Bio

Mike Thornton returns for his 26th year as the head of the OCC women's basketball program. He has been the most successful coach in Pirate history after guiding Coast to a 542-263 record and 21 postseason appearances over the past 25 years.

The 2013-14 season was perhaps one of Thornton's most impressive as he helped lead a team of just seven full-time players into the second round of the Southern California Regional playoffs as the Pirates finished the year 19-11.

Thornton earned his 500th career win in the Pirates’ season-opening win over Cuesta College in 2011. In 2011, OCC finished with an overall record of 24-9 and qualified for the state playoffs for the 20th time in 23 years. The 2011 Pirates advanced to the regional championship game where they lost a three-point decision to OEC-rival Cypress College. The Pirates had defeated the Chargers in both OEC games, each by one point. By advancing to the regional finals, it marked the Pirates’ sixth appearance in the state's Elite Eight. Thornton's teams at OCC have advanced to the state's Elite Eight six times.

The 2007-08 season saw the Pirates win a second consecutive OEC championship. Following the Pirates’ undefeated conference season in 2007, it was the first time OCC had won back-to-back conference titles. His 2003 Pirate team captured the CCCAA State Championship, which was also the first state title in school history.

Thornton began his coaching career at Santa Ana High School in 1970, where he was the varsity boys head coach for the Saints from 1973 to 1975. In 1975, Thornton moved to Marina High School, where he served as Steve Popovich's No.1 assistant with the boys program until 1987. Popovich is now Thornton's assistant at Coast. In 1980.

Thornton was named the head girls’ coach at Marina. He did double duty coaching both the boys and girls from 1980 through 1987. He finished his last two years at Marina coaching only the girls’ team in 1988 and ‘89.

After building one of the stronger girls’ programs in Orange County at Marina, he left to take over as the head coach at OCC in 1989 and has remained in that position ever since.

Thornton is an avid sports fan. He is passionate about his four favorite teams -- the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago Cubs on the professional level and The University of Illinois and Stanford University on the collegiate level. His favorite team of all, of course, is the Orange Coast Pirate team that he coaches.

In a previous life, Thornton played basketball and baseball at Cal State Stanislaus and is the only person in school history to captain both teams in his senior year. He was a late-round draft choice of the Montreal Expos in the 1969 Major League Baseball draft prior to them becoming the Washington Nationals.

Thornton's greatest sense of pride is in his family. Oldest son Brian is a graduate of UC Irvine and was a member of the USA Olympic Volleyball Team that participated in the 2012 London Olympics before retiring from volleyball in 2013. He, along with teammate David Smith, are the only two men’s volleyball players from UCI to ever play in the Olympic games.  Thornton says, "Seeing Brian play in the Olympics is the greatest thrill of my life other than the birth of my three kids.” Brian was a two-time, All-American setter at UCI and lead the Anteaters to their first NCAA title in 2007. He played professionally in Europe for four years and is currently working in an advertising agency in Costa Mesa as a writer.

His younger son, Keith, is a graduate of UC Irvine where he was an art major. Keith's ultimate passion is song-writing and performing. He hopes to eventually have a future in the music world. Currently he is the lead singer of a local rock band called Rubber Bean which plays in clubs throughout south Orange County. Keith is also a full-time employee of the Nike/Hurley Corporation in Costa Mesa. Keith was an outstanding volleyball player at San Clemente HS and at OCC prior to attending UCI.

Daughter Kelsey is currently in her junior year at UCI where she is a member of the Anteater women's water polo team. As a sophomore, Kelsey earned lots of playing time on last year's team that won its second straight Big-West Conference title and finished sixth nationally. She was a first-team, Division-II, All-CIF selection for four years at San Clemente HS and led her team to the D-II CIF championship in 2011 -- the only CIF water polo title in school history. Kelsey has twice been named to a first-team AAU All-American teams in the past four years. She hopes to be the third member of her family to eventually earn a diploma from UCI where she is an art major.

Coach Thornton resides in Cypress with his wife Di Anne. 

HEAD ASSISTANT COACH - VALERIE KATAYAMA

Valerie is in her fourth season as a full-time assistant in the Pirate program. "She was an invaluable member of our staff from the day she started here," Coach Thornton said. “Val is very cerebral and a tireless worker. She also has a great sense of humor which is extremely important when working for me.

One of several former OCC players-turned-coaches, Val was an All-OEC selection in 2006 and served as one of the tri-captains of the Pirates’ 2006 State Final Four team. That team won 30 games which is the second-highest single season victory mark in school history.

Katayama went on to star at the University of Redlands in 2007 and ‘08. After completing her playing career, Val served as the graduate assistant coach at Redlands while she completed her Master's Degree.

Valerie's role in the Pirate program has expanded to become the team's head assistant coach. Her responsibilities will include the position of defensive co-ordinator as well as being in charge of the team's strength and conditioning program. Off the court, Val is a part-time instructor at OCC and is also part of the athletic department as the school's facilities coordinator.

“The goal for the Pirate program is to keep Valerie around for a long, long time,” Thornton said. “She is a very valuable addition to the staff. I told Val that I have a few more years in me and that I want her with me as long as I am fortunate enough to be the head coach. She's also my most valuable coaching partner in the very important 3rd half of every game."

ASSISTANT COACH - ALYSSA HANSON

Back for her second season, Alyssa is the eighth former OCC player who played for Coach Thornton and then has returned to become an assistant coach in the Pirate program. Alyssa was one of the co-captains of the 2011 Coast team that finished second in the Orange Empire Conference and advanced to the Southern California Regional Championship game. They were the last Pirate team to make an appearance in the state's "Elite Eight".

Hanson was a first-team, All-OEC selection in her sophomore year an earned a scholarship to D-II Cal State Los Angeles, where she had an outstanding career. She was also selected as the team captain of her team at CSULA in her senior season and graduated this past June with honors. She is currently in graduate school while pursuing a secondary teaching credential along with eventually earning her Master's degree.

While at OCC, Hanson was selected to the California JC All-State Academic Team in 2010 after compiling an overall GPA of 4.0 in her two years at Coast. She continued her tremendous academic record at CSULA, where she received the highest academic award and scholarship given to an athlete at the school in 2012.

Alyssa will be working with Val and Mike on the offensive and defensive aspects of the game and she's also taken over the team's academic program.

“I'm extremely excited to have Alyssa become part of our staff this season, Thornton said. “Since she completed her career at OCC, Alyssa and I have developed a very close relationship. She fits into the same category of Val and Teeya, who all were tremendously competitive athletes in their careers at Coast. All three were also great leaders as players and have developed into fantastic young coaches. The goal is for Alyssa to become a full-time member of our coaching staff next year after she completes her academic work at CSULA."

Hanson will be involved in all aspects of coaching this year as she assists all of the other coaches. "I am truly excited about Alyssa's future as a coach," Thornton said. "I really feel like she has everything you need to have a long and great career in this profession.”