Bio

One of the “veterans” on the Orange Coast College Athletic Department, head coach Steve Spencer starts his 13th season in charge of the Pirate men's basketball program.

In 2006-07, Spencer not only led the Pirates back into the playoffs for the second straight season, helped guide his club to the school’s first playoff win in 20 years with a 70-67 win over L.A. Southwest College. With a 17-15 record, it was the fourth year out of the previous five, and third straight, that the Pirates finished with a winning record.

Spencer helped guide the Pirates to one of the best seasons in recent memory in 2005-06. OCC finished with a 22-11 overall record, a second-place finish in the Orange Empire Conference standings and a playoff berth.

Nine seasons ago, Spencer led the Pirates to a 13-win turnaround, posting a 20-13 record that included a Southern California Regional playoff appearance.

Spencer came to Orange Coast before the 2001-02 season after a five-year stint as an assistant coach at UCLA under Steve Lavin. During his time on the Bruins' bench, Spencer helped UCLA to three "Sweet 16" appearances as well as the 1997 Pac-10 championship when the team advanced to the “Elite 8”.

Prior to joining his former high school teammate Lavin at UCLA, Spencer was an assistant coach from 1994-96 for the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian National Basketball League. He was also the head coach of the North Adelaide Rockets club team in 1995-96.

Spencer began his collegiate coaching career in 1989 at NCAA Division III power Cal Lutheran. During his five years as an assistant in the Kingsmen program, he guided the team to three conference titles and two Division III Sweet 16 appearances. During the 1993 season, the Kingsmen held the #1 ranking in the Division III poll for several weeks.

His coaching career got its start at his alma mater, Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, CA where he was the assistant varsity and head junior varsity coach from 1985-89. Spencer also was the commissioner of the NIKE/ARC Spring Basketball League in Marin City from 1987-89.

Spencer has been very active in the offseason running basketball camps. He is the former coaching director of the UCLA Basketball Camps as well as the former lead clinician of the Lavin, Dunlap, Pump and Shot Doctor Camps, the Magic Johnson and Pirate Basketball Camps.

A standout guard at Sir Francis Drake from 1976-78, Spencer was named first-team all-league, team captain and team MVP for his efforts during the 1977-78 season. He moved on to play at the College of Marin from 1979-81, twice earning Best Defensive honors as well as all-league recognition in 1980-81. He then transferred to Sonoma State, where he played guard during the 1983-84 season.

Spencer earned his A.A. degree in science from the College of Marin in 1981, in the process being awarded the Male Scholar/Athlete Dr. Harry Hensler Scholarship. His B.A. in physical education came next, completing that in 1985 at Sonoma State. He obtained his teaching credential with a physical education and biology supplement the following year, then earned his M.A. in counseling and guidance from Cal Lutheran in 1993.

An accomplished writer, Spencer has had several articles published by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and in Winning Hoops magazine.

Spencer, born April 24, 1960 in San Francisco, is single and is a physical education instructor at Orange Coast.

ASSISTANT COACH -- YEE TRAN

After spending a season away from Pirate Country two years ago, Duy Tran returns to the Coast coaching staff for a 11th season.

Following a five-year run at OCC, Tran took his coaching talents to Metro State, where he helped the team to a 19-12 overall record.

Six seasons ago, Tran was a key teaching component for the Pirates, who won their first playoff game in 20 years with a 70-67 win over L.A. Southwest.

Tran took over the starting point guard duties midway through the 2001-02 season and averaged just under two assists per game in Orange Empire Conference play. As a scorer, he notched a career-high 13 points against Riverside and after the season, Tran won the “Team Hustle Award” for the Pirates.

As a high school standout, Tran won the Jason Ferguson Memorial Scholarship, while attending Costa Mesa HS. In his prep career, Tran was an all-league honorable mention selection as well as the 1999 senior captain for the Mustangs.

With nine years of coaching experience, Tran began his coaching career as an assistant coach at CMHS under head coach Bob Serven.

Tran graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Child Development. His main responsibilities on the Coast coaching staff include recruiting player development, scouting, community engagement and fundraising.

Tran is single and resides in Newport Beach. In addition to his coaching duties, Tran also teaches preschool on campus at the Harry & Grace Steele’s Children’s Center.

ASSISTANT COACH -- STEVE TAMANAHA

From 2002-08, Tamanaha was an assistant at Saddleback College and from 1995-2001, he worked with the men’s hoops program at Golden West College.

A familiar face on campus, Tamanaha is the Director of EOPS-Student Services at Coast.

Tamanaha’s main duties on the coaching staff will be scouting and technique work with the players.

Steve and his wife, Carol, have one daughter, Robyn (25) and the couple resides in Irvine. In his spare time, Tamanaha enjoys kayaking, outrigger canoeing and reading historical novels.

With two decades of coaching experience to draw from, Guy Perry brings additional basketball knowledge to the Pirate bench for his fifth season at Orange Coast.

A long-time assistant coach and Inglemoor High School in Kenmore WA, Perry served as director of Inglemoor Boys Select Basketball. For eight years, he led youth and high school basketball programs, youth basketball clinics and 50+ camps at the Pro Sports Club in Bellevue, WA. Among the programs run by Perry included the annual Fred Brown Holiday Camp. In addition to his clinics and camps, Perry also coached at Seattle Prep as well as Bellevue Community College.

Also, Guy is co-founder and co-director of Family Sports Life Today with former NBA coach Tom Newell, which is a non-profit resource for youth coaches, parents and players.

Guy and his wife, Sandra, reside in Costa Mesa and the couple has two kids, Diondra and Sean. In his spare time, Guy enjoys listening to music, watching films, being outside and spending time with this family in the Bay Area.

Returning to the OCC coaching staff for his second season of duty is Demetrius Cash.

Prior to his coaching career, Cash was a standout player at Fairfax High School. From there, he started his own entertainment company, CP Enterprises, at the age of 19.

In addition to coaching at Coast, Cash has been a youth sports coach for the past six years.

Cash’s wife, Jillian Whistler, is an employee at OCC’s Harry and Grace Steele Children’s Center.

Cash has five children and he and his family reside in Newport Beach.