COACH'S CORNER - 2009-10
By Mike Thornton

     
After a much-needed win at Santa Ana last Friday, I took the wrong approach when addressing our team in my post-game talk. As I remember, it I briefly told them that after all we had been through the past three weeks, it was nice to get a much-needed win. I really meant that.

     
For our team and coaches, the word “relief” was actually spelled “W-I-N”. If I would have stopped there I would have been fine. But, I didn't.

     
We came onto the court Friday really ready to play and determined to end our five-game conference losing streak. We jumped on the Dons and led 18-4 after about eight minutes of play. It was exactly what we needed.

     
Santa Ana was 0-7 in conference and had been hit with some injuries, but for a lot of reasons, this game was their season. I knew that they would play hard the whole game. Some of their losses were close games that they just couldn't finish. Their pattern throughout conference was to play one good half and one bad half. When we went into the locker room at halftime we had a 19 point lead (36-17), I thought they would play a better second half. Coach (Flo) Luppani would not let them to throw in the towel.

     
My approach at the half was to not get complacent with the big lead, something we had done in the past. I told them we needed to win the second half. When the half started, we stretched the lead to 25 in the first seven or eight minutes.

     
Then we lost focus and started to play, in my opinion, way too casually. Santa Ana took advantage of the opportunity that we gave them and began to play more inspired. Their leading scorer left the game after about four minutes of the half when she picked up her fourth foul. She would not return. I believe that there was some sort of discipline issue involved.

     
To make a long story short we ended up winning by 16. Basically we lost the second half which was not what I wanted. I wasn't happy with how we finished the game. I focused far too much on our finish and not enough on the win. At another time, maybe earlier in the season, that would have been fine. We need to understand that in order to win consistently, we need to play 40 minutes or more. That's the point I've been trying to stress all season. But in this instance, I should have taken into consideration our mental state after all of our recent gut-wrenching losses. I screwed up and hopefully by the time you read this I will be granted my "do-over”. If so, I will do a better job!

     
I've developed over the years what I call a “PIECE plan” for success. It doesn't quite rival Coach Wooden's “Pyramid of Success” (not even close), but it is something I firmly believe in. And yes, I know it is misspelled!

     
As I have mentioned in the past, we very seldom ever talk to our team about the importance of winning an individual game. I'm not saying ever, but it is unusual for us to do that. Down through the years I've come to really believe that winning is a byproduct of a lot of other things. Those things are outlined in the PIECE plan.

     
The "P" stands for patience and passion. Good things in our lives are not usually things that happen instantly. They take time. Don't expect instant success in basketball or other things. You also must love the game you play. You have to have a deep passion for anything you do if you want to do it well and be successful!

     
The "I" stands for intelligence. To be successful in basketball you need to learn how to play the game. You need to be "Basketball smart". That also takes time.

     
The first "E" stands for effort. To be successful in almost anything, you need to learn how to put in the maximum effort, EVERY day -- practice and games. My idea of maximum effort is sometimes different than other people’s. How hard do you work when nobody is watching?

     
The "C" stands for confidence and competitiveness. You must always believe in yourself and your team. Belief in yourself and knowing what you are capable of are key ingredients to success. You also must have the desire to compete every day and the desire to not be denied success. I’m not sure this ingredient can be taught. Some people have it, while some don't.

     
The last "E" stands for execution. Basketball-wise, you must be able to apply what you learn in practice to games. You must be able to execute what you have been taught as an individual and as a team. Our goal as a coaching staff is to get our team to make the maximum effort on a daily basis to do all of the things outlined in the plan. If we can do that the wins will take care of themselves.

     
Something happened this week that made me realize that we haven't done a real good job of teaching that philosophy. At the least we haven't done a good job of selling it to our players. This is running a little long, but I will be glad to go into that in a later column.

This week is a huge one for our team. They let me know last week that they want to know when games are crucial. Well, these two are crucial. The door is slightly open for us to continue our 18-year streak of qualifying for the state playoffs.

In order to do that we need wins over Cypress on the road Wednesday and over IVC on Friday. Friday is our last home game and our annual “Sophomore Night”. We will get a chance at the conclusion of the game to honor our four sophomores who have put in so much time and effort to our team over the past two years. It's always a great night and I am looking forward to it.

I don't know about you, but it seems like we just had our Tip-Off Banquet about a week ago! Please come out on Friday to support our team and honor our sophomores! Talk to you next week. --MT

Feb. 1 -- I know that this is going to be hard for most of you to believe but although last week was a very emotional one and a very tough one for our team and our coaches, it also was a very good one. I think I was more proud of our team and players last week than I have been at any time throughout this season. More proud of them than the week that we defeated Mt. San Jacinto, which is now one of the top five teams in the state, at home by 16. Prouder of them than when we won the Cuesta College Tournament for the 11th time in a dramatic one-point, last-second victory over L.A. Pierce.

     
I'm sure probably many of my friends in coaching who read this (believe it or not some actually do) will say that I'm either crazy or just “blowing a little smoke”. The first might be true but the second definitely is not! Here's why I'm proud.

     
One of the easiest things to do in competitive athletics is to do all the things you are supposed to do when things are going well for you and your team. One of the most difficult things to do is to continue to “stay the course” and do those same things when you are facing a lot of adversity. That is the situation that our team and coaches faced this past week as we faced what was probably our toughest week in the Orange Empire Conference schedule.

     
We were coming off a very emotional loss to IVC in what has over the past few years developed into a huge rivalry game. It was a game that we all knew we just didn't play as well or as hard as we need to in order to be successful. We had Fullerton at home on Wednesday night and were on the road at Riverside on Friday. Fullerton is now 23-1 and one of the most talented and deepest teams in the state. They are well coached and are a definite threat to be one of the teams to advance to the state's Final Four in March. We battled them right to the end in a 68-60 loss that was one of the most competitive games that the Hornets have had all season. If a few things would have gone differently down the stretch the ending could have gone our way.

     
Riverside on Friday was a different challenge. We were coming off of another emotional loss to go play at what most people feel is the toughest place to play in the conference and we were facing a team that is the second-most talented team in the conference.

     
After playing poorly in the first half we challenged our team at halftime. Once again they responded. We came back from an eight-point deficit to lead by four with a little over a minute to play. We made some huge plays at critical times to get that lead. Going into the last minute of the game, Riverside was 2-of-17 from 3-point range. In the final minute they made two long NBA-range 3-pointers to give them a win and keep them in contention for a conference title. Give them credit, they made big plays and shots at the right time. It was a game that they won not a game that we lost!

     
Last week in this column I promised you that we would never quit. We didn't show the slightest signs of doing that this week. Our goal this past week was to improve overall and to be more consistent in our effort and our execution. We did that. We got better. We accomplished our goals. That's why I was prouder of our team this week more than any other week. It was not easy to do that. I really think our team grew up a lot this week.

     
Now we face a different and maybe even a tougher challenge. I've told you in the past that winning is a by-product of doing a lot of other things. I'm going to go into that in a future column. When you do all of those things and it doesn't result in a win, it's tough -- very, very tough. When the result is a devastating and emotional last-second type loss that Friday's was it makes it even harder. Our players and coaches were devastated after the game.

     
Once again this week we are going to challenge our team to respond. It's going to be tougher this week. This team has a lot of character and toughness. There is no doubt in my mind that we will come back … again!!

     
We have two tough games this week. Wednesday, we play at home against Saddleback. Most of you I'm sure remember our one-point win in our first game against the Gauchos. It was as hard earned as it sounded and came down once again to the last possession. They are playing well after defeating inter district-rival IVC last week. Friday, we travel to Santa Ana to take on the Dons. There is nobody that they would like to beat more than us. We need to be ready to play. Both games are at 5:30 p.m.

     
On a short closing note last Friday's game was the last game that we will play in the old Riverside gym. It is closing for a year to be remodeled. It's absolutely my favorite place to play other than the Peterson Gym. It's got a great history and is a great atmosphere. In a future column I will tell you more about that and why I love it there!

     
Have a great week !  --MT

Jan. 18 -- I think one of the most important things that competitive athletics helps teach us is how to handle the “Ups and Downs” of winning and losing. In my opinion, it is by far the most difficult thing to deal with as a coach and to some extent as a player. Young people by nature, I think, are more resilient and probably have shorter memories.

