California University of Pennsylvania Athletics

An excellent student and pure shooter, Ray Gutierrez was a star guard who played for the Cal U men’s basketball team from 1989-90 through 1992-93.

Gutierrez played under former Cal U head coach and 2005 Hall of Fame inductee Jim Boone and helped the Vulcans compile a 75-15 cumulative record over his final three seasons. During that time period, the Vulcans won three consecutive PSAC-West titles with a 32-4 divisional mark and two NCAA tournament appearances.

After a 21-7 season and division championship during Gutierrez’ sophomore season, the 1991-92 Vulcans enjoyed the finest season in the school’s men’s basketball history by compiling a 31-2 overall record while advancing to the NCAA II National Final Four. The Vulcans also achieved a 29-game winning streak which remains a school and PSAC record 14 years later. After missing the team’s first 12 games due to a broken left foot suffered during the preseason, Gutierrez led all scorers with 25 points in the 1992 PSAC championship win over Edinboro (92-76) and one week later topped all players with 26 points in the Vulcans’ 11-point NCAA East Regional title win over Philadelphia Textile.

“If I had to point out one thing that stood out I suppose it would have been our run at the end of the 1992 season,” said Gutierrez. “It was pretty big for me coming off that injury because of being on the sidelines and seeing how well we were doing made me really want to be a part of it. To be able to contribute over the last part of the season was extraordinary.

As a senior captain of the 1992-93 team that lost four starters from the previous year, Gutierrez produced one of the finest individual seasons in school and conference history while turning a supposed rebuilding year into another championship one. The Vulcans went 23-6 overall with another division title, PSAC championship game appearance and trip to the NCAA post-season tournament. Gutierrez averaged nearly 27 points a game and led the nation in three-point baskets (142) and three-point shooting percentage (45.1%). Gutierrez was Cal’s top scorer in 26 of their 29 games and his single-season 777 points is still second best in school history and his 1,315 career points ranks 13th. He also finished with 264 career three-point baskets and converted 245 of 285 foul shots (86%).

At season’s end Gutierrez deservedly received many individual honors including first-team national Academic All-American and All-American honors, PSAC-West Player of the Year, and PSAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

“The way we lost in 1992 was very disheartening and we knew we had a challenge ahead of us,” Gutierrez said. “The senior year was great too because no one expected us to accomplish much. But as a team we were focused and Coach Boone prepared us well. Going into the season I knew Coach Boone would expect a lot out of me but I never thought I would see those kind of accolades.”

He earned his bachelor’s degree in pre-med with a concentration in biology from Cal U in 1993 and his mater’s degree in business administration in 1996. He also served as a graduate assistant coach under Boone in 1994-95 and 1995-96, when the Vulcans made another NCAA Final Four appearance. Gutierrez credits Boone for guidance that went far and beyond helping him excel on the basketball court.

“Of all the coaches I spoke to when I was recruited he was by far the most straightforward,” said Gutierrez. “Coach Boone talked about being family oriented and was genuinely concerned with how you were going to be as a person outside of playing. He really taught me a lot of life’s lessons. He was great to play for and pushed me from the day I got there to the day I left as an assistant coach. I have great respect for him.”

Originally from Williamstown, WV, and a 1989 graduate of Williamstown High School, Gutierrez was two-time All-State selection who scored 1,441 scholastic career points and led Williamstown to its first-ever undefeated regular season.

Ray is now a sales agent for Randstad USA, a global staffing company based in Amsterdam. Ray lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, with his wife, Heather. He is the first player from either of Cal men’s basketball two Final Four teams to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“I am honored and blessed and I have a lot of fond memories from my time as Cal as a player and a coach,” said Gutierrez. “I am very excited and the cool thing is the banquet is on my birthday so this is a certainly a very nice and most appreciated gift.”

This will also be Gutierrez’ first visit to his collegiate alma mater in 10 years and he is anticipating a happy Homecoming.”

“California is similar to where I grew up in the sense that it is small town and you pretty much knew everybody,” Gutierrez said. “The school was great and I totally believe the education I received could not be any better.”

One of the assistant coaches Gutierrez played for and later coached with at Cal U was his older brother, Glenn, who is now the head men’s basketball coach at nearby Washington and Jefferson College. The younger Gutierrez feels the time the two siblings shared at Cal was invaluable.

“I enjoyed it. Growing up there were nine years that separated us as far as age and we really did not have much time together while I was growing up,” he said. “Being away at college we got to become a lot closer and he pretty much took care of me when I was injured. Glenn probably pushed me as much if not more than Coach Boone and was very instrumental in helping me grow up as well as develop as a basketball player. I think I worked even harder out of respect for him.”