DOUCETTE REPEATS AS OEC FEMALE SPORT COACH OT THE YEAR

Orange Coast College women's head coach, Sammy Doucette, was named the Orange Empire Conference John Altobelli Coach of the Year for all women's sports for the second year in a row, as voted on by each conference school at the 2025 Fall OEC Meetings.

Fresh off of back-to-back state championships, Doucette took home the honor for the first time in 2024, but after a third straight appearance to the title game (this year, won my Mt. San Antonio), the standout Pirate head coach earned the award for the 2024-25 school year as well.

"It's really awesome to win this award again," Doucette said. "Thank you to the representatives in the Orange Empire Conference who voted for me ... I'm extremely grateful. And a huge shout out to my staff and my team. This isn't possible without them."

Notching her 100th career win early in the season over Saddleback, Doucette led the Pirates to a 27-6 record last year and a 10-2 record in the OEC, claiming her third consecutive conference title in a row. In the Southern California Regional Playoffs, Coast rolled with wins over Irvine Valley (79-55) and Cerro Coso (86-36) to earn a spot in the 3C2A Women's Basketball State Championship Tournament for the third consecutive year. After dominating wins over Folsom Lake (95-59) and Glendale (63-45), the host Mounties finally knocked the Pirates off of the mountain top with a 52-39 win in the state finals.

Coast has gone an incredible 90-11 over the past three years ... winning three Orange Empire Conference championships (33-3 record against the OEC), two state titles and a trip to the championship game. In the playoffs, taking on the best teams the State of California can offer up, the Pirates have gone 14-1, winning those games against top teams by an average margin of victory by nearly 18 points per game. 

"We couldn't be more proud of the work that Coach Sammy has done for her team these past years," OCC Athletics Director, Jason Kehler, said of Doucette. "To see her recognized by the conference, twice, is just a testament to the work she puts in every day for her student-athletes."

Story by Tony Altobelli, Orange Coast College