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- Year:
- 1989-2018
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- Sports Played:
- Women's Basketball Coach
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- Induction Year:
- 2023
Bio
When it comes to consistency, there are few coaches in the history of OCC Athletics that can compare to longtime head coach Mike Thornton. Leading the OCC women’s basketball program for 29 seasons, Thornton compiled a record of 584-333 (.637). Over that 29-year span, Thornton’s Pirates advanced to the postseason an incredible 23 times. Fifteen different times, the Pirates won 20-or-more games, including five State Elite Eight appearances and three State Final Four appearances. Thornton’s 2002-03 team reached the top of the mountain and captured the school’s lone women’s basketball state championship with a 69-61 win over Contra Costa College, winning a school-record 31 games that season. Close to 100 players who played for Thornton – including 16 All-State players -- continued their basketball careers at four-year colleges and universities across the country. His legacy was forever cemented by the California Community College Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) when they inducted Thornton into their Hall of Fame in 2019.
