‘Tis the season

A third of the time Orange Coast College has hosted the Coast

Christmas Classic, the Pirates have come out winners.

The Coast women’s team will attempt to win the tournament for a

fifth time in 13 years when play begins Friday. The Pirates face

Chaffey in the last game of the day at 7:30 p.m. in Peterson Gym.

Other teams competing in this weekend’s tournament include Cuesta,

Southwestern, Cerritos, Saddleback, El Camino and San Diego Mesa.

Coast (9-3) has defeated Cuesta and San Diego Mesa this season

while losing to Cerritos, who beat the Bucs for the tournament

championship a year ago.

The Pirates face Southwestern again Jan. 4, and will face

Saddleback twice in Orange Empire Conference play later further down

the road.

In 12 years of the Christmas Classic, Coast has compiled a 25-8

record, last winning the tournament crown in 2000. OCC defeated

Cerritos in consecutive years to win the Christmas Classic

(‘99-2000).

Sophomore Liz Mendoza leads the Pirates in scoring average (13.2)

with freshman Alisa Carrillo right behind her at 13 followed by

All-OEC and All-Southern California selection last season, Nancy

Hatsushi (9.5). Hatsushi leads the team in assists, averaging 5.8 per

game. Mendoza averages 2.3 steals per game (27 total).

Carrillo leads the Bucs with 57.8% field-goal shooting and paces

the team with 36 offensive rebounds.

Sophomore center Lauren Murray has grabbed a team-leading 87

rebounds and amassed 14 blocks this season

OCC has outscored its opponents an average of 64.2 to 53.4, and

has hit 29 more three-point baskets (68) than its opponents.

*

More Coast football players have declared where they are

transferring to, Head Coach Mike Taylor said this week.

* Offensive guard Keola Loo, who earned third-team All-American

honors this season, plans to transfer to Rose Bowl-bound Washington

State pending his fall semester grades. Fellow lineman Patrick Afif

committed to Washington State earlier this week. Cougar Athletic

Director Jim Sterk Wednesday named 14-year WSU assistant Bill Doba

head coach after Mike Price took the vacant head-coaching position at

Alabama.

* Center Ed Fane has his eyes set on the University of

Louisiana-Lafayette, a Division I-A school, after taking a trip last

weekend and can transfer mid-year.

* Defensive tackle Kyle Westman, who played for Coast in 2001

before rupturing a hamstring during the summer causing him to miss

the entire season this fall, will play for Eastern Michigan with

three years of eligibility remaining.

* Linebacker Dan Steinau, who finished fourth on the team with 63

tackles and had seven tackles for losses and is a two-time

All-Mission Conference selection, has committed to Western Michigan

and will transfer in January.

* Running back Niles Mittasch, who took first-team All-Mission

Conference honors after garnering second-team accolades a year ago,

finished his two-year Coast career with 1,849 rushing yards and 11

TD’s on the ground.

The Oregon native will transfer back to his hometown to finish his

two-year college studies at Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore.

Boise State and Texas-El Paso have expressed interest in Mittasch,

Taylor said.

* Offensive tackle Stephen Herring, the Pirates’ academic Most

Valuable Player, according to Taylor, received All-America honorable

mention this season and has visited Liberty University in Lynchburg,

Va.

The sophomore has also planned a trip to Wagner College in New

York City and has received interest from William & Mary, also in

Virginia.