Mustangs strong off the bench

Chris Yemma

The biggest improvement for the Costa Mesa High girls basketball team

this season can be found on the bench, the whole bench.

The team is counting on its depth to be a big advantage against

opponents this season.

“This will be the first season in a long time where we can go down

pretty far in the lineup and not lose much,” Costa Mesa Coach Jim

Weeks said. “We can go eight players deep without losing anything.”

With 14 total team members, the bench is going to be packed full.

The Mustangs lost five seniors from last season, and will have just

two this season, but Weeks is counting on the depth to play a

considerable factor. And with the depth, the pine may get a little

worn, but the players should be fresh.

The Mustangs will also benefit from the leadership of senior

co-captains Bethany Vergara and Heather Cluff. The Mustangs will do

without Vergara’s sister, Brittany, a senior last season for Mesa.

But standing about three inches taller than her sister, Bethany

should be able to fill in.

“Bethany and Tracy [Bjelland] are two people that have a great

shot,” Weeks said. “Both can also penetrate to the basket well.”

Weeks said Bjelland is their best three-point shooter and will be

coming off the bench. But this season, he said, the team will not be

shooting as many threes.

“We came close to a record last season,” Weeks said. “We had over

600 three-point attempts.”

Despite the team not going to the three-point shot as much, the

Mustangs are going to rely more on outside shooting than the inside

game, Weeks said. The team is quicker and more athletic this year, he

said, and players have been practicing and coming together as a team

all summer.

When the team does go inside, sophomore Jennifer Courtney or

senior Venise Enesi are going to be there. Enesi is the tallest

player on the team at 5-foot-11.

Weeks said their record this season could be anywhere from 12-12

to 20-6, depending on how they perform in close games. Ocean View is

expected to be the favorite in the Golden West League, but any number

of teams could lead the chase pack.

Costa Mesa, 11-14 last season, has made the CIF Southern Section

the last 15 seasons, the longest current streak among Newport-Mesa

basketball teams, boys or girls.

But one of the main goals the team has this season is to reclaim

the prized bell that Estancia has kept in its possession the last

three years.