Brea’s Trakh Says Yes, Then No to Pepperdine : Girls’ basketball: After leading Brea-Olinda to four State titles, he opts to stay with his program.

After announcing to a tearful team Friday afternoon that he had accepted the women’s head coaching job at Pepperdine, Brea-Olinda girls’ basketball Coach Mark Trakh had a change of heart late Friday night, and decided to remain with the successful high school program.

Trakh, who led the Ladycats to four State championships and established a tradition as deep and rich as many college programs, called the Times sports department late Friday night to say he had phoned Pepperdine Athletic Director Wayne Wright to decline the offer.

“I felt I could do more good here at this school and in this community than if I left,” he said late Friday night. “The clincher was spending the afternoon with my team today.”

Trakh, who had not yet signed his one-year contract but had planned to do so early next week, would have succeeded Ron Fortner, who resigned in April after 10 years and a 131-153 record with the Waves.

Trakh had sought to coach a college team for several years. Now, the possibility of his winning an unprecedented fifth State championship--fourth consecutive--and appearing in his sixth final can come true. His teams compiled six Southern Section titles and 11 consecutive Orange League crowns. The Ladycats were 356-42 in 13 seasons under Trakh, 35.

Trakh will continue to run the Ladycats’ summer basketball program.

Ladycat assistant John Hattrup had planned to interview Monday at Pepperdine for an assistant’s job, but now is expected to stay.

Trakh was among 70 who applied and 12 who made it to preliminary interviews. Three final candidates were interviewed by Wright and his associate and Pepperdine President David Davenport and the school’s vice-president. Wright offered Trakh the job Wednesday night.

Trakh was a finalist for Division I coaching jobs at Cal State Fullerton last year and Cal State Los Angeles in 1991. In 1989 he turned down the Chapman College position. He looked into openings at Nevada and Northern Arizona this year but wasn’t granted interviews.

The Ladycats still look forward to defending their State title with Trakh.

“In the basketball sense, it was probably the easiest year for him to leave,” said Nicole Erickson, who will be a senior next season and will lead Brea’s nine returning players. “But in an emotional sense, it was the worst. Your senior year is so special. At State this year we were saying, ‘Next year at this time will be our last game.’ Now we find out our junior year was the last this and the last that with Mark. It’s kind of hard.”

Pepperdine had six returners from a team that posted a 15-15 record and finished third in the West Coast Conference (7-7). Among the top three returners is former Ladycat Aimee McDaniel, who graduated in 1990, the year Brea was the Division III State runner-up. McDaniel, a senior point guard, was the Waves’ leading scorer (14.4 points per game) and rebounder (5.3) and had a team-high 4.4 assist average.

McDaniel wasn’t available Friday.

The Trakh File at Brea-Olinda

Year Record League Playoffs 1980-81 12-9 Fourth Did not qualify 1981-82 21-5 Second Lost in Section 2-A first round 1982-83 24-3 First Section 2-A runner-up 1983-84 29-2 First Section 2-A runner-up 1984-85 29-1 First Section 3-A runner-up 1985-86 25-4 First Section 3-A champion, first round State 1986-87 24-4 First Section 3-A semifinalist 1987-88 27-2 First Section 3-A quarterfinalist 1988-89 31-2 First Section 3-A champion, Division III State champion 1989-90 33-1 First Section 3-A champion, Division III State runner-up 1990-91 33-1 First Section II-AA champion, Division II State champion 1991-92 32-2 First Section III-AA champion, Division III State champion 1992-93 32-2 First Section II-AA champion, Division II State champion

The CIF Record Book: Brea-Olinda girls’ basketball teams under Mark Trakh are tied with San Diego Point Loma for most State championships (four), tied with Sacramento Grant for most State championship game appearances (five) and tied for second with Atherton Menlo for most consecutive State championships (three; Point Loma is first with four).