1993-94 TIMES ALL-VALLEY GIRLS’ BASKETBALL TEAM : COACH OF THE YEAR : Hearlihy Guided Alemany Over Obstacles to Title

Has there ever been a season quite like the one Melissa Hearlihy presided over?

The difficulties were well chronicled: Hearlihy returned to coach only five days after giving birth by Cesarean section to her first child in December; the school was closed in January because of earthquake damage.

And the Indians, whose goal all season was to advance to the state championship game, fell one game shy of doing just that.

Given the chaotic nature of the season, Alemany’s--and Hearlihy’s--considerable accomplishments seemed overshadowed.

But Alemany showed character and forged through the distractions to the most successful season in school history.

Alemany went undefeated in the regular season, captured its second Southern Section championship in three years and finished 30-1.

Hearlihy, 32, won her 200th game at Alemany. Her record in her nine years is 200-47, an .810 winning percentage.

She also led a team that had little depth and lost a key guard because of a knee injury to the Southern regional final of the state tournament. Alemany lost to Irvine Woodbridge, 46-41.

“I’m still disappointed,” she said. “I’m 30-1 but I still feel like we should have been 32-0. I can’t say I’m real content right now.”

Contentment certainly does not visit Hearlihy during games, either. An emotional leader, she is not afraid to raise her voice when things aren’t going well.

“Sometimes she gets really excited,” said Samantha Rigley, one of Alemany’s standouts. “It’s good in a sense, because it makes us realize that she’s a person too. Because it’s not just a job for her.”