Forever Pirates -- Nancy (Hatsushi) Rogers
COSTA MESA -- This chapter of "Forever Pirates" comes courtesy of former Orange Coast College women's basketball player and OCC Athletics Hall of Famer, Nancy (Hatsushi) Rogers, a key player of the Pirates' 2003 state championship team.
As I look back 20 years ago, I realize how special the time that I spent at Orange Coast was. The two years I played at Coast were the two best years of basketball I have ever experienced in my life. The family we built as a team and the relationships we had with each other made the team even more special. I feel the team comradery was what made our team be the most successful women's basketball team at Orange Coast College.
Growing up, I never imagined that basketball would be a big part of my life. I didn't have much exposure to the game and never really had any interest in playing basketball until my 6th grade year. The 6th grade elementary school team was the first team I ever played on. From there, I went to Costa Mesa High school and played for their junior high and high school team. I had four great years playing at the high school level, where I had the privilege to play varsity for all four years. I was still new to the game but playing varsity as a freshman was what really pushed me to learn the game and develop as a player. High school is where my love for the game really grew and is when I realized I wanted to continue playing at the collegiate level.
Out of high school, I knew I had two options: play at a JC or go to a four-year University. Financially, I knew the only way I would be able to go to a four-year university was if I got a scholarship. I received an academic scholarship to play at Chapman University. It came down to three choices: Chapman, Orange Coast, and Irvine Valley.
Even though I received a scholarship, my decision was easy. I liked everything Orange Coast College had to offer me. I liked the campus, the courses that were available, and everyone I met was always very welcoming. What really sold me was head coach Mike Thornton. Thornton really believed in me, which was the main factor in choosing to go play for OCC. Growing up everyone told me, I was too short, not quick enough and I would never be able to play at the next level. Thornton saw what others didn't. He told me, "Yes, you may not be the quickest or tallest player, but you know how to be a leader on the court and get the job done." That's when I realized OCC was the place for me to continue my basketball career.
My freshman year at OCC was an exciting year. We were a really young team with almost all freshmen. From the beginning of the season, coach Thornton told us he believed that we were a special team, and we could do remarkable things that year. We ended up having a great season and ended up finishing second in a really tough conference. We made it to the playoffs and were ranked #5 in the regional playoffs. We played well throughout the playoffs and made it to the regional finals. The winner of the regional finals game would be headed to the state tournament.
In the regional finals game, we played against L.A. Valley who was ranked #4. L.A. Valley was the favored team, but we knew if we played well, we would have a chance to beat them. Throughout the game, the lead changed back and forth many times. With a few seconds left in the fourth quarter, we were up by one, but unfortunately L.A. Valley scored a buzzer-beater and we ended up losing by 1. That was a dagger in the heart. I remember feeling devastated. We all fought so hard till the end but just came up a little short. That loss left a very bitter taste in our mouths and as freshmen, we were that much more eager to make it to the state tournament the following year.
Going into my sophomore year, our team's goal was to make it to the state tournament. However, we did not exactly start how we would have liked. We had a rough start but we finished second again in our conference. We made it to the playoffs and returned back to the regional finals. This time we played against Compton, who had a 31-2 record. We knew they were a strong team, and we would have to play extremely well to beat them. We also knew we did not want to have a repeat of our freshmen year. It ended up being another nail-biter game, but fortunately this time we came up with the win and ended up winning by 2. I can vividly remember the excitement I felt with finally reaching our goal, which was what we were working towards all year long. We were headed to the state tournament! We were all super ecstatic and could not wait to play against all the top teams in the state.
The state tournament consisted of the top eight teams in the state of California (4 teams from the South and 4 teams from the North). We were ranked fourth in the South. We were considered the underdog team and no one thought we would stand a chance in the tournament. We knew we had to prove ourselves, but we also knew we had nothing to lose.
We had the toughest route to make it to the championship game because we would have to play all the top teams, but we were up for the challenge. Our first game was against Merced. We played a solid game and ended up beating them, which led us to play against Ventura in the semifinal game. A little history about Ventura ... they were back-to-back defending state champions. They were ranked #1 that year and were expected to win the whole tournament for a third straight championship. They were the team to beat. They were the powerhouse team. No one thought we stood a chance against them.
We knew we had to play our best game to have a chance to win. Thankfully, we did. Every player stepped up to the challenge and played their hearts out. We played our best game of the season. We ended up beating Ventura by 2 points. That was the closest and most exciting game I have ever played in.
That game led us to play against Contra Costa, who was the #1 seed in the north in the championship game. Our momentum continued, we had another great game and ended up winning by 8. When that buzzer went off, it was a moment I will cherish forever. Our whole team ran out onto the court, jumped on each other, and celebrated our biggest win. We had just won state! I remember feeling so overwhelmed with pure excitement and joy. Knowing we had to beat all the top teams to get there was just that much more satisfying and exciting. It was a feeling I will never forget.
I feel what made our team so special and great that year was that we were the definition of what a team was. We were not the most athletic team as we did not have any D1 players. However, everyone on our team knew what their role was and accepted it. No one tried to do too much, no one cared about their individual success, or tried to be the one to score the most points. Every player on the team was unselfish and only cared about what they could do to make our team successful. This was the main reason we did so well that year and won the state championship. We ended our season with a record of 30-6. We were the first team to ever win the state championship for the women's basketball program at OCC, and still remain the only team to do so.
During my two years at Orange Coast I met a lot of influential people. The one person that made the most impact in my life was Mike Thornton. He was the one person who believed in me, but more importantly, made me believe in myself. He taught me to have more confidence in myself so I could develop into a better player. He was the greatest coach I have ever played for.
In 2011, Thornton gave me a call and told me I was being inducted into the Orange Coast College Hall of Fame, and in 2018 he was the one who informed me I was being inducted into the CCCWBCA Hall of Fame. My first response to him was, "Me? Are you sure?" There were so many other great players that came through OCC that I did not believe him. It was an honor to receive those awards and I would have never accomplished what I did without Coach Thornton. I am still very humbled to this day by those recognitions.
To me, Mike Thornton was more than just a coach. He is someone I consider to be a lifelong friend. We shared such a special bond because of our love for the game. After my years at OCC, I would go back every year to watch them play. After the game, Thornton would call me, and we would talk about the game for hours. In 2018, it was "pack the gym night" to support Thornton's last home game before he retired. Over 50 of his former players came back to support him. That shows you how many players he made an impact on. After 29 successful years Mike Thornton retired. He was inducted into the CCCWBCA (California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association) Hall of Fame in 2019. I had the privilege to help present his award with four other past players. It was well deserved and he is considered to be one of the best women's basketball coaches.
The relationships I made with my teammates still go strong today. My teammate Lauren Murray is one of my closest friends. She was one of my bridesmaids and has been part of some of the most important parts of my life. We both have kids now and our kids love to get together and have playdates. Leigh Marshall, Candice Quiroz, Liz Mendoza, and Lindsey Galasso are all friends that I keep in touch with still to this day. We all have crazy busy lives, but when we do get together it seems like it was just yesterday that we played together on the court. I consider them friends for a lifetime.
Deciding to go to Orange Coast was the best decision I could have made. All the connections I made, all the experiences and memories I created, will always hold dear to my heart. I am proud to have been part of the women's basketball program at OCC and proud to be a Pirate. Once a Pirate, always a Pirate!
