Irvine Valley women's basketball assistant coach Erika Garcia is headed back to Menlo.
Garcia has accepted a position to be an assistant coach for the Oaks.
It is her second time going from IVC to Menlo. She did it as a player and now as a coach.
Garcia spent the last three years as an assistant at Irvine Valley.
She helped guide the 2014-15 Laser team to one of its best ever seasons. The team finished with a 27-4 record overall went undefeated at 10-0 to win the Orange Empire Conference and made a trip to the Southern California Playoffs Regional Final.
IVC was one of the final eight teams in the state playoffs. The Lasers had two players named honorable mention All-American (Breanna Turner and Jordan Coleman). Turner was also named all-state.
And four sophomores signed to play at four-year schools.
"Erika meant a great deal to the program here at IVC," 17th-year Lasers coach Julