Titan Memories: Chris St. Clair

1/14/2025 10:00:00 AM | By: Kirk San Roman

Longtime Titan fans will remember that in the mid-to-late 1990's, Chris St. Clair was part of an exciting, sharpshooting backcourt tandem with teammate, Chris Dade. During their senior years, the pair unwittingly competed in each game for the Cal State Fullerton career three-point title. St. Clair is still #4 all-time, after over twenty-five years.

Younger fans may not know that the three-point shot was not officially a part of NCAA men's basketball until 1986, although some conferences had experimented with it earlier. "Saint" was part of the new breed of shooting specialists.

During his senior year of high school, St. Clair was selected as the Orange County Register's Player of the Year, beating out Mater Dei and future University of Arizona star, Miles Simon, for the coveted award.

Growing up in nearby La Habra and excelling at Sonora High School, one would have thought Christen "Chris" St. Clair's route to State College Boulevard would have been a no-brainer. However, it was anything but that, as Chris described:

"What initially attracted me to CSUF was Dieter Horton. Dieter and my brother, Scott, were best friends, and Dieter and I were close. Dieter was a student assistant at the time, and would invite me to games and to open runs in Titan Gym."

(Note: Dieter Horton would go on to a distinguished coaching career at the high school, junior college, and D1 and D2 levels, including stints at USC and Cal State L.A. As a head coach, Horton would win a state title at Fullerton College in 2006. Horton is currently involved in team gear sales).

"I was getting recruited by D2 schools early on, such as UC Davis, UC Riverside, and Cal Poly Pomona. But, as the season progressed, I started to receive real interest from Boise State, Northern Arizona, San Diego State, and UCI. The Titans, with head coach Brad Holland, had wanted me to walk on initially. Of course, with offers from other schools, I wasn't going to walk on."

"I had finally settled on UCI, and was ready to sign. My brother told Dieter that I was going to sign with the Anteaters that very day. They were just speaking as friends. Scott wasn't trying to use it as a threat."

"Dieter called me and said, 'Coach Holland wants you to come down.' So, I did. Coach Holland said 'We can't let you sign with Irvine.' I remember thinking, 'Well, I am going to sign with Irvine.' Then he slid the scholarship paperwork across the desk. Of course, we all smiled. I wanted to sign with CSUF. I had always felt comfortable there during the recruiting process, and being around the team. Fullerton was close to home, and in a legit conference with UNLV, Utah State, New Mexico State, UCI, Long Beach State, and Nevada."

Just prior to his sophomore season, head coach Brad Holland resigned suddenly to take a similar position at the University of San Diego. Holland was replaced by his number-one assistant, Bob Hawking, who had distinguished himself by coaching future UCLA star, Don MacLean, at Simi Valley High.

After strong freshman and sophomore campaigns, earning the Titan Hoop Club's prestigious "Hustle" Award during both seasons, St. Clair tore his ACL, causing him to miss the final three games of the '94-'95 season. Chris continued: "After learning the long rehabilitation and recovery time from ACL surgery, I decided to Redshirt the following year. That turned out to be a great decision, because it allowed me to finish my career with my teammates, DeVaughn Wright and Chris Dade, who had both redshirted their freshman year. I may have lost a step after the injury, but it definitely forced me to change my game for the better. I started focusing on playmaking and leading the team from the point guard position, instead of just focusing on shooting and scoring." The transition from scorer to distributor of the ball, likely kept him from joining the Titans exclusive, 1,000-point club. St. Clair would finish his CSUF career with 928 points.

When asked if there was any rivalry with Dade as they flip-flopped as the all-time Titan 3-point leader, St. Clair said: "I don't think we were even aware of it. We were not competing for playing time or shots. We both had our roles and we knew them. So, it never became an issue. After Dade finished just ahead of me with six more career 3's, I teased him later, saying that had I known, I would have 'frozen him out' more often. We are still close today, and I was honored to attend his graduation ceremony when he received his Master's Degree."

