In a significant boost for Central Coast basketball, the Oakland Soldiers—one of the nation’s premier grassroots programs competing in the exclusive Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL)—announced the launch of the Central Coast Soldiers at a private community event on Oct. 19, 2025.
With new lifestyle branding on display and more than 100 athletes and family members in attendance, the ceremony featured coaches from the Oakland Soldiers and an impressive roster of Santa Barbara-based coaches who will lead the new franchise, according to a press release.
“We are excited to welcome the Central Coast Soldiers amateur basketball team to Santa Barbara,” said Randy Rowse, the mayor of Santa Barbara. “Our community has a rich history of supporting sports, and the arrival of the Soldiers Amateur Athletic Union Program to our area presents a wonderful opportunity to showcase local talent while fostering a spirit of camaraderie and athleticism in Santa Barbara. We look forward to the excitement, energy, and pride they will bring to our city.”
Mark Olivier, president and executive director of the Oakland Soldiers, highlighted the organization’s track record and long-term commitment. “For 35 years, the Oakland Soldiers AAU Program has been elevating basketball participation and development in communities throughout California. Basketball on the Central Coast has been underserved for many years now but we know the talent, resources and the local support is very much here,” said Olivier. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring the Soldiers Basketball program to Santa Barbara and the entire Central Coast and look forward to making further announcements of just how involved we plan to be in this community for many years to come.”
Central Coast Soldiers Basketball logo (courtesy)
Founded in 1990, the Soldiers have helped produce nearly 70 NBA players—including LeBron James, Aaron Gordon, Chauncey Billups and Kendrick Perkins—along with hundreds of international professionals and Division I student-athletes, among them several former UCSB men’s basketball players.
As part of the expansion, Olivier announced the organization’s annual “Soldier Day,” dubbed a “Boot Camp,” will be held at UCSB’s Thunderdome on April 18, 2026. The event is expected to draw nearly 100 teams—each with up to 10 athletes—from across the Soldiers system, attracting at least 6,000 visitors from Sacramento to San Diego and providing a spring tourism boost for Santa Barbara. “Santa Barbara is right in the middle, which makes it perfect for us to host a big event like this right here,” Olivier said, adding, “I love this town.”
The program will also bring a series of free youth clinics to the Downtown Club in 2026, with top prospects such as Malachi Jordan—the fifth-ranked small forward nationally in the Class of 2027—expected to play a role. “Many think that we are all about basketball, but we are focused on how we give back to our communities,” Olivier said. “When you can combine those two worlds, you have something special. And that’s our mission, to be the best at both.”
Darnell Campbell, director of the Central Coast Soldiers and local-circuit counterpart Pro/spects—as well as founder of LevelUp and the newly named boys basketball coach at Laguna Blanca School—will lead the regional effort. “(The Soldiers) resume speaks for itself with some of the alumni that they have played professionally and in college,” Campbell said. “This program has really changed lives for families and communities. Now, we will get the maximum exposure for our guys and girls through platforms like the Nike EYBL — now they can showcase themselves.”
The Central Coast coaching staff features deep local and professional ties: Campbell (Laguna Blanca, LevelUp, Pro/spects); Cassandra Gordon (Santa Barbara High legend, standout at Georgetown and Loyola Marymount, and former European pro); Eric Lee (coach and co-owner of The Void on State Street and in Ventura); and Taylor Adnan (coach and CEO of Rad Sourcing). In addition to on-court development, the staff aims to support players and families off the court.
“Being a kid playing basketball, growing up in Santa Barbara and the 805 in general, has always had talented athletes, but we’ve never had a platform like this, or like an EYBL-level club team here in the city that can give kids exposure in the competition that they deserve,” Gordon said. “Especially if they have aspirations of playing at the next level, this is huge. (Before) if kids wanted to play at the next level or play on a circuit like this, they would have to travel outside of Santa Barbara to join a program.
“Firsthand, I know growing up, I had to travel to deep L.A., specifically Lynwood, three or four times a week. It took three to four hours to get down to practice, coming home at midnight, still trying to do my homework in the car on the way down, and waking up the next morning for early practices.”
The launch event underscored the Soldiers’ dual focus on elite competition and community investment, with more announcements about programming and partnerships expected in the months ahead.