Cougar Athletics
28 NAIA National Championships
93 GSAC Championships
...and counting

A popular reserve on 2 of the finest teams in Azusa Pacific history, former Cougar standout Anthony Haggins returns to his alma mater as a first-time collegiate coach on Justin Leslie’s staff.

As a collegiate player, Haggins appeared in 60 games during his 2 seasons at Azusa Pacific, starting 22 and coming off the bench in 38. He averaged 9.3 points both his 2001 junior and 2002 senior seniors and averaged 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists for his Cougar career. As a junior he teamed with Leslie to lead the Cougars to their finest record in program history at 35-3 and an ninth-straight Golden State Athletic Conference championship. He appeared in 27 games during his senior season before a torn Achilles tendon ended his career with a week left in the regular season.

Haggins was seemingly at his best in games against arch-rival Biola University. During the 2001 season, he scored 13 points and preserved the Cougar victory in the game in La Mirada with a blocked shot of Biola’s potential game-winning shot with 1 second left. Later in the season at the GSAC Tournament championship game vs. Biola, he scored a team-high 22 points in just 22 minutes off the bench to lead the Cougars to the tourney title. His best showing ever was a 23-point effort in a Cougar victory over California Baptist University during the 2001 season.

Prior to his arrival at Azusa Pacific, Haggins played 2 seasons at Skyline Community College in San Bruno, Calif., where he led the Trojans to a 2-year record of 55-9. As a 1999 sophomore he was named Coast Conference MVP and all-state first team, thanks in part to a single-game career-high 40-point performance.

Haggins prepped 2 seasons at Woodside High in East Palo Alto, Calif., where he was a 2-time all-conference pick while leading the Wildcats to a 55-11 record. He also played 2 seasons of varsity basketball at Menlo-Atherton High prior to transferring to Woodside.

Haggins graduated from Azusa Pacific in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He is currently working on his master's degree in coaching and athletic administration at Concordia University in Irvine, Calif. Over the past 5 years, Haggins has worked with at-risk youth at children’s centers in both Northern and Southern California.

This past May he married Heather Jackson, and they are expecting their first child in March of 2008. The Haggins live in Irvine, Calif.