Girls basketball: 2001 Daily Pilot Dream Team

Barry Faulkner

Corona del Mar High senior Kristin McCoy and Costa Mesa High senior

Nancy Hatsushi, whose career accomplishments leave them among the

pantheon of girls basketball talent at their respective schools, headline

this season’s Daily Pilot All-Newport-Mesa District Dream Team as

Co-Players of the Year.

McCoy, last year’s Newport-Mesa Player of the Year, averaged 14.4

points and 8.7 rebounds to help lead the Sea Kings to the second round of

the CIF Southern Section Division III-AA playoffs.

Hatsushi, a three-time all-district honoree, averaged 13.7 points and

7.3 assists to help the Mustangs make the second round of the CIF

Division III-AA playoffs.

McCoy and Hatsushi are joined on the seven-player squad by CdM’s

Jackie McCoy, the Estancia trio of Xochitl Byfield, Zuyin Barrera and

Lisa Hirata, as well as Newport Harbor’s Evita Castillo.

Elbert Davis, who helped the Sea Kings bounce back from an injury- and

illness-plagued 5-10 start to finish 14-14 and tie Estancia for second

place in the Pacific Coast League, is Coach of the Year. It’s the second

straight honor for Davis.

Kristin McCoy, who lost a combined seven games with a bruised kidney

and a badly sprained ankle, showed her supreme toughness by shaking off

both ailments to help her team surge into the postseason.

A 5-foot-7 forward, she also chipped in 3.9 steals, 3.6 assists and

1.2 blocked shots per game, en route to being named PCL Co-MVP for the

second straight campaign.

Adept at scoring inside against taller defenders and also possessing a

nice mid-range touch from the perimeter, McCoy scored in double figures

16 times and led CdM in scoring in 13 contests.

She finished her three-year varsity career (though she missed most of

her sophomore season with an sprained ankle) with 807 points in 60 games

(13.5 ppg) and the consummate respect of Davis, her teammates and

opponents, as well.

“Kristin is the kind of player who comes along once in a blue moon,”

Davis said. “She scored a lot of points, but she also did the little

things, like rebounding, passing the ball and diving on the floor. She

was just the backbone of our team and what she brought to the table will

be very hard to replace.”

Hatsushi, a 5-foot-4 point guard, earned second-team All-CIF laurels

in Division III this season. She was also selected to represent the South

in the Orange County All-Star Game, April 28 at Orange Coast College.

Hatsushi’s four-year, 108-game varsity career included 1008 points and

675 assists, the latter a school record. She also holds the Mustangs’

single-season assist mark (219, set in her sophomore season).

Hatsushi’s well-rounded contributions helped the Mustangs finish 16-13

and Coach Jim Weeks said she will be difficult to replace.

“She’s been the prototype point guard, who has made everyone else

better around her,” Weeks said. “She was a great leader, a great example

and a great role model.”

Weeks said Hatsushi, who also averaged 4.1 steals, 3.6 rebounds and

committed a paltry 42 turnovers, will play next season at either Orange

Coast College or Irvine Valley.

Hatsushi was first-team All-PCL this season, after earning second-team

all-league recognition as a sophomore and junior.

Jackie McCoy, a 5-7 sophomore forward and Kristin’s younger sister,

averaged 9.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 blocks for CdM.

She scored in double figures 12 times and led her team in scoring six

games. Despite her tangible statistics, Davis said she was an unsung

standout.

“She does a lot of things people don’t notice,” Davis said. “She’s so

smooth, it might not look like she’s playing hard, but she is. She did it

all for us and, now that her sister’s gone, we’re going to be expecting

even bigger things from her.”

The younger McCoy is a two-time first-team All-PCL performer.

Byfield, a 5-9 sophomore, played guard and forward for Coach Paul

Kirby’s Eagles. She averaged 10.8 points and was also a contributor in

the rebounding department, though the school does not keep official

statistics.

Byfield’s athleticism also made her invaluable on defense and she is

at her best in the transition game. She scored in double figures 13 times

and led the Eagles in scoring in seven games, en route to second-team

all-league honors.

Barrera, perhaps the district’s most gifted offensive player, averaged

10.1 points per game as a 5-5 senior guard. A dangerous three-point

shooter, she frequently scored in streaks.

She played sparingly in a handful of league games, due to illness, but

came off the bench to hit the game-winning three-pointer with nine

seconds left in the Eagles’ pivotal 39-38 PCL victory at Costa Mesa.

Barrera reached double figures in 12 games and led Eagle scorers eight

times.

Hirata, a 5-4 senior point guard, capped a four-year varsity career by

averaging 6.5 points. Hirata’s true impact for the Eagles, however,

transcended the stat sheet.

Staunchly competitive, Hirata’s hustle was readily apparent on both

ends of the floor. She seldom lost a struggle for a loose ball and she

never hesitated to trade a floor burn for possession.

Though she preferred to set up scoring opportunities for her

teammates, Hirata was a threat from behind the three-point line. She

scored a career-high 19 points to help the Eagles stay close in a PCL

loss to CdM.

She was first-team all-league this season, after earning second-team

recognition as a junior.

Byfield, Barrera and Hirata helped the Eagles advance to the second

round of the CIF Division III-AA playoffs and finish 16-11.

Castillo, a 5-11 junior, averaged 8.5 points to lead the Sailors. A

slasher who prefers to drive to the basket, her hustle and aggressiveness

also helped her excel in the rebounding department, according to Harbor

Coach Glenn Albios.

Castillo was a second-team All-Sea View League selection.