When I decided to enter the coaching profession, I knew that there were going to be highs and lows and learning how to deal with both of those would be critical factors in not only how successful you would be but also just how long you would be able to survive in this very competitive profession. What I didn't know was that handling those ups and downs does not get easier as you get older. In fact, like a lot of things do, it actually gets more difficult as you get along in years - much more difficult!

We had a very difficult loss to Cypress on Friday night as probably all of you know. It was one of the most difficult regular season losses that I have had in my career. We had an 18-point lead (30 -12) with about six minutes remaining in the first half and were playing very hard and very well. To make a long story short, we eventually let that lead slip away and lost on a last-second put back, 73-71.

It was our first loss of the year when we had scored more than 70 points. It was the first loss I have had in the first 677 games that I have coached at OCC when we led by that many points. It was “gut wrenching” to say the least. I took it very hard -- probably harder than many losses -- for two reasons.

First, I felt that we were really ready to play emotionally. More so than any other game that we have played. Second, I really like our team this year and I felt horrible for them.

As always, when we lose close games, the first thing I look at is myself. I think most coaches do the same. Were we in the right defense at the end of the game? Did we have the right players on the floor? Did we give them the best sets offensively and defensively to allow them to be successful? Without going into detail, there were a couple of things I would do differently if I could do it again. As we all know “Hindsight is 20 -20”.

I didn't answer my phone all day the next day. I didn't talk to my coaches, friends, players, or anyone other than Di Anne. She probably wished I would have included her in my “don't talk to list”! By Sunday, I was better. By Monday, I was ready to go!

We had to decide how to approach the Cypress loss with our team. I decided not to mention it at all on Monday but to go back to work with sort of a throw back “get back to fundamentals” practice. We did that. It was a difficult but productive practice and our players responded well. On Tuesday, it wasn't until after practice was over that we talked about Friday night's game. I talked to them about how we needed to respond among other things. I was extremely confident that we would. I thought that we were ready to play on Wednesday at IVC.

When we got through the heavy rain and arrived at IVC on Wednesday night, I had the feeling that Friday's game was a distant memory for our players. I felt for the second consecutive night that we were very ready to play one of our better games.

It didn't happen for whatever reason. Our shooting woes continued. We had to resort to shooting a lot more 3s than we wanted (10 -27) and we made only 4-of-23 2-point field goal attempts. Defensively, we had no answer and we tried pretty much everything. It was another difficult night. We were never really in the game. Once again we are faced with handling a “Down”.

The question now is, “Where do we go from here?” I think with a couple of exceptions down through the years, our teams have made steady improvements as the season progressed -- some more than others. This year, from our opening game at Santa Barbara through our December game with Mt. San Jacinto, that was the case. From that point on, however, we have gone downhill and I have no idea why. I have no real answer. Maybe we are trying too hard. I really don't know.       

We hardly ever talk about winning games at Coast. I believe that winning is a by product of a process that focuses on improving, executing, playing hard and competing hard on a daily basis. I'm not sure how to stop our slide but I am sure that we will never stop trying. We will never stop looking for answers. I am also sure that we have great kids who will not give up. Expectations are very high around here based on the success that we have had in the past. Our coaches and our players cannot worry about expectations. We need to worry about how we can get better. In other words, “Whatever it Takes”.

We come back home on Wednesday night after a bye on Friday. We will face our biggest challenge of the season. Fullerton is by far the best and most talented team we will face. The Hornets have only one loss -- to top-ranked Ventura -- and are very well coached. I will not make promises that I can't keep but I will assure you that our team and coaches will keep looking for the answers that will allow us to have a productive last month of the season!

We will not give up -- EVER! --MT

Jan. 11 -- On the back of our team sweatshirts this year it says, “40 or More The Hard Way”. I get asked all the time – “What does that mean?” My answer is always, “That's our team's theme for the 2009-10 season”.

Their reply is almost always the same – “Yeah, but what does it mean?”

