CCAA in 1987 and 1988.[29] While with the Toros, Yanai was the first coach for an American college basketball team of Japanese American descent. He remained the only Japanese American to hold this position until Jeff Hironaka became a coach in the 2000s.[27][30] Yanai has held the record for most wins at Dominguez Hills for over twenty years leading up to the 2020–21 season.[13]
He was an award recipient at the 2000 John R. Wooden Awards.[28] In 2010, the Dave Yanai Court was opened as part of the Torodome for Dominguez Hills.[31] In 2021, the John R. Wooden Award Committee gave Yanai the Legends of Coaching Award.[32] With the Legends of Coaching Award, Yanai became the first coach of a Division II school to be chosen for this award.[23] He had two kids during his marriage.[33]