When asked to describe his favorite on-court memory as a Titan, St. Clair said definitively, "Hitting the game-winning 3-pointer at UNLV on Jerry Tarkanian Night (1995). I can still see James French penetrating the key and kicking it to me. It felt like slow motion. I remember thinking, 'This is going in.' I hit the shot, and we won by one point at UNLV. Obviously, as a kid, I remember the Runnin' Rebels and the dominance they had on the college basketball landscape. And then, here I am, not only competing against UNLV, but able to lift my team over them in one memorable moment."

Reflecting upon his time on campus, Chris recalled, "I was sitting in the library after I had finished all of my senior year finals. I remember reflecting on that moment by myself, and just trying to take it all in. I was trying to grasp the moment because the school had meant so much to me. It was so much of my identity, and I realized that it was ending. Being a basketball player and student at Cal State Fullerton had been special for me. I remember being both sad and excited for what was next to come."

As the author of these Titan Memories stories, I always ask the subject if there is anyone that he or she would like to thank or acknowledge from his or her journey. Some could only come up with a name or two, often searching their memory. Not so, Chris St. Clair, he was effusive in his praise. I don't want to edit anyone out, some I'm including the list in its entirety:

"I need to start with my next door neighbor, Tony Martino, who put a basketball hoop up in our cul de sac for the St. Clair brothers. This would allow us to play and perfect our skills. At the time I didn't realize how crucial this was, but in reflection it was a huge advantage. I want to thank my mother for always supporting my goals, paying for all my lessons, and driving me to all of those practices.

"I want to list and recognize my youth coaches, such as Ken Nash Sr., and my JV coach, Mike Jackson. My teammates at Sonora: Chris Campbell, Peter Lythgoe, Sergio Hernandez, Chad Fister, Craig Clark, and Steve Kincaid. Of course, I cannot forget Mike Murphy, my head coach at Sonora. The impact he had on me is immeasurable.

"Coach Bob Hawking taught me how to be a professional and an adult. My brother, Scott, had the most impact on my development. He provided major advantages that other young players didn't have. We didn't know it at the time, but he was guiding me to achieve more. He was constantly taking me to high -caliber games, and showing me levels of play that I would not have been able to witness in my small bubble in La Habra, Ca.

"Scott also played college basketball, so watching his games was such a pleasure, and it opened my world to another level as well. He played at Mt. SAC, and at the time I would watch and think, 'These guys are JC players?!' Little did I know that some of his teammates were D1 bounce-backs. So, while I was watching community college basketball, I was also seeing Division 1 players up close. This motivated me tremendously, because I was thinking, 'I am nowhere near that level.' The same thing occurred when he transferred to La Verne. They had three or four starters who had begun their careers at the Division 1 level.

My brother was being taught at a high level, and then would come home to teach me what he had learned. I was also tagging along at a young age to open gym play that had high levels of talent. A huge advantage that I am sure most kids didn't have."

Chris lives in Yorba Linda with his wife of two years, Yuliana. They have a baby daughter, Cielo, who was born in June. Chris also has three stepsons, Reuben (21), Cortes (16), and Sonny (15).

"Saint" has been teaching for 25 years, mainly in the Anaheim Union School District, primarily at Magnolia High School in Anaheim. Chris now teaches history at Oxford Academy in Cypress. Yuliana also works in education.

Out of coaching for ten years, St. Clair helmed programs at Magnolia High, and Cypress College. "I miss the game, but I've enjoyed my time away from the court as well," he added.

When asked to describe his time at Cal State Fullerton, he said: "The school was a perfect fit for me. I still have fond memories, and I often see some of my teammates, like DeVaughn Wright and Andy Hinkle."

Always the gentleman, St. Clair closed by saying, "Kirk, I just want to say I appreciate this opportunity. It was quite the trip down memory lane for me. I remember meeting you and the Titan Hoop fans, and thinking later, 'They are a small group, but I will put their passion up against any other program."

Honors