Mike Thornton returns for his 21st year as the head of the OCC women's basketball program. He has been the most successful coach in Pirate history after guiding Coast to 19 postseason appearances in the past 20 years. 
    Last season he guided the Pirates to a 21-11 overall record and their 18th straight playoff appearance. OCC finished in third place in the OEC with an 8-4 record. Thornton's teams at OCC have advanced to the state's Elite Eight finals five times. 
    The 2007-08 season saw the Pirates win a second consecutive OEC championship. Following the Pirates' undefeated conference season in 2007, it was the first time OCC had won back-to-back conference titles. 
    His 2003 Pirate team captured the California state championship which was also the first state title in school history.
    Mike began his coaching career at Santa Ana High School in 1970. He was the varsity boys head coach for the Saints from 1973 to 1975. 
    In 1975 Thornton moved to Marina High School in Huntington Beach where he served as Steve Popovich's No. 1 assistant with the boys program until 1987. Popovich is now Thornton's No. 1 assistant at Coast. 
    In 1980 Thornton was named the head girls coach at Marina. He did double duty coaching both the boys and girls teams from 1980 through 1987. He finished his last two years at Marina coaching only the girls team in 1988 and 89. After building one of the stronger girls programs at Marina, he left to take over as the head coach at OCC in 1989 and has remained in that position ever since. 
    Thornton is an avid sports fan. He is passionate about his four favorite teams - the Angels and Chicago Cubs on the professional level and The University of Illinois and Stanford University on the collegiate level. His favorite team of all of course is the Orange Coast Pirate team that he coaches. As a player Thornton competed on the basketball and baseball teams at Cal State Stanislaus and is the only person in school history to captain both teams in his senior year. He was a late round draft choice of the Montreal Expos in the 1969 major league draft prior to them becoming the Washington Nationals. 
    Thornton's greatest sense of pride is in his family. Oldest son Brian (24) is a graduate of UC Irvine. He was a two-time, All-American setter on the UCI men's volleyball team and led the Anteaters to the NCAA championship in 2007. He is currently training with the United States national volleyball team in Anaheim and expects to play professionally over seas this winter. His other son Keith (23) is a senior at UC Irvine majoring in art. He is looking forward to graduating in June of 2010. Keith was an outstanding volleyball player at San Clemente HS and at OCC prior to attending UCI. Daughter Kelsey (15) is in her sophomore year at San Clemente H.S. and is an outstanding water polo player. She was a starter on San Clemente's 23-4 team last season which had the best record in school history and advanced to the CIF D-II semifinals. This past summer she traveled to Barcelona, Spain to compete with her SET club team. She was named to the 14 and under All American team by USA water polo in 2008. 
    Coach Thornton was recently remarried and resides in Laguna Hills with his wife Di Anne.

STEVE POPOVICH
ASSISTANT COACH

     Teeya begins her fourth year as a voluntary assistant in the Coast program and her seventh year on the OCC campus as a player and coach. 
    Fernandez came to Coast from Cypress High School in August of 2003. She sat out the 2003-04 season after having ACL knee surgery in the summer of 2003. While sitting out that year, she impressed Coach Thornton with her enthusiasm for the game by attending every practice and working with the team in various ways. That year she was awarded the team's Most Inspirational Award while not even playing a game. 
    When she did get to play the next two years, she had a huge impact on the success of the Pirates on and off the floor. Fernandez has been described by Coach Thornton as, "The toughest player that I've ever coached". She led her team in charges taken both years she played and was one of the tri-captains of Coast's 2006 team that won 30 games and completed one of the most remarkable seasons in OCC history by advancing to the state Final Four. 
    Her responsibilities on the coaching staff include being completely in charge of the Pirates strength and conditioning program which has become so vtal to the team's success. She will also assist Coach Thornton with the defense and work on a daily basis with the point guards on offensive and defensive skills. Teeya this past summer took on the added responsibility of helping to organize a revitalized summer basketball camp for young kids on campus. Teeya is currently attending school at Cal State Fullerton and hopes some day to go into either physical therapy, coaching, or both. OCC is glad to have her and Coach Thornton wants to keep her around as long as he possibly can.