HIGH SCHOOLS:

For Costa Mesa High girls’ basketball coach Jim Weeks, it has been 16 seasons full of memories as head coach of the Mustangs.

The last memory wasn’t so pleasant. The Mustangs suffered an upset, losing, 60-56, to St. Matthias in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV-AA playoffs Saturday night.

That was it for Weeks, 59, who announced last week that he will be retiring from coaching. He said he will continue teaching math at Costa Mesa High.

But, tough losses aside, Weeks said it has been a joy to coach this year’s Mustangs. Many of the players were around last year when the Mustangs advanced all the way to the Division IV-AA championship game.

“This was a great team for my last year,” Weeks said Saturday night. “They played with such heart and such effort.”

Weeks gestured to senior point guard Michelle Figueroa, standing nearby.

“You’ve got a warrior standing right here who wouldn’t quit, and nobody else would quit,” he said. “You can’t ask for more. They kept me energized, kept me showing up every day and wanting to coach. It’s a special group of girls. The seniors are pretty special.”

Other seniors on the Mustangs were guards Kathy Trinh, Denise Rosello and Antoinette Langmos, forward Tatiana Caicedo and center Jasmine Werdel.

Weeks, who has been coaching for 36 years, was the Mustangs’ head man from 1986 to 1992 before returning in ’97. Along the way, Mesa won the 1990 CIF Southern Section Division 3-A championship, also winning CIF in 1993 when Weeks was gone pursuing his master’s degree in math at Cal State Fullerton.

Weeks said his plan is to formally retire as soon as possible, to ensure a smooth transition. Although the job will be open to applications, Weeks’ preferred choice is current assistant coach Evelyn Johnson, who has been his assistant for six years and also played at Costa Mesa in the late 1990s.

Then known as Evelyn Powers, she was a first-team All-Pacific Coast League player, helping Costa Mesa advance to the CIF semifinals in her senior year of 1999.

FORMER STARS SHINE

This week, as the Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar girls’ water polo teams are chasing CIF section titles, alumni of each school are busy showing their skills at the next level as the college women’s water polo season has begun.

Rivalries can remain, Back Bay or not. Both No. 1-ranked UCLA and No. 3 USC have former Sailors and Sea Kings on their roster. UCLA, the three-time defending national champion, features CdM alumna Brittany Fullen.

Fullen, a junior goalie for the Bruins, had started all 12 of their games through Saturday’s win over Cal State Northridge. She’s totaled 84 saves for the undefeated UCLA squad (12-0). UCLA also has junior driver Anne Belden, who played for Newport Harbor. Belden, who played in all 66 of the Bruins’ games her first two years, had four goals through Saturday.

USC, meanwhile, has junior driver Jordan Anae and her younger sister, sophomore goalie Tumua Anae, who were both former Corona del Mar standouts. The Trojans also include sophomore driver Kally Lucas (Newport Harbor) and freshman driver Katie Indvik (Corona del Mar).

Through Saturday, goalie Tumua Anae had 47 saves in five games played for the Trojans (5-2). Jordan Anae has seven goals, while Lucas is third on the team with 10 goals.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.