The Many Faces of Meghan McIntyre

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College women's basketball team has had games this year against some of the top teams in Southern California. In spite of an undefeated record and a No. 2 state ranking ... there have been plenty of heart-stopping, mind-blowing, head-scratching moments of anxiety and fear throughout this amazing run.

But if you come to an OCC game and want to get a feel of the emotional strife and drama of the game ... don't look at sophomore point guard Meghan McIntyre. 

McIntyre, OCC's standout transfer from Golden West College can do just about anything on the basketball floor. Thus far, she is averaging 20.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, while guiding the Pirates (20-0) to the best start to a season in program history.

How consistently good has McIntyre been this year? She is among the Orange Empire Conference leaders in points (2nd), shooting percentage (3rd), rebounds (5th), defensive boards (3rd), assists (1st) and steals (4th). She's second in the STATE in assists and minutes played and is currently 13th in the state in points scored.

In fact the only thing she can't do on the basketball floor is deviate from a deadpanned poker face that would make any professional card player green with envy.

"I definitely take after my dad's side of the family when it comes to showing my personality on the court," McIntyre said. "Dad is a bit more reserved. My mom is the social one in our family. I think keeping an even focus translates well to my game. I like to be the type who leads by example and even though it doesn't look like it, I put my heart and soul into my game."

McIntyre's journey to OCC began up in the State of Washington where her family resided and she picked up the game, beginning in first grade. "I was just playing in recreation leagues until I began playing on some AAU teams and that's where I really began to see my game develop," McIntyre said. "I also played soccer growing up, but I really fell in love with basketball, both playing and watching my brother play growing up."

After transferring to St. Anthony High School out of Huntington Beach HS, McIntyre averaged 17.3 points and 6.3 rebounds a game, but with the COVID pandemic in full swing, getting the offers to play at the Division I or four-year level was hard to come by, so Meghan began to look at the community college level, where schools like Santa Ana College, Long Beach City, Cerritos and Golden West peaked her interest.

McIntyre eventually landed on GWC, where as a Rustler, she was one of the top all-around players in the state as a freshman, averaging 22.4 points per game, sixth-highest average in all of California. She also averaged 8.7 points and 4.7 assists per game and was the bright spot on a 14-13 Rustler program that struggled once conference play got underway.

"I remember the first time OCC came to play us in our gym and I really liked what (Coach Sammy Doucette) was doing and how she was running her program," McIntyre said. "Something hit me and I decided that OCC would be a better overall fit for me, so I reached out to Coach Sammy after the season and got the process started."

Doucette remembers connecting with McIntyre like it was yesterday. "I still have it on my phone texts and email, but Meghan texted me in late April and said she was thinking about leaving Golden West and wanted to come play for me," Doucette said. "I was obviously stoked and as soon as everyone who needed to be informed of her reaching out was, the wheels were in motion. Once the entire process was done, I was so excited. She is a special kid and although I wish she just came here the first time around, late is better than not at all.

"I first saw her play in high school at St. Anthony and I actually had quite a few local coaching friends reach out to me and say, 'You have to recruit this kid.' I was super impressed with her ... her ability to get a bucket and find her teammates was unmatched. I wasn't too heavy on recruiting her though because I thought getting her to commute from Long Beach would be a challenge. Plus, I thought she wouldn't be playing at this level. When I circled back to her towards the end of the year and she said she was going to play at Golden West, I was super bummed."

While it's true that her scoring average has slightly dropped this season compared to her freshman year, the reason behind that is simple ... she doesn't NEED to score a ton of points for the Pirates to be successful. "Everyone on this team has one goal and that is to win and when I came here, the transition was as smooth as it could be," McIntyre said. "We have so many talented players on this team and it's so nice to have so many options on the floor. We have 4-5 players who can hit that 'big shot' to win a game for us, and that allows me to play my game and either score or find the hot hand. I think that's what sets us apart from other teams at this level."

Sophomore center Savannah Seiler played against McIntyre last year and when she found out they were going to be teammates for the 2022-23 season, Savannah knew the transition would be seamless. "When Meghan first came to OCC, right off the bat, she proved to everyone in our practices, workouts and scrimmages that she would play a pivotal role in our program and also be a huge leader for us on and off the court," Seiler said. "From the first day she walked into our gym, it was very evident that she was here to make us better and succeed as a team. As a result, our team and herself are constantly growing and reaching new heights."

