Ed Madec’s 400 wins – Just Another Stop Along The Way

Success is not just a measure of one’s achievements but the measure of the impact one  leaves behind.

For Fresno City College men’s basketball coach, Ed Madec, racking up 400 wins in his career during the 2016 season is just a stop along the way.

In his 11 years at FCC, Madec’s resume includes three junior college California state championships, 11 straight winning seasons and seven straight Central Valley Conference championships. Madec has also overtaken former Rams basketball coach Joe Kelly for most wins in program history.

Madec attributes his success to a trial and error method he learned when he was a former athlete.

“I’ve been coaching for 15 years, learning so much through trial and error being fortunate to have great coaches that I played for,” Madec said. “That is a reflection of how I coach and the connection I have with my players and staff.”

Madec said he figured out that relationships are important in basketball and that having the right people on his coaching staff brings out the best in him so he can build that strong relationship together.

“Since day one, coaching here has always been a culture of building a brotherhood,” Madec said. “We focus on the things that we can control by working hard and playing smart, unselfish ball.”

He said the success of his program is not from having the best talent in the past 15 years, “but we were able to maximize our talent in order for us to be a great team.”

Madec was not aware of reaching the 400 wins club until he was later told by his coaching staff. He said he was flattered and honored to earn such an accomplishment, but it was not something he aspired to achieve.

The sport of basketball has given Madec a life that goes beyond wins and losses. From players he coached and the coaches in his staff, the only thing that mattered is the people with whom he was able to share memories.

“Basketball gave me that kind of relationship with the people that is worth more than all the wins and losses,” Madec said. “I was just happy that I could be a competitor in this sport for this school. It allowed me to compete with men that I call my brothers, that carried over to when I was a player.”

Madec has no timeline for when he will retire from coaching basketball.

“I enjoy everything about coaching and want to do it for as long as I can,” Madec said. “As long as I am having fun, I will continue to do it, but when it stops being fun, then it’s time for me to move on to the next chapter.”