I pretty much got the same response from our players in an early September meeting when I told my team that it was going to be our team's theme for the season. In fact, in the first written assignment that I gave my players this season, I asked them to tell me what they thought it means.

One player out of 16 -- Melissa Mahi -- got it completely right. Another -- Alyssa Hanson -- was pretty close. The other 14 -- well let's just say I got some really strange answers. After 19 games, I think pretty much everyone gets it!

A college basketball game is 40 minutes long if it ends in regulation time. If it goes beyond regulation into overtime it could be more. Much more! In 2006, we played a five-overtime game against Fullerton that as far as anyone knows is a California community college record for the longest game. Fortunately, we won that one and it was definitely “The Hard Way”.

I thought our team was talented enough to be able compete with almost anyone that was on our schedule and if we played well, had a chance to win. I also knew the opposite was true. If we didn't bring our “A” game, we could lose to pretty much anybody! In other words, for us to be the best team we could be, we would have to bring a “Blue Collar” work ethic every night or, to be more specific, every minute!

I knew that more than likely we were going to be in a whole lot of close games that came down to the last few possessions. Those of you that know me know that (believe it or not) I'm not always right! This time I was!

Through 19 games, we have a 12-7 record. Of those 19, games eight have come down to the final minute before they were decided. Four to the last possession, with one win, over L.A. Pierce in the championship game of the Cuesta tournament, to .6 seconds. Another win came over Saddleback last Friday with .3 seconds left, while another win, a two-point win over Cerritos came in the final shot in overtime.

Most of the time when games are decided in the last possession, people remember what happened in that possession. Most think that's where the game was won or lost. Coaches know differently. Games are always won or lost by what happens prior to the last possession. They are won or lost by what happened EVERY possession all through the game. That's why we have been preaching all year long for our team to “value every possession - offensively and defensively!”

If we don't understand that after the first 19 games the last 10 are going to be a disappointment. If we have learned that and can come closer to doing that than our opponents then we will be in every game! In other words it's going to be “40 or More the Hard Way!” I've heard that somewhere before!!

Another big week this week with two home games. Wednesday, we host Santa Ana. I'm hearing that through Facebook, a lot of our past players are going to make it to Peterson Gym on Wednesday for our annual unofficial alumni night. On Friday, Cypress comes to Costa Mesa . Both games are huge and I'm sure will be very competitive. See you at 7:30 on both nights. Talk to you next week. --MT

     
It's a lot of work for all of our coaches and players but also for our support staff including SID Tony Altobelli and our program's best friend Doug Bennett. They both put in a ton of time to help make the tournament one of the best in California. Most of all, it is an event that could not be put on without the tremendous help and support we get from our parents.

     
I have been very fortunate down through the years to have had unbelievable parental support for our basketball program but this year's group seems to be a very special one.

     
I would particularly like to thank the Mahis, Mike and Hilda. They have gone way out of their way to basically run the whole show the past two years and I want them to know how much I appreciate it! We have a great and competitive field as we always do that includes state-rated Cerritos and College of the Canyons. Please come out and support this great event!

     
We had a great and typical win last Friday that saw us get contributions from everyone in the program. Like our win over L.A. Pierce in the championship game of the Cuesta tournament the week before, it was a total team win.

     
Mt. San Jacinto came to Peterson Gym as the unbeaten second-ranked team in Southern California. After a tight battle through the first 30 minutes, we were able to pull away and get a 72-56 win over what is a very talented and well-coached team.

     
We got some outstanding play from two of our forwards off the bench Jessica Vingerelli and Michelle Lewis. Lew made two huge 3s midway through the second half that gave us some momentum when we were sort of in a little rut. Jess gave us a big inside shot and some great defensive play during that same period of time that helped us turn the corner. This win shows how deep we are and hopefully will be an example of how we are going to be successful as the season rolls along!

     
I want to close this pre-Christmas column with a little personal note. A really good friend of mine, Hank Cochrane, who I have known for 45 years, is well on his way to recovering from major heart surgery that he had on Sept. 11. Hank has been a longtime football and track coach and I went to high school with him in Anaheim in the 1960s. He and his family are among the first people that my family met when we moved to California in 1963.

