Briefs: OKC has UCI flavor
As Oklahoma City prepares to face San Antonio in the first game of the NBA Western Conference Finals Sunday (5:30 p.m. PT on TNT), fans may want to look closer at the Thunder bench as three members of their coaching staff have connections to the UC Irvine men’s basketball program.
Thunder head coach Scott Brooks played two seasons with the ‘Eaters (1985-87), averaging 23.8 points as a senior in 1986-87 when he was named first team All-Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. (now Big West). He scored 43 points on opening night of the Bren Events Center Jan. 8, 1987, when UCI defeated Utah State, 118-96. Brooks scored 41 points later that season in a 90-79 victory at Pacific Feb. 21, 1987.
He still holds the UCI record for career free-throw percentage at .859 (220 of 256). As a junior in 1985-86, he set what remains the Anteater single-season record for free-throw percentage at .886 (78 of 88).
Brooks ranks No. 4 in UCI history in career steals (123) and seventh in three-point field goals (142).
He played 11 seasons in the NBA, including 1994 with the NBA-champion Houston Rockets. In 2010, Brooks received the Red Auerbach NBA Coach of the Year Award after guiding the Thunder to a 27-win improvement from the previous season.
He has led Oklahoma City to the NBA playoffs each of the last three seasons, including two consecutive Western Conference Finals.
Brooks lent his support to UCI athletics last September when he was host of the UCI/Scott Brooks Golf Invitational at Oak Creek Golf Club in Irvine. The event raised funds to support student-athlete scholarships at UCI.
Brian Keefe, an assistant coach with the Thunder, played two seasons at UCI (1994-96), earning Big West All-Freshman honors in 1995 and second-team All-Big West distinction in 1996.
He averaged 5.7 points his freshman season, and then led the ‘Eaters in scoring as a sophomore at 16.4 points per game. Keefe scored 32 points against New Mexico State in a Feb. 17, 1996, game and 29 in a win at Long Beach State Feb. 12, 1996.
Keefe, UCI’s team captain as a sophomore, earned all-tournament honors at the Joe Lapchick Memorial Tournament in New York that the ‘Eaters won with victories over Siena and host St. John’s in November of 1995. Keefe scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half of UCI’s 83-77 win over St. John’s in the championship game. It marked the first time in the 21-year history of the tournament that a team other than St. John’s won the title.
Maz Trakh, another Oklahoma City assistant, served as an assistant coach with the ‘Eaters from 1994-96.
— From staff reports
Former Sailor a record-setter
Esther Lofgren, a product of Newport Harbor High and Harvard, helped the U.S. women’s eight complete the course in 5 minutes, 54.17 seconds on Friday at the Samsung World Cup II crew competition in Lucerne, Switzerland.
The clocking was better than the previous world record of 5:55.50 set by the U.S. at the 2006 World Championships in Eton Dorney Lake, the same course set to be used for the London Olympics this summer.
Lofgren was part of the USA women’s eight boat that won the last two world titles.
On Friday, the Americans topped runner-up Great Britain by more than eight seconds.
— From staff reports
Anteaters attract
pair of transfers
The UC Irvine women’s soccer program has added a pair of transfers, including Rachel Wood, who played three seasons at North Carolina, including helping the Tar Heels win the NCAA championship as a freshman in 2008.
Wood, who will be a senior, joins Morgan Williams, who played one season at St. Peters’ College.
The 6-foot Wood, primarily a defender at UNC, totaled five goals and nine assists in three seasons. She redshirted the 2009 campaign.
She made 21 of her 25 starts in 2010. A former prep All-American at Aliso Niguel High, Wood is being projected as a forward by UCI Coach Scott Juniper.
“It’s not every day that you can add a national champion to your squad,” said Juniper, who has guided the Anteaters to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and consecutive Big West Conference regular-season titles.
Williams grew up in Newport Beach, played club soccer for the Irvine Strikers, and competed in high school at JSerra.
She is expected to add depth to a goalkeeping unit that includes returning starter Jennifer Randazzo and incoming freshman Corey Tobin.
— From staff reports
OCC crew awards
Orange Coast College crew distributed its awards at the annual postseason banquet held May 18.
Christian Taylor was named Orasman of the Year, while Austin Gentry was named Outstanding Novice Oarsman and Rick Galliand won The Oarsman award.
Blake Addeman (Otte Crew Scholarship), Scott Moso (Walter G. Rolsma Memorial Crew Scholarship), Andy DeLorme (Robert B. Moore Crew Scholarship), Mike Coetzee (Rob Jordan Memorial Crew Scholarship), Austin Grove (Len Warneke Memorial Crew Scholarship), Taylor (Pete Compton Memorial Crew Scholarship), Jon Dobson (Alumni Scholarship) and Cruz Welborn (Don Mckee Crew Scholarship), were also among the winners.
— From staff reports