Tuesday Time Machine -- The 2002-03 Women's Basketball Team

We are allowed in the Carpool Lane this week as I bring in a special guest to ride shotgun in this week's Time Machine ... former OCC Sports Information Director Eric Montgomery. Eric joins us and takes us back to 2003, when the Pirate women's basketball team shocked the world!

I am honored to have a chance to hop in the passenger seat of the Tuesday Time Machine with Tony Altobelli, someone who I hope the Orange Coast College community has come to appreciate over the last few months. OCC has an incredible amount of history to celebrate, and as sports information director for 3.5 years, I was lucky enough to have a front row seat for one of its greatest stories.

The 2002-03 regular season for Mike Thornton's women's basketball team was a testament to hard work, perseverance and defense. This team did not have a "superstar" in the purest sense of the word. There were some clutch performers and performances, but this team succeeded due to its collective. The whole was certainly greater than the sum of the parts.

In my first season covering the team, I had read and heard a lot about the competitive balance of the Orange Empire Conference and the Southern California region in general. I got an eye-opening look at it during the Coast Christmas Classic when the Pirates pulled away late from Saddleback to win the championship in a tournament that also included Cerritos, El Camino and Southwestern.

A regular season conference championship was not in the cards for the Pirates after falling twice to Saddleback and losing the final two games of the regular season. The fear of losing a top-four seed hung over the team for a few days before the news came that the Pirates would enter the regional playoffs as the No. 4 seed.

A 12-day layoff before the regional opener against Cerritos helped recharge the team's batteries as the Pirates knocked off the Falcons. The regional final brought Compton and its 31-1 record to Peterson Gym. The Coast sophomores used every bit of their experience, grit and teamwork to grind out a 51-49 win and punch a ticket to the state quarterfinals in San Diego.

It's here where the story begins for me as I was thrilled to be covering a team that I had come to love watching play on the biggest stage. As a sports information director, we often work state championship events, but not always with our own teams as part of the field. There is a sense of pride in showing your colleagues your team, being able to talk about them and highlight the players who have achieved so much over the regular season.

The time had finally come for the Pirates to take the floor, playing its quarterfinal round game against Merced. I knew nothing about the Blue Devils, but I knew the Pirates were ready to play. As the teams took the floor, I saw a Coast team that was loose, but focused. If they were feeling any nerves, there were none to be seen.

The first half could not have gone much better for the Pirates, shooting over 60 percent from the floor and taking a 12-point lead into halftime. In what would become a pattern in the Jenny Craig Pavilion, the Pirates would have to fight through an offensive drought and trailed by three with 8:30 to play. Crunch time came and it belonged to the Pirates as they settled back into the rhythm of the first half and pulled away for the win.

Sitting courtside, I probably felt more anxiety than the team as the game ended. There was no huge celebration. There were some smiles, but there was also a sense of "On to the next one." The sophomores had set a clear goal of playing in the championship game, and this game was just one part of accomplishing that goal.

Standing between Coast and the championship, however, was perennial power Ventura. The orange and black clad Pirates had amassed a 33-2 record and boasted one of the best players in the state, University of Tennessee transfer and eventual Southern California Player of the Year Courtney Young. She opened the tournament with 31 points and four assists in just 28 minutes against Butte. There had been a buzz about Young since we arrived in San Diego. Her athleticism and high basketball IQ backed up that buzz.

After the game, Mike Thornton told the media that he watched a total of zero hours of tape to prepare for Ventura. The two teams had squared off back in November with Coast shocking Ventura and the community college scene with a five-point win. Thornton had his plan and he knew his players would execute that plan. No need to pull an all-nighter when you are confident in your team and tactics.

For those who didn't see the game (assuming that was almost everyone who might read this), the Pirates clogged the lane and forced Young to shoot from outside as much as possible. The strategy was aimed to limit the impact of her athleticism and give Coast a chance to limit second chance opportunities.

To the surprise of nobody who had watched Coast play that season, the plan was executed to near perfection. Ventura was held to 30 percent shooting in the first half. Young committed six turnovers in the game and was held to 18 points. But, with 13:34 to play, Liz Mendoza went down with what looked to be a sprained ankle.