     
Hank has been a longtime math teacher and football coach at Fountain Valley HS Actually he was Helena Robel's math teacher at FVHS her junior year. He was also the head football coach at Newport Harbor HS several years ago.

     
When he went into surgery, the prognosis for success was not great according to his doctors. They didn't know Hank as well as we all did. He's always been one of the great fighters and competitors that I've ever known along with simply being a great guy!

     
After a long battle, he was recently moved to a rehab facility in Fullerton and this Sunday is going to get a chance to go home to be with his family for a short trial visit.

He is well on his way to a full recovery that all of us who know him completely expected. Sunday is my wife Di Anne's birthday and the final day in our Coast Christmas Classic. But, with apologies to really no one, as busy as I'm going to be, my mind is going to be on Hank and his return home. I could not be happier!

     
We have our annual team Christmas party at my house on Thursday night. I know that you guys (my team) are planning on getting me a gift card to Hometown Buffet. Forget about it. I'm onto you!! Have a great holiday and I will talk to you in 2010. --MT

Dec. 7 -- I got home yesterday from San Luis Obispo and the Cuesta College Tournament around 2 p.m. I had two traveling companions -- my assistant coach Teeya Fernandez, which I will talk about a little later, and the plaque which goes to the championship team.

     
It was the first time that Teeya has been with me but the 11th time that I have been fortunate enough to bring back the first-place award! I love this tournament and this trip. Ed Musloff, the Cuesta coach, is a good friend of mine. Every year he tells me we should schedule some of our "Home" games up there because we always play so well.

     
This was our fourth tournament title in the past five years and 14th time in 21 years that we have advanced to the championship game. No other team has won the tournament more than five times so yeah, we sort of consider the Cuesta gym as our home away from home. Winning championships is only one of the reasons why this is my favorite trips.

     
San Luis Opispo is a great walk-around college town. Our players love the Thursday night Farmers market on Higuera St. The La Cuesta Inn where we have stayed 19 of the 21 years is my favorite hotel. The Apple Farm Restaurant across the street from the hotel is a great place to take our team for the pre-game meal on Friday. The Firestone Grill downtown is my favorite sports restaurant and bar where I can have the best tri-tip sandwiches in the world while watching college football and basketball on big screen TVs. All in all it's sort of a tournament heaven for me!

     
Down through the years it's been a great team bonding experience for our players and parents! Ralph and Gaylynn Ambrose have a daughter, Jennifer, who was a starter on my first OCC team in 1989. They still go up to SLO almost every year for a few days because of the great time they had there when Jennifer played. They saw some of our players up there this weekend. After asking them where they could find me (the players told them the Firestone - not sure how they knew that). They came by to see me and catch up on old times for awhile. There is no doubt that we will be returning to Cuesta next December in search of our 12th tournament title!

     
Teeya, who means so much to our team and our players, got a little ill during the trip and had to miss the championship game. I really think our players were playing that game as much for her on Saturday night as they were for themselves. I made a decision to get a room for the night for Teeya and I to stay in and not travel home after the game. All of the players and many of the parents dropped by the room after our win. It was an emotional get-together that Teeya truly appreciated. I want to thank all of the parents that helped us out on Saturday. The Mahis, Yamasakis and the Brewers all were there when I needed them. I appreciate it more than you all know. It was another one of those moments that made me realize again that I have the best job with the best people in community college basketball!

     
Teeya has meant a lot to our program as a player and as coach and she knows how much I think of her. Having said that I never want to have her as a roommate again! I'm pretty sure she feels the same way!

     
We finally get to play a home game on Friday night and it's a great one that will once again challenge us to continue to improve. Our win at Cuesta exemplifies how we are going to have to play to be successful. We had 12 players score and only one in double figures. Amanda led us offensively with 17 points. She was named the MVP of the tournament. Sam who made the winning shot on a put back with less than a second left on the clock was an all-tournament selection.

