Coasters: Here come the Bucs

Steve Virgen

The Orange Coast College women’s basketball team is so good it

deserves a special nickname.

The Young Guns.

The fearless Pirates, who feature 11 freshmen, four of whom start,

including floor leader Nancy Hatsushi, are the favorites to win the

Orange Empire Conference this season. Sophomore Kyra Melville a.k.a “Kyra

the Kid,” is just as young as her teammates. She hardly played a

significant role last season. Now she is the team’s inspirational leader

and she also sets the tone for the Pirates.

But if you’re looking for a go-to player on this team you won’t find

it. With OCC, it’s about picking your poison.

Ranked 10th in the state, OCC has relied on its depth and defense to

build a 14-4 record and on Wednesday the Pirates opened the OEC season

with a 66-42 rout of Golden West.

“We’ve had chances to win because of our defense,” OCC Coach Mike

Thornton said. “Because we sub a lot, we can play a lot more full court

(defense).”

Aside from the youth, the most surprising aspect of Thornton’s team is

that it has yet to peak. While team chemistry has been solid this season,

the Pirates are still getting to know each other.

OCC’s inexperience and the competition of the OEC won’t let the

Pirates run away with the title. Thornton said the OEC title is a

three-team race, including OCC, last year’s champion Santa Ana and a

balanced Fullerton squad. However, Riverside might be in the mix as well.

“It’s as balanced as I can remember,” Thornton said of the OEC. “There

are seven teams that can beat each other on any given night. Cypress and

Riverside are talented enough to beat any of the teams. It’s going to be

about who plays well and who can go through without any slumps or

injuries.”

Freshman Nicole Grady is a 6-foot forward whose strength is her post

moves, but she has been sick of late and nursing a sore ankle.

Fortunately, the Pirates have more than just one weapon. They have

Hatsushi, who produces intense defense and great ball-handling on

offense.

Lindsey Galasso, Hatsushi’s backcourt mate, is a streaky shooter, who

can also drive to the basket with aggression. Lauren Murray, a 6-1

freshman, controls the paint and she’s athletic enough to run on a fast

break, while forwards Melville and Candice Quiroz complete the attack

“Nancy is playing very well,” Thornton said. “She’s like a coach on

the floor. And Liz Mendoza has been big for us down the stretch. I

wouldn’t trade our chances with anyone else. I like our team. We’re going

to get better. If we’re fortunate, everyone comes back next season.”

Meanwhile, the OCC men’s team is contrary to that of Thornton’s squad.

Coach Steve Spencer’s Pirates will either be an unknown, scrappy type

that pulls off an upset every now and then or will be the

second-to-the-last team in the OEC. I choose the latter.

However, Spencer, in his first year, has been guiding the Pirates

(4-11) to steady improvement throughout the pre-conference schedule and

to an 83-76 win over Golden West to open OEC play.

“We’re playing better,” Spencer said. “We have definitely improved.

We’re looking forward to conference. We have a good focus of what we want

to do defensively. The guys are working hard and they have stayed

together. They are a good bunch of guys. I think we are a better

basketball team than our record indicates.”

The Pirates are led by sophomore guard Ryan Webster, who was picked as

a preseason All-OEC player. Sophomore forward Andre Hamlin, who was

leading the team in rebounding, is out for the season with a groin

injury. But sophomores Rich Oliver and Mark Meyers have been more than

just substitutes.

Saddleback is the conference favorite and should have no problem

repeating as OEC champion. The Gauchos feature a formidable backcourt in

sophomores Alan Batiste and Mark Brown, last year’s OEC Player of the

Year who will play for Utah State next season.

Spencer said he is prepared and anxious for the rest of the OEC

season.

“It’s been a good learning process,” Spencer said of his first year

thus far. “I have a long way to go. I’ll be a much better coach five

years from now. I’m enjoying my time right now. I have good assistant

coaches. Obviously, you like to win some more games, but I think we have

a chance to surprise some people.”Both OCC squads will play today at

Irvine Valley with the men facing the Lasers at 5:30 p.m. and the women

at 7:30.