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"40 OR MORE - THE HARD WAY"

        Each year, every successful women's basketball team at OCC has had a slogan or trademark which they begin the season with. The 2009-10 Pirates are no exception, but this time, the slogan is a little different.

        Over the past two years, OCC has had themes of “READY FOR THE CHALLENGE” and “READY FOR THE CHALLENGE AGAIN”. Expectations in those years were extremely high as the Pirates were ranked high in preseason polls and were predicted to have one of the top teams in California. All of those teams had a number of returning veterans who gave them an experienced team which was given a great chance to get a win each and every time they took the floor.

        Well, this year it's a different challenge.

        The teams of Courtney Ford and Rachel Maulit are a distant memory as is last year's unit led by prolific scorers Simone Ibbotson and Casey Gomez. This is a team that has only one full-time starter returning in 6-foot forward Jenna Lujan, and one part time starter, 6-0 forward Rebecca Murray.

        The balance of the team will be made up of a few players who saw limited time off the bench a year ago, combined with one transfer and a whole lot of hard-working incoming freshmen.

        “HARD WORKING” is the key phrase for not only the freshmen but also the handful of returning sophomores. Hence this year's trademark or theme of, “40 OR MORE THE HARD WAY”.

        This is a team that is going to play hard every possession, both offensively and defensively. This is a team that is going to take pride in competing with every ounce of energy possible each and every game. This is a team that doesn't have any so-called “super stars”. Instead it is a team that is made up of 15 players who are dedicated to continuing the tradition of excellence that has marked the past two decades of OCC women's basketball.

        This is a true “blue-collar” team that realizes success will be determined by its depth, its numbers, and its team-first attitude. This is a team that realizes it will have to out-work its opponents each and every night. Despite being an after-thought in preseason polls and being lightly regarded in the Orange Empire Conference, this is a team that plans on being the surprise team in the state of California. While public expectations may be low, this is a team that seems to know what they have to do to be successful and they plan on getting it done -- whatever it takes!!

        Coach Mike Thornton has privately and now publically said that he expects this to be one of the most enjoyable teams he has had in his 21 years at Coast.

        “All three of our coaches are excited to come to practice each day,” Thornton said. “The biggest reason for that are the players. They seem to truly want to be there and are enjoying the experience on a daily basis. Basically they are very coachable and are buying what we are selling. Last year we didn't really feel that was the case.

        “Last season was an exception to how we like to approach the game around here. Our coaches weren't nearly as comfortable last year and quite honestly none of us felt we did as good a job as we could have. That really didn't show up in terms of wins and losses. I felt we did as well as we could have in that area. In fact we won a few that we probably shouldn't have but it wasn't the way we would have liked to.”

        If the 2009-10 Pirates continue to buy what the coaches are selling and continue to be a “team” in every sense of the word, they could very well be the surprise team they would like to be!

        Lujan and Murray will be counted on to lead the OCC front line but it is one that has considerably more depth than a year ago. Both the returning starters are much improved and have been very dedicated in spring, summer, and fall workouts. Murray will be one of the team co-captains and will be a leader in that way. Lujan will be counted on to lead by her work ethic in practice as well as games.

        “Jenna has developed into one of the most competitive players that we have had here and we have had a lot of very good competitors,” Thornton said of Lujan. “She has that ‘refuse to lose’ attitude that you cannot teach. We have very high expectations for her and she has those same expectations for herself.”

        Four other forwards expect to be in what could be a least a 12-player rotation. Sophomore Michelle Lewis has been moved to a forward spot on a permanent basis after spending last year playing at several different positions. She is definitely more stabilized and comfortable in the system. Sophomore Courtney Reise transferred from El Camino College where she played in the 2007-08 season. She was a late addition to the team. If she gets into basketball shape and learns the OCC system, Courtney could be a factor as the year progresses. Redshirt freshman Jessica Vingerelli is short for her position at 5-9 but plays an aggressive style that has put her into the picture for playing time. The year she took to redshirt and practice with the Pirates has benefitted her tremendously. Freshman Samantha Hansen from El Toro High School was really the only player that OCC tried to recruit at an inside position. The coaches are very glad that she chose to come to Coast. Maybe the most versatile of all the forwards, Sam should be an immediate contributor and be on the floor a lot. If she can avoid injuries and gain some strength she has a big future in the Pirate program.

        Both the wing and point guard positions have a lot more depth than a year ago. Ibbotson and Gomez provided about half of OCC's offense on last year's 21-win team from their wing spots. While Coast may not have scorers like those two, there is definitely a lot more depth there this season.

        “Last year we really couldn't take Casey or Mo out of the games for any significant time and we never could have both out at the same time,” Thornton said. “That will not be the case this year. We have some great competition going on between five or six players and all have their strengths.”

        Co-captain Melissa Mahi is the only player who has any college game experience at the wing. She's great leader in terms of work ethic and has improved her overall game a lot. She is definitely in the hunt for one of the two starting spots. Three other freshmen and one redshirt freshman are also candidates to earn some quality playing time. Amanda Deal, from Northwood HS, is Coast's best spot-up shooter. She is a definite 3-point threat and can really shoot the ball coming off screens. If she improves defensively and learns to handle pressure a little better, her playing time could drastically improve. Helena Robel, from Fountain Valley, and Alyssa Hanson from Esperanza, are the two most versatile players at the wing position. Robel could really play three positions. She could play either our No. 3 or No. 2 wing spots or see time at the point if needed. She too has a great work ethic and has improved immensely since coming into the gym last spring.

        Hanson is one of the team’s most cerebral players and is a great competitor. She is a really good leader on the floor and is real close to earning one of the two starting wing spots. Redshirt freshman Tiffany Monteiro has improved a lot. With continued improvement in certain areas she could be the surprise player of the group.

        Canadian import Michelle August is another player trying to get into the picture. “Michelle is a great kid who has struggled at times to learn our system,” Thornton said. “It's completely new to her. She is one of our better spot-up shooters who can knock shots down when open. She needs to work on the other aspects of her game and continue to learn our system to be in the picture to find a spot in our rotation.”

        The point guard position is another area that Thornton feels his team is vastly improved. “We really didn't have a true point guard last season,” Thornton said. “We had two players who split time and were great kids but actually they were more wing type players than true point guards. That was our recruiting priority from the beginning and fortunately we were successful in getting two quality players at that position.”

        One fell into the Pirates’ lap. Danielle Keneipp, a 5-5 guard from JSerra HS, transferred at mid-year last year after spending the first part of the year at Dixie College in Utah. She was redshirting in her freshman season at Dixie which gives her two years of eligibility with the Pirates. Keneipp is a quality guard who can push the ball on offense and is extremely competitive.

        Currently Danielle is in a very positive competitive battle with another true freshman for the starting point guard spot. Michelle Yamasaki from nearby Edison HS was a recruiting priority for the Pirates since her junior year in high school. Though a little on the short side at 5-2, “Saki” is very fundamentally sound in all aspects of the game. She is a good perimeter shooter who handles the ball well and defends well. The Edison program has been good to the Pirates in recent years and that continues with the addition of Yamasaki. “We are probably more improved at that position than any other,” said Thornton.

        Bianca Carranza, a 4-11 redshirt freshman from Loara HS, gives the Pirates another viable option at that position. Bianca exemplifies the spirit of the 2009-10 OCC team as she plays as hard on a daily basis as anyone the Pirates have ever had in uniform. “Bianca amazes me everyday,” said Thornton. “She definitely is one of our leaders in practice on a daily basis and is a very positive example for our team.”

        “40 OR MORE - THE HARD WAY” seems to be an appropriate theme for this team. If Coast can follow through on its team-first attitude and the team competes every possession throughout the year, they just might be the surprise team in California when March rolls around.

        If that happens, they may have to go back to "ACCEPTING THE CHALLENGE ONCE AGAIN" as a theme for 2011!