MEET THE Team
Nathan Swearengin
Head Coach | Founder
Coach Nate Swearengin has been a cornerstone of the Santa Cruz basketball community for more than a decade. As the Head Coach and Founder of The Hardwood University, he has dedicated the past three and a half years fully to building and leading the program. While he has mentored athletes for over a decade, his greatest satisfaction comes from seeing hard work, discipline, and perseverance rise to compete with natural talent, showing that dedication, discipline, and perseverance can match and even surpass natural talent.
A native of Missouri, Coach Swearengin played basketball at Nixa High School where he was part of the 1999 Missouri Class 3A State Championship team. He continued his career at Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe, KS, and Evangel University in Springfield, MO. His passion for the game led him to coach and run camps across the country and abroad, including time in Indonesia where he contributed to tsunami relief efforts by hosting coaching clinics and youth camps.
Locally, Coach Swearengin served as an assistant coach for the Santa Cruz High School boys program from 2013 to 2019, helping the team capture a CCS Championship and multiple league titles. In 2018, he founded Santa Cruz Premier, a nonprofit youth basketball organization designed to create opportunities for local athletes. He later joined Cabrillo College as an assistant coach, where his energy and basketball knowledge earned him high praise from Head Coach Tony Marcopulos, who described him as “a very bright and energetic coach who is without question a positive addition to any program.”
Today, through The Hardwood University, Coach Swearengin continues his mission of reshaping the culture of youth basketball in Santa Cruz. He has become a trusted mentor, respected coach, and relentless advocate for player development, committed to building athletes who thrive not just on the court, but in life.
Christian Quintero
Development & Assistant Travel team Coach
When it comes to basketball in Santa Cruz County, few names carry as much weight as Christian Quintero. Known as one of the region’s top players, Christian has built a reputation on talent, hard work, and the ability to elevate everyone around him. These are the very qualities he now pours into developing the next generation at The Hardwood University.
Christian’s playing career is decorated with honors that speak for themselves. He earned All League recognition three years in a row, was named Freshman of the Year in the Monterey Bay League Pacific Division, followed with Sophomore of the Year, and then capped his junior season by being named Player of the Year. His high school coach, Andre Bailey, called him a “game changing player” and insisted that Christian alone could have carried most teams to league title contention. That kind of impact is rare and it is exactly what makes him such an asset as a coach.
After receiving strong recruiting interest from programs including San Francisco State, Sonoma State, and Cal State Monterey Bay, Christian turned down offers to jump straight into a four year program. Instead, he chose to continue his career at Cabrillo College under first year head coach James Page, prioritizing development and leadership opportunities while staying connected to his community.
Christian’s work ethic has always been his edge. Pushed through grueling sand dune workouts by his cousin, Fernando Olivarez, he learned early that perseverance and discipline are what separate good players from great ones. That is the mindset he now brings to THU. For him, training is not just about skills, it is about instilling resilience, character, and the drive to compete at the highest level.
If you are passionate about basketball and developing the next generation of athletes, we would love to hear from you. The Hardwood University is always looking for dedicated team coaches and development coaches to join our mission of building strong, skilled, and confident players. If you are interested in coaching opportunities with us, please contact us today to learn more.