Fernandez to be assistant at Menlo

Teeya Fernandez, a former Orange Coast College women’s basketball player who was an assistant coach for the Pirates the last seven seasons, will be an assistant coach at Menlo College in 2013-14, OCC Coach Mike Thornton said.

“Teeya has been one of the main reasons why we have enjoyed so much success [the last 10 years],” Thornton said. “She has been ready to go for a couple years and this is a perfect opportunity for her. We will greatly miss her, but it’s a step she needed to take and she has earned and worked hard for the opportunity.”

Fernandez spent three seasons as a student-athlete at OCC, playing the final two after sitting out with an injury upon arriving. She was a tri-captain on the 2005-06 Pirates team that won 30 games and advanced to the State Final Four.

Her tenure as an assistant included back to back Orange Empire Conference championships in 2007 and 2008 and a trip to the regional final in 2011.

“It has always been Teeya’s career goal to be a head coach at a small college and this move is a step toward attaining that goal,” Thornton said.

Thornton said third-year assistant Valerie Katayama and first-year assistant Alyssa Hanson will combined to oversee the team’s defense and strength programs that Fernandez helped maintain.

— From staff reports