Kahawai steps down at Estancia

Estancia High will have three new coaches in place for its major boys’ sports in the upcoming school year. That’s because the Eagles’ basketball coaching position is open after Scott Kahawai resigned on July 9.

Agustin Heredia, who was an assistant last year and a former Estancia standout (Class of 1990), is the interim coach for the summer and he said he will apply for the opening.

He’ll try to become the third basketball coach within the past four seasons and yet another new head man of a major sport for the upcoming school year. Estancia hired Mike Bargas to coach the football team in March, but is looking for a new coach to lead the baseball squad.

Brian Barnes, the former Eagles’ football coach, left for a higher profile job at Tesoro. Former baseball coach CK Green stepped down because of time constraints. Kahawai had just grown plain frustrated with the program.

“There were a lot of circumstances that led to [the resignation]; a lot of frustration,” said Kahawai, who was hired last summer when Jason Simco left after two seasons. “I realized it was going to continue, going into next season. They are young. Coupling that with the frustration, I thought it was going to take a toll on me so I decided to step away.”

Kahawai will remain a social science teacher at Estancia. He said he is disappointed to leave the program. Nevertheless, he wanted to make the move now so the school could move forward and hire a new coach, he said.

The problem for Kahawai stemmed from a tumultuous season. The Eagles went 2-21, 0-9 in the Orange Coast League. The situation with their star player, Blake Pinto, also added to the down year. During the season, Pinto was removed from the team per Kahawai’s decision, who said it was because of a personal matter.

The senior eventually came back on the team. But the Eagles continued to lose.

“That season took a toll on me,” Kahawai said in a phone interview Wednesday. “We had a talented team, granted it was volatile. Trying to deal with the aftermath of that season, it felt like I was pushing a huge boulder up a hill and it got tougher and tougher as time went on.”

Into the second week of practice, Kahawai said he had reached a boiling point. He began the July 9 practice telling the Estancia players he would no longer be their coach.

Athletic director Tim Parsel offered the interim position to Heredia and he seized the opportunity. He couldn’t turn it down because Estancia is close to his heart, he said.

“I truly wanted to make sure the kids didn’t lose out in the summer,” Heredia said. “I wanted to make sure they continued to have a positive experience and that there was no fall-off with Scott leaving.”

Parsel said Heredia has the inside track for the job, obviously because he’s the interim and also because of his ties to the school.

Affectionately known as “Guty,” Heredia helped lead the Eagles to a CIF section title in his senior year, 1989-90. He was named MVP. He was known for his hustle as a 5-foot-11 point guard.

He went on to play at Orange Coast College and Concordia, competing two years at each of the schools.

For six years, he coached high-school aged players at the Eastbluff Boys and Girls Club. Last year, he entered the Newport-Mesa School District as a teacher. He teaches physical education at TeWinkle Intermediate.

Heredia, 35, has never been a high school head coach, but his love for the game and coaching is evident. Last year, he was the Eagles’ varsity assistant. He commuted to Costa Mesa from his home in Fallbrook, about 140 miles round trip. Some days he would spend the night at his parents’ house in Costa Mesa.

“I don’t think people understand my passion for [basketball],” said Heredia, who is married to Kimberly and they have a 5-year-old son, Christian.

Heredia said he was surprised by Kahawai’s decision, but he understood his plight.

“He was in a tough spot,” Heredia said. “Unfortunately it didn’t work out for him. We wish him nothing but the best. We certainly don’t want him or anyone to experience what happened last year.”

Heredia said the fact that Estancia is still rebuilding won’t keep him from wanting the job.

He still remembers the glory days at Estancia, the CIF title in his senior year and the Eagles winning the CIF Division III state championship the following year.

He’s not there now to restore that glory necessarily, he said, only to instill the passion that was displayed during that time.

” … Trying to get back to playing the right way, playing with a sense of urgency and passion is what I hope people will see if I’m chosen,” he said.

The Eagles play in two games today. They start the day out at Century High, facing Edison at 2:30 p.m. and then at 9 p.m. in the Liberty Christian tournament.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or at steve.virgen@latimes.com.