Christopher Partida is honored to join Pacific Northwest Christian College as the inaugural Head Coach of both the Men's and Women's Basketball programs.
Born and raised in Torrance, California, Christopher is the son of Ana and Luis Partida. Basketball has been a central part of his life from an early age. He began playing youth and recreational basketball before joining the AAU circuit in the sixth grade, competing year-round throughout his childhood. He later played all four years of basketball at West Torrance High School.
At the age of 26, Christopher made the decision to return to school and pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a collegiate student-athlete. He enrolled at Los Angeles Harbor College, where he competed for two seasons while earning an Associate of Science in Early Childhood Development and an Associate of Arts in Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Christopher continued his academic and athletic journey at the University of Saint Katherine in San Diego, California, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities with a concentration in History and a Master of Science in Kinesiology. During his four years as an assistant coach, he helped establish a culture of excellence both on the court and in the classroom. 10 student-athletes earned All-Conference honors, more than 15 players received major academic awards, and the program captured four consecutive National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Awards. Additionally, the program produced its first-ever men's basketball valedictorian and achieved a spring semester team GPA of 3.56 during the 2023-24 season.
On the court, Christopher helped guide the Firebirds to a California Pacific Conference Championship in 2021-22 and two appearances in the NAIA National Tournament (2021-22 and 2023-24). The 2021-22 squad had a conference record of 13-1 and the 2023-24 squad finished with a school-record 23-9 overall record. During his tenure, Saint Katherine competed against 12 NCAA Division I opponents, including Long Beach State, Pepperdine, UNLV, and Arizona State. During the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign, the program played 10 NCAA Division I opponents, creating unforgettable experiences for its student-athletes.
Following his time at Saint Katherine, Christopher accepted his first collegiate head coaching position at Minnesota North College–Mesabi Range. In his collegiate head coaching debut, his team upset the No. 15-ranked NJCAA Division III team in the nation.
Christopher then transitioned to the professional ranks as Head Coach of Colosos de Tijuana in Mexico's CIBAPAC professional league. There, he coached numerous former NCAA Division I players, including Chance Hunter (Cal State Long Beach, California Baptist University, California Poly San Luis Obispo) and Travell Washington (University of Illinois Chicago), and competed against former NBA players. His team recorded victories over Lobos de Ensenada and Guaycuras de La Paz, two of the league's premier organizations. Lobos de Ensenada was led by former NBA player and 1996 NCAA National Champion Walter McCarty of the University of Kentucky.
Due to his success in Mexico, Christopher has developed a reputation for helping collegiate athletes begin their professional careers. He has assisted multiple NCAA Division III and NAIA student-athletes in securing their first professional contracts overseas (Andre Sanchez-Amarillas, Lakeland University; Adrian Alvarez, Greenville University and Jacob Durham, University of Saint Katherine).
Most recently, Christopher served as Assistant Coach for both the men's and women's basketball programs at Dakota College at Bottineau while also teaching full-time as a U.S. History professor. On the men's side, he helped the Lumberjacks earn victories over several NJCAA Division I programs, including Gillette College, Williston State College, Lake Region State College, and North Dakota State College of Science. He also oversaw scouting and film preparation during consecutive victories over Canadian Mennonite University, the 2026 Northern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions. In addition, he assisted numerous student-athletes in advancing to four-year institutions such as Moustapha Diomande (Bismarck State University, Jaden Arzola (Graceland University) and Edward Lual (University of Pikeville). The program achieved a fall semester team GPA of 3.65 during the 2025-26 season.
On the women's side, Christopher played an integral role in implementing the team's man-to-man defensive system and developing its post players. The Ladyjacks finished as runners-up in the NJCAA Region XIII Championship, while Mon-Dak All-Conference selection Jersey Vogel will be continuing her career at Montana State University–Northern.
Coach Partida is excited to become the first Head Coach in Pacific Northwest Christian College basketball history. He is committed to building championship-caliber programs rooted in faith, academic excellence, and servant leadership while helping student-athletes grow as players, students, and people. He believes that basketball is a powerful vehicle for changing lives and looks forward to leaving a lasting impact on the Pacific Northwest Christian College community.
