Richard Yoon is coach of the year after leading Fullerton Rosary to its first state championship
Fullerton team wins first state title
For 25 seasons, Richard Yoon has gone about the task of coaching basketball at Fullerton Rosary, an all-girls school. He has never complained about his team’s being in the Trinity League, facing the likes of powerhouses Santa Ana Mater Dei and Orange Lutheran.
All he does is his best, and this season the Royals won their first state championship.
It happened at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento in the Division III final. Rosary defeated Moraga Campolindo, 62-45.
It was Rosary’s 12th consecutive victory and completed a 30-5 season that saw the Royals also win the Southern Section 2AA championship and Southern California Regional championship.
Those accomplishments helped Yoon gain selection as The Times’ girls’ basketball coach of the year.
His team finished in third place in the Trinity League and used that experience to catch fire in the postseason.
“Playing against the top teams, playing against the great coaches, it prepares you for things like this,” he said in Sacramento.
Yoon is known for having his team in great condition and challenging his players in practice.
“It was a long journey,” he said. “It was about all of us trying to get to know each other. It was all about finding that chemistry. As we went through the season, it was a process we all got to understand, what our roles are.”
Follow Eric Sondheimer on Twitter @latsondheimer
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