Pirates hire Henry Nguyen as new women's basketball coach
COSTA MESA -- After a brief two-year departure, Henry Nguyen returns home to Orange Coast College after being selected as the new head coach for the women's basketball program, according to Athletics Director, Jason Kehler.
"We're very excited to welcome Henry back to the department and see where he takes this program," Kehler said about Nguyen. "He was integral to our last two state championships in 2023 and 2024, so having him at the helm just made too much sense."
Nguyen, a former OCC men's basketball player from 2013-2015, comes back to OCC after spending the past two seasons as the head women's basketball coach at College of the Desert. Last season, his Roadrunners improved by seven wins from his first year (12-14) and his squad earned a pair of All-Inland Empire Athletic Conference selections, with sophomore guard Giovanna Espinoza and freshman forward Mia Aceituno.
Before going to COD, Nguyen was an assistant coach for the Pirates for three seasons under the guidance of former skipper, Sammy Doucette, who left OCC after this past season to become the new head coach at Cal State Fullerton. During those three years, the Pirates earned three playoff appearances, a pair of Orange Empire Conference titles and back-to-back 3C2A State Championships in 2022-23 (32-1) and 2023-24 (30-3).
"Returning to OCC is a full-circle moment for me," Nguyen said. "This institution took a chance on me as both a player and a coach. Coach (Steve) Spencer believed in me as a student-athlete, and Coach Sammy gave me the opportunity to grow as an assistant coach. Those experiences helped shape me into the leader I am today. OCC has always felt like home, and every time I leave, life seems to bring me back. Now, I have the opportunity to lead a program that invested in me, and my goal is to give our student-athletes the same belief, support, and opportunities that were given to me."
Beyond the wins and losses during his time at COD, Nguyen turned the women's basketball program and the program's culture around in just two short years. After COD canceled its 2023-24 season, two years later, the Roadrunners had the best season the program had seen in over 20 years, leading the state in 3-pointers made per game (10.3) and second in the state in total 3's made (269). Most importantly, Nguyen helped mentor six sophomores who all graduated from COD in the spring and for the first time since 2018-19, a COD player will be competing at the four-year level with Espinoza heading to the University of La Verne in the fall.
"I coach with a lot of energy and passion, and I try to create an environment where players feel supported, empowered, and challenged to grow," Nguyen said. "Basketball is one of the greatest teachers in life, so I want our program to help develop confidence, leadership, and accountability that extends beyond the court. My athletes would say that I genuinely cared about them as people, invested in their success, and challenged them to become the best versions of themselves."
Under Doucette, Nguyen helped create an off-season strength and conditioning play to make sure his players perform to their best on the court while reducing injuries, while using tools like Synergy and Hudl to help enhance their program's learning arc.
"I'm so pumped for Henry to take over at OCC and be back home," Doucette said. "As an assistant coach, he was a great mentor to the girls, innovative with his player development and he knew how to level with them while still being able to hold them to a high standard. I hope his players know how lucky they are to play for someone who is going to care about them deeply. There is no doubt in my mind that OCC is going to stay on top with him at the helm."
Much like COD, Nguyen began his assistant coaching stint at OCC trying to rebuild a program from the ground up. Now, back as a Pirate, Nguyen inherits a squad that has two state championships, a state runner-up, two conference titles and five straight trips to the postseason over the past five years. Last year's Pirate squad went 20-9 last year and 8-4 in the always-tough Orange Empire Conference. With just ONE sophomore on last year's club, the Pirates are returning several key players, including first-team, All-OEC selection, Andrea Rico (10.1 points, 6.1 rebounds per game) and second-team selection, McKenzie Gillman (9.9 points, 4.2 rebounds per game).
"Coach Sammy built something special at OCC and I have a tremendous amount of respect for everything she accomplished," Nguyen said. "I know have big shoes to fill. The truth is, I'll never fill her shoes ... because my shoe size is different. That doesn't make me less effective. It just means I'll walk a different path while still honoring the culture and foundation that was built here. I'm here to be myself, to collaborate with our coaching staff, and continue to help our student-athletes grow and compete at a high level. I'm excited for the challenge and grateful for the opportunity to lead a program with such a strong history of success."
