Tomlinson memorial is next week

Former Orange Coast College women’s basketball player Erin Tomlinson died Monday due to complications from a viral infection in a San Luis Obispo Hospital at the age of 30.

Tomlinson played at OCC from 1998-2000 and moved on to UC Irvine from 2000-2002.

The Tomlinson family will be holding a private memorial service from their Arroyo Grande residence on Sunday, however, a public memorial service will be held on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Captain’s Table Restaurant, located on the Orange Coast College campus.

For more information on Wednesday’s service, contact OCC Foundation Director Doug Bennett at (714) 432-5126.

“Erin was one of the hardest-working players I’ve ever had here at Coast,” OCC head coach Mike Thornton said of Tomlinson. “We always had to fight her to keep her out of the gym because she always wanted to keep working on her game. She was an outstanding high school player at Stockdale High School [in Bakersfield], but her dream was to play Division I basketball and after Coast, she was able to fulfill her dream and play at UC Irvine. She will always be remembered here at OCC and she’ll be forever missed.”

Tomlinson earned first-team, All-Orange Empire Conference honors as a freshman at OCC, averaging 10.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. She led the Pirates with 351 points, but was named her team’s Most Outstanding Defender.

OCC finished the regular season 26-7 overall before falling in the second round of the Southern California Regional playoffs.

As a sophomore, Tomlinson averaged 9.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game and helped lead the Pirates to the Southern California Regional finals and a then-best 27-6 record as a sophomore before losing to Cerritos College, 84-80.

Prior to her collegiate career, Tomlinson helped lead Stockdale High to Valley championship and was named the Bakersfield Player of the Year as a senior.

— From staff reports