COASTERS: How the mighty have fallen

Steve Virgen

The losing may have stopped, Wednesday, for the Orange Coast

College men’s basketball team. But, the pain still resides.

After starting the season hot with a five-game winning streak, the

Bucs slumped to losing five straight.

OCC Coach Mark Hill said the team suffers from bad starts as in

pregame warmup music doesn’t inspire the Bucs. Yet, the problem is not a

lack of heart. It’s a lack of confidence.

“They lost that belief that they can make it all happen,” Hill said.

It’s not a lack of star power or leadership, either. OCC has its

leaders in Chad Hagedorn and Ryan Earl, and for star power, the Bucs look

to Nick Burwell. But, because of the five-game losing streak, their

confidence is shot.

The team as a whole needs to get back that fire it had in the

five-game winning streak. The Bucs need that same inspiration they had

from an early December victory over visiting Grossmont. That was when the

Griffins danced at midcourt during pregame introductions.

But, those days are gone. Instead, some skinny kid from Fullerton

College is dropping 41 points on OCC. Teams are scoring over 100 on the

defensively challenged Bucs. So now it’s believable, the five-game

winning streak was nothing more than a mirage.

Hill deceived us with the magic he made with a relatively short team.

Through the five wins, OCC outrebounded opponents and held them to less

than 40% from the field. But, now, the Bucs are playing to their level.

They have lost their swagger which can only be gained with revenge wins

over Riverside, Saddleback and Santa Ana.

In the middle of all this, OCC has received over 100 applications for

the new head men’s basketball coaching position, that includes a teaching

job.

“I’m not worried about that at this point,” said Hill who will be

among the applicants. “I just want to finish out the season strong.”

Hill has already got more out of his players than most expected. OCC

will be hard-pressed to find a better coach.

On a lighter side ...

* Last week, the Orange Coast College men’s soccer team was honored by

the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and Adidas for its

success last fall. The Pirates, who finished 19-4-4 overall, 11-2-1 in

Orange Empire Conference play, were honored as the No. 4 community

college team in the nation by the organization.

“This comes as a great surprise,” OCC Coach Laird Hayes said. “This

has never happened to us here, not even when we won state championships.

I think this speaks volumes about how hard our players and coaches worked

this season.”

The good news should bring a bit of cheer to assistants Kevin Smith

and Pat Callaghan, both who have endured trying prep soccer seasons.

Smith was virtually forced out of Huntington Beach High because he was

initially charged with violating CIF rules. He coached and trained

players that were also on his club team, which exceeded hours regulated

for the high school squad. How ridiculous.

Huntington Beach is No. 7 in Orange County with a 11-4-1 record.

Meanwhile, Callaghan has been developing young talent at Corona del

Mar. The Sea Kings are winless in the Pacific Coast League and have a

2-14-2 overall record.

“I’m encouraged for the next few years,” Callaghan said after a loss

to Costa Mesa Wednesday. CdM features seven juniors, three sophomores and

two freshmen, who have picked up much more than experience this season.

They now have a strong hate for losing.

*Coast’s cheer and dance teams brought home another national

championship after competing at the Universal Cheerleaders and Dance

Association National Championships in Orlando.

OCC is fast becoming a cheerleading and dance dynasty.

For the third straight year, the Pirates dance team took first place

and the cheer squad finished second last month.

OCC has been in the competition for the past six years, taking four

dance national championships and four cheer national championships.

So you’re probably saying that cheerleading is not a sport.

Before this past football season, why did people come to watch the

Pirates?

With the Bucs winning a conference title, it was still hard for most

to keep their eyes on the football game.

The cheerleading competition is tentatively scheduled to air Sunday on

ESPN or ESPN2, while the dance competition is tentatively scheduled on

either of the same stations on March 22.

*The OCC men’s golf team will more than likely end better than last

year’s fourth-place Orange Empire Conference finish. Already, the Pirates

have won their first two matches and fourth-year Coach Barry Wallace has

much optimism about the season ahead.

“We’re a well-balanced, close-knit group of guys,” Wallace said of his

Pirates. “Everybody seems to care about everybody else’s score.”

Wallace also said competing in the OEC will strengthen his players and

prepare them for regional and state competition. Last year, Wallace

guided four Pirates to the Southern California Championships, two of the

players return this season.

Brian Winston and Mike Akahoshi are the only sophomores on the squad.

Akahoshi medaled, Wednesday, shooting one-over 71 against Cerritos at

Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club’s Mesa Linda course.

The freshmen feature Jake Allanach, a Newport Harbor High product, and

Lou Carrasco formerly of Costa Mesa.

Wallace said Allanach is OCC’s No. 1 player and Carrasco has also been

doing very well.