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There isn’t a better turnaround story in Orange County girls basketball than the one Santiago and Coach Pablo Martinez continued Tuesday.
Emily Casillas scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and fellow sophomore Briana Landeros added 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Cavaliers defeated host Loara 66-35 to clinch a share of their first Garden Grove League title since 1999.
Santiago (21-4, 8-1) also won its 21st game, a startling improvement from last season when it went 9-17 in Martinez’s first season.
But the Cavaliers struggles started well before last winter. They hadn’t posted a winning record since for at least the 10 seasons before Martinez arrived.
“It’s a big change that’s been going on,” Martinez said. “We play hard. We’re tough and play together. That’s it.”
Martinez downplays his credentials and focuses on his players and assistant coaches but it’s hard to ignore his top coaching influence.
A walk-on coach at Santiago, Martinez was an assistant coach under former Register coach of the year Mike Anderson with the Magnolia girls, who won a section title in 2008 and finished as a state runner-up.
Martinez also assisted Anderson with the Bolsa Grande boys and with the Long Beach City College women.
“He’s my mentor,” Martinez said of Anderson, still the women’s coach at Long Beach City College.
But Santiago is home for Martinez. He and his wife, Jasmine, attended Santiago. Jasmine, a frosh-soph coach at Santiago, played on the Cavaliers’ league title team in ’99.
“Amazing,” Martinez said of the connection.
Martinez said his team’s rise has surprised him. He thought the Cavaliers were “a year away” but they have seen results from playing in offseason leagues and improving fundamentals.
“The Garden Grove League is the ultimate developmental league,” he said.
Santiago counts junior Carolina Jimenez (8.4 ppg) as its leading scorer and top defender. Seniors Anh Nguyen and Sonia Sanchez and Andrea Lopez are among the key guards. The 6-foot Landeros is the team’s starting post.
But Martinez also makes his good use of his bench. He often plays all 11 of his girls.
Casillas leads the team in 3-pointers.
Martinez, who teaches Spanish at St. Joseph in Santa Ana, also praises his varsity assistants. He is aided by former Rancho Verde and Florida State standout Mike Snear and Angelo Karapoulios.
Santiago’s success also been noticed by coaches in CIF-SS Division 4A. The Cavs are ranked fifth this week in the division, which features Crean Lutheran No. 1.
“I’m really happy for the girls,” Martinez said. “They’ve bought in.”
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