     
I voted Mt. San Jacinto No. 2 in the state in this week's state poll behind Ventura who is a clear No. 1 choice. Chris Mozga is a great coach whose team is 7-0 with two tournament titles already in this young season. It will be a great challenge for our young team and I'm pretty sure it will fall into the "40 or More, The Hard Way" category! Talk to you next week. --MT

Nov. 23 -- The first two weeks of our season have epitomized almost exactly how I felt this year was going to play out. We have a deep, hard-working team that is going to have work extremely hard for "40 or More" minutes each and every time they are on the floor if we are going to be successful.

If we've learned anything in the first two weeks, it should be how important it is for us to play EVERY possession as if it is the most important one of the season. I know that is virtually impossible to do but it's not impossible to have that as a goal!

We played the last defensive possession against Cerritos on Wednesday like we hadn't played any possession in the first four games. That allowed us to literally steal a win that we should have locked up prior to that possession.

Through four games, we are 2-2 overall. Our two losses came against two pretty good teams -- Antelope Valley and Santa Barbara. Both I'm sure will be among the 18 teams from Southern California that qualify for the state playoffs in late February. Both losses could have been wins if we had executed a little better in the earlier parts of each game. I really hope and think it was a great learning experience for our young team that will help us down the road. We had a great practice Thursday that I think went a long ways towards establishing our much needed identity as a "Blue Collar" team.

Next week, we play in the SAC-OCC Thanksgiving Classic that we are co- hosting with Santa Ana. Flo Luppani, the Santa Ana coach, is a former player of mine at Coast in the mid 90's. Two years ago, we decided to co-host a four-team, Thanksgiving crossover, alternating sites every other year. When our allotment of games was cut by the state by four games, we turned the crossover into an eight-team tournament. Ventura did the same thing to their New Year's crossover that resulted in another eight-team tournament that is on our December schedule.

We open with Merced College, which is usually one of the stronger teams in the Northern California region. We have played them twice since I've been here. Both were in the quarterfinals of the state finals and both times we came out with hard-earned wins. Our game is at 3 p.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving at SAC. 

If we are to come out of that game with a win, it will probably be like all of our other wins – “40 or More - the Hard Way”.

Talk to you in a couple of weeks! -- MT

Nov. 8 -- It seems like last season just ended, but here we are five days away from opening the 2009-10 year!

I can tell you, without a doubt, all of our players and coaches are looking forward to Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. when we open up the 2009-10 campaign with a match-up against Moorpark College in the first round of the Santa Barbara Tournament. We haven't played Moorpark since late February of 2005 when we lost a close, overtime game in the first round of the playoffs. Moorpark is a member of a Western State North Conference that has been totally dominated by Ventura College. Ventura has rarely been challenged in conference play, winning the conference title (I believe) 19 consecutive years.

I don't know much about Moorpark other than they return a 6-foot-3 center who averaged around 14 points/game and a shooting guard who shot an extremely high percentage from 3-point range.

I'm not sure it really matters. First games usually are difficult to play for all teams and the ones that can overcome the first-game jitters, relax and play the game the way they practice usually have a great chance of being successful - providing the talent level of both teams is similar.

This year will be a little different around here. For the first time since I can remember, our team is not among the favorites to challenge for the Orange Empire Conference title. We are also lightly regarded in the state rankings which is usually the opposite of that. If work ethic and character means anything -- and I think it does -- we have a great chance to be one of the surprise teams of the 2009-10 season.

Our coaches and players are dedicated to making this season as successful as our abilities allow us to be and I don't only mean as far as wins and losses are concerned. I really believe that all the players and coaches involved with this team are genuinely excited about working together every day!

We only have five players that have played a college basketball game, but we have more depth at every position on the floor. We could have as much as a 12- or 13-player rotation at least at the beginning of the year. Our freshmen class is deep, smart and enthusiastic. They have a great future. Our sophomores have been great leaders in practice on and off the floor.

We had a great Tip-Off Banquet a week ago that I was very proud of being a part of. I can promise all of the fans and relatives of our team and players that our expectations for ourselves are much higher than public expectations. We fully expect the winning tradition of OCC women's basketball to continue!

Please come out and support us throughout the year. I can promise you that you will see a team that plays hard and gives a maximum effort each and every time they take the floor. “40 or More The Hard Way” is our theme for the year and that's the way we plan on playing the game! Talk to you next week! --MT