Deep Mustangs are the league favorites

Talk about being deep.

At any given time, Costa Mesa High Coach Jim Weeks can go to his bench and replace his starting lineup.

“I won’t lose much either,” Weeks said. “This is by far my deepest team, and none of my other teams during my 15 years at Costa Mesa can match our depth.”

Neither can the rest of the area’s four other girls’ basketball teams, Estancia, Corona del Mar, Newport Harbor and Sage Hill.

Costa Mesa boasts enough talent to start two teams, making a third-place team out of the Golden West League the favorite to win its new league, the Orange Coast.

The Mustangs aren’t the most heralded players to suit up at Costa Mesa. That honor belongs to the 1992-93 team, which played in the CIF State Division III finals.

But unlike that team, Costa Mesa isn’t relying on just one player.

“We don’t have stars, like an Olivia DiCamilli,” said Weeks of the former CIF Southern Section Division III Player of the Year who led the Mustangs to the state title game and their best record (29-5) in school history before playing at San Diego State. “Olivia used to be Orange County’s all-time leading scorer with (2,220 career points), and I don’t have a prolific scorer like her.

“But what I do have is 10 players who can contribute at any given time.”

Weeks also has a point guard good enough to distribute the ball to those players.

Michelle Figueroa returns after sitting out last year with a knee injury. The junior’s quickness and good vision should keep a program losing four starters to graduation balanced.

The lone returning starter off a team going 12-15 overall, 7-5 in league, and getting eliminated in the first round of the Division III-A playoffs is senior Jennifer Courtney. And, at 5-foot-6 Courtney’s probably the county’s shortest center.

“She’s our Charles Barkley,” said Weeks of the former NBA great, who at 6-6 played power forward. “She’s someone who makes up for her lack of size with her tenacious play.”

Courtney’s toughness won her the starting spot over two bigger players, 6-foot junior Jasmine Werdel and 5-8 senior Nikki Brannon. The trio rotated at center last year, and this year Brannon will start at forward and Werdel, along with 5-10 senior Ana Gutierrez, will spell Courtney and Brannon.

At the other guard spots are junior Kathy Trinh and sophomore Amy Gentling. Both are solid shooters, but the Mustangs best outside threat comes off the bench, Denise Rosello.

“She gives the bigger players space to maneuver, because [teams] have to respect her three-point shot,” said Weeks, who has two other reliable guards coming off the bench in Antoinette Langmos and Miriah Malapira. “We’re going to try to run every single time because we’re deep enough.”

Deep enough to run the opposition into the ground.