Costa Mesa Hires Girls’ Basketball Coach

Shontell Sherwood was named girls’ basketball coach at Costa Mesa High on Friday, said principal Andy Hernandez, making Sherwood the school’s third coach in less than two years.

Sherwood, 33, was the assistant coach under Len Whitacre last season and was named interim coach after Whitacre resigned in January. Whitacre had taken over in 1994 for Lisa McNamee, who led Costa Mesa to the Southern Section Division III-A championship and the state Division III final in 1993.

Sherwood coached the Costa Mesa junior varsity from 1992-95 after coaching the Estancia junior varsity from 1990-92. She played at USC from 1981-83 and at Pomona-Pitzer from 1983-85 and she currently is a police officer in Newport Beach.

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The Piranhas of the Arena Football League will open training camp today at their practice facility in Orange.

Coach Babe Parilli will conduct two weeks of practice with 30 players before the final roster is cut to 20. There will be a free open house April 13 with the team scrimmaging from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Pond of Anaheim.

The Piranhas’ first exhibition game is April 16 against the Texas Terror at Houston.