Mendoza was an athletic mismatch for almost every Coast opponent. She was quick, tall, tough and could do a little of everything. The seven-point lead quickly vanished. The second half scoring drought had come. It appeared the dreams for a date with destiny may have followed Mendoza into the locker room.

The determination the team had displayed all season showed up again moments later as Mendoza reappeared and got ready to check back into the Coast lineup. It was as close to a Willis Reed moment as there was going to be, and it gave Thornton's squad the emotional lift they needed.

Meanwhile, I sat on the sidelines with my palms gushing sweat, making it almost impossible to take any notes. This was another level of nervousness. Everything was on the line. I wanted nothing more than to see this incredible group of ladies push forward and find a way to win.

Nancy Hatsushi hit a 3-pointer with 5:55 to go. The lead would remain with the blue and orange clad Pirates the rest of the way. There were plenty of heart-stopping moments down the stretch. There were endless moments watching free throw attempts. There would also be a victory and a chance to achieve the ultimate goal the following day.

There was elation and exhaustion. Thornton and his team were standing on the edge of history. They were also beat up, tired and needed a good night's sleep. "This game's over," said Thornton. "We're pretty beat up right now, but we'll do the best we can tomorrow."

The "best we can" was always going to be something special. Don't let the notoriously close-to-the-vest quotes of Mike Thornton fool you. There's no question he had to be concerned about the physical state of his team. There could be no doubt, however, about the mental determination his team would bring to the biggest games of their careers.

Yet again, the Pirates would face a team they had seen during the regular season in Contra Costa. The Comets knocked off the Pirates back in December, 69-63. For the championship game, I had the privilege of providing public address duties for the game.

Quick sidebar – I love doing public address. I had spent hours as a kid trying to mimic Michael Buffer, Jimmy Lennon Jr., John Ramsey and Lawrence Tanter. If you know who all of those are, consider me impressed.

Back to the story…

I tried to maintain my professionalism and neutrality, but I was so proud to be announcing the Coast starting lineup. It still sits as a career highlight to announce to the 1,012 in attendance – "The head coach for the Pirates is Mike Thornton."

The energy in the arena was electric. If you have never attended a game with those kinds of stakes, it's not something you can accurately describe. There is tension in the air that must be experienced to fully understand.

The championship game seemed like it provided moments for each of the Pirates to take with them as theirs to shine. Key baskets, rebounds in traffic, confident passes to set up scoring plays. It was another win that exemplified team.

There was one Pirate that led the charge, however. As friendly as she was off the court, Nancy Hatsushi had a look on her face that would have forced the toughest player on any championship team to take notice.

She hit five 3-pointers in the game on just six attempts. All of them seemed to kill momentum for the Comets. All of them looked good the moment they left her hand. College basketball championships are won with great point guard play and the Pirates received a championship-winning performance from theirs on this day.

There was an early 12-point lead. There was a second-half scoring drought. There were a few anxious moments in the final moments. After seeing this movie each of the previous two days, there was no doubt that the Pirates were going to drive home that night as champions.

Two free throws by Lauren Murray with 28 seconds left provided a 63-58 lead. The nerves left me. I started preparing the postgame script to announce the Orange Coast College Pirates as the 2003 California Community College Council on Athletics women's basketball state champions.

Hatsushi was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player. There was no discussion among the staff and media members on press row. She dominated the game and set the tone for the Pirates. I cherished every moment after the game, announcing the name of each player and the coaching staff.

The moment came for the team to receive its trophy and its coronation to be completed. The players hugged. They cried. They jumped up and down. They had looks of disbelief and ultimate achievement. Many of them were speechless. For the sophomores, a two-year journey had come to a triumphant end.

For me, it was the realization of something special. I had been part of the Coast family for eight months. I was still learning the history of the school, the women's basketball program and the players who were the characters in this great story. I was living through what was likely the greatest moment in program history.

I think about that team quite a bit, especially without live sports to consume. I think about Mike Thornton and one of his kids exclaiming, "This is the greatest day in the history of our family!" I think about a dedicated team who checked their egos at the door and stuck together, forming one of the greatest teams I have worked with.

Thanks for joining me in the Time Machine, and thanks to Tony for the opportunity to share my memories. They are admittedly a little foggy after over 15 years, but I clearly remember enjoying that season as much as almost any other in 20 years working in college athletics.