Girls basketball: Thompson steadies Sailors

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Newly hired head coach Jen Thompson brings a CIF

Southern Section shooting record, youth and enthusiasm to the Newport

Harbor High girls basketball program. More importantly, however, the

former Culver City High and Cal Poly Pomona sharpshooter plans to bring

stability.

“The first question the players asked was whether I was going to be

here for a while,” said Thompson, who replaces Glenn Albios to become the

program’s sixth coach in the last five seasons. “I told them I wanted to

be around for years.”

Thompson, 26, was a lower-level assistant for two seasons at

Woodbridge from 1998-00, then was hired as a social science teacher at

Newport Harbor last year.

“I told (Sailors Girls Athletic Director) Fletcher Olson I was

interested in helping out with the basketball program, but they needed a

varsity coach and I decided to accept the challenge,” Thompson said.

The former Jen Nakanishi set the section career record for

three-pointers (277) at Culver City, where she was a three-time All-CIF

performer.

At Cal Poly Pomona, she was twice named second-team All-California

Collegiate Athletic Association and set the school single-season standard

for three-pointers (69) that has since been broken.

Thompson considers Cal Poly Coach Paul Thomas her primary mentorand

her main emphasis with the Tars will be on fundamentals and effort.

A third of the way through their summer schedule, the Sailors are 1-2,

including a 36-30 victory over reigning Sea View League champion Irvine

Monday.

“We’re going to run and be in shape and we will be pressing,” said

Thompson, who lives in Laguna Hills. “From what I’ve seen, I know our

girls want to win and they have a lot of potential. And I told them I

hate to lose.”

Thompson is being assisted by Zach Zukovsky and has been working with

about 15 players since the summer session began June 25.

The Sailors went 2-22 last year, 4-23 the year before and have lost 16

straight Sea View League games, 13 straight overall. They will be led

next season by returning second-team all-league and All-Newport-Mesa

District performer Evita Castillo (8.5 points per game), as well as

returners Athena Vasquez and Jillianne Whitfield.