They excelled on the court as well as in life

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With 15 Southern Section titles, eight state titles and a national No. 1 ranking in 1994, you’d be hard-pressed to find a girls’ basketball program with a steeper tradition than Brea Olinda.

The stellar alumni who had their numbers retired through the years weren’t only good on the basketball court, they haven’t done too poorly in the business world, either. Alas, the world is just opening up when high school ends.

Eight of the nine -- only Nicole Erickson was missing -- were on hand Saturday when Brea retired the No. 32 jersey worn by Jeanette Pohlen, who is in town this weekend with Stanford. She will play against USC at 2 p.m. today. Brea won its post-ceremony game over Hanford, 77-60.

Here’s a look back at those who preceded Pohlen:

Da Houl, 1983, No. 10: Former coach Mark Trakh, now at USC, called Houl ‘the matriarch of Ladycat basketball.’ She played at Hawaii and was on the coaching staff from 1992-2007. She is manager of duplicating and mail services at the university.

Carrie Egan, 1987, No. 14: Once scored 56 points in the first half, then chose to sit out the second rather than add to the humiliation of her opponent. Played at Cal Poly Pomona and is today a sergeant with the Irvine Police Dept.

Aimee McDaniel, 1990, No. 23: Finished her college career as the all-time assist leader at Pepperdine, playing her final season in Trakh’s first year as coach with the Waves. The Thousand Oaks resident is sports coordinator for The Sports Studio, which choreographs sport action sequences for television and film.

Tammy Blackburn, 1990, No. 25: Went on to play at San Diego State, where she is associate director and a sportscaster for CBS Sports.

Jody Anton, 1992, No. 44: Perhaps the most visible of the group, Anton played at USC and is in her 12th season as an assistant coach for Trakh.

Nicole Erickson, 1994, No. 22: Had something like a 135-6 record as a starter in four seasons and led the Ladycats to four consecutive state titles, making several clutch shots along the way. She attended Purdue and Duke, and at the latter reached the NCAA championship game, the only Ladycat to do so, and was named all-tournament at the Final Four. She is teaching middle school in Florida and coaches the boys’ and girls’ seventh- and eighth-grade teams.

Lindsey Davidson, 1999, No. 12: She played at George Washington and once went 12 of 13 from the field, including six of six from the three-point line, in an ESPN game against top 10-ranked Xavier. She’s now a Pilates instructor in Washington, D.C. Coach Jeff Sink, hired after Brea’s 33-0 national championship season, recalled that he was told, ‘You better at least win a CIF championship. Lindsey Davidson allowed me to keep my job.’

Chelsea Trotter, 2000, No. 00: High school career was hampered by knee injuries, although she excelled her senior season. She went to Stanford where she endured six more knee surgeries, and was team captain her senior season. She is now a second-year law student at Pepperdine.

Jeanette Pohlen, 2007, No. 32: The Times’ Southland player of the year last season, she is at Stanford, where she has already found her way into the rotation for the No. 2-ranked team in the country.

More about the festivities, from Carlos Arias, are here.

-- Martin Henderson