This season has been a season for the ages for the OCC women's basketball program, a program that's already steeped with a winning tradition. The 20 straight wins is an all-time streak, topping the previous best of 17 straight, set back during the 2006-07 season. OCC's 20-0 record is the best start to a season in school history, topping the 15-0 start for the 1992-93 Pirates. 

"I'm having such a fun season this year," McIntyre said. "On the court and off the court, these girls are fun to be around. Not only our starting five have been terrific, we are so lucky that our second group has such a great talent too. They've been so supportive to this team and we know they'd be starting on most of the other teams in the area."

Perhaps the best game to describe the quiet dominance of McIntyre's game came against Fullerton College. In a game that saw the Hornets play the game of their life, it was a game where McIntyre struggled to find her touch. It was an uncharacteristic game for Meghan, who had six turnovers, was 0-for-3 from 3-point range and missed 10-of-13 shots from the free-throw line. 

Instead of worrying about those missteps, she responds with other parts of her game and STILL finished with a triple-double, (19 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists) as the Pirates rallied for a 98-96 double-OT win which kept the Pirates' winning streak in tact. 

"When I'm not doing my best, I need to learn and adjust as the game goes," McIntyre said. "Especially on a team that has many scorers, I need to enjoy every aspect of the game and make the other players around me better. If I'm having a rough night, I need to just keep at it and find my teammates because I know they are there and they will come through for us."

So it would appear that the transition from the green and gold to the orange and blue has been an easy one for McIntyre and the same holds true for her learning how to play Doucette's style of basketball here at Orange Coast.

"I have no words to describe what Coach Sammy has meant to me this year," McIntyre said. "She's the type of coach who expects and demands the best out of each player. We are not allowed to get comfortable with where we are as players and for someone like me, that's exactly what I need to bring out the best in me. We are always watching game film together and she shares with me my nerdiness of the game."

The feeling is mutual from McIntyre's head coach. "My favorite thing about Meghan?!?!? I love EVERYTHING about that kid," Doucette said. "But, the two things that stick out to me immediately, are this: 1) I've always said since my very first OCC team that I never want people to be able to walk into the gym and be able to KNOW what the score is just by looking at our faces. You know, when you walk in, and you can just tell that one team must be down by 20 because of how defeated they look? That has always been my M.O. and Meghan does that to a tee. Her face is pretty typically the same, whether we are up by 30 or if I just called a timeout and popped off because we are down 7. I LOVE that. Don't get me wrong, she shows emotion, but then she's right back to business. And 2) Meghan makes everyone on the floor confident. I love watching my team be confident and having fun. And Meghan, in my opinion, is the reason for it. She just flat-out makes us better. I am trying to enjoy every minute of this year, because she is going to be missed. But I can't wait to see where she ends up. She is so deserving of everything coming her way."

While it looks like all business for McIntyre on the floor, don't let the poker face fool you. She likes to have fun and smile and joke with her teammates on and off the court. "A great story that best describes Meghan is before every game, after they call the starters, Meghan will give everyone a 'shake' to get them going and pumped up," Seiler said. "Sometimes it can be a little shake on the shoulder and other times, it's a more intense shake. Even if you're not around her when she's handing out these shakes, she will eventually find you and shake you around. There was one time where I forgot to get her 'shake' and I was walking towards the center court for the jump ball and she walked behind me, calling my name. I thought maybe something was said by Coach Sammy that I didn't hear or we were changing something up. Instead, she came up to me and shook me around as she does before every game.

"This story best describes Meg because despite this little 'shake' being seen as such a silly thing to do before every game, it goes to show that Meg is always thinking of her teammates and will always try and lighten up the mood and get us going."

Beyond her time at Coast, McIntyre likes to be with her friends and family and is a communications major at OCC, where she hopes to land a scholarship offer at the four-year level. "Those things will take care of themselves. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy every second I have here at Coast and help this team reach the goals that we set at the beginning of this season. Hopefully I can continue to get better and stronger in all parts of my game."