COACH OF THE YEAR : With McNamee at the Reigns, Costa Mesa Goes Over the Top

It’s not as if Costa Mesa didn’t have talent.

The Mustangs reached the Southern Section Division III-A girls’ basketball final in 1992, and returned one of the county’s best players, Olivia DiCamilli, who led her team to the finals in three of her four seasons.

But the Mustangs had a wild streak in them, sniping at each other and not living up to their potential. Their coach, Jim Weeks, resigned, unable to get the players--and their families--to support his approach to the game.

Then along came Lisa McNamee, who coached six seasons at Estancia and was an assistant at Stanford for one year. Her ‘my-way-or-the-highway’ approach delivered an important message to the Mustangs: Grow up.

McNamee’s approach, and her players’ ultimate willingness to follow her rules, helped Costa Mesa go a step beyond 1992, winning the section title and its first Southern California championship. Only a masterful defensive effort by Sacramento St. Francis last Saturday prevented the Mustangs from winning the Division III State title. They lost, 50-43.

But this season brought with it a 29-5 record and 26 consecutive victories.

For her part in harnessing the Mustangs’ potential, McNamee is The Times Orange County coach of the year.

McNamee is the first to share the praise. After defeating Morningside, 49-46, for the Southern California title, she said, “Jim Weeks built a phenomenal program at this school.”

But it was McNamee who put it over the top, with three former Division I and one former Division II college players as assistants--Cindy Vyskocil, Kim Beckhart, Shontel Sherwood and Carrie Egan--and a basic approach.

“My dad told me to surround yourself with people smarter than yourself,” McNamee said, “and I think I did that. We have five head coaches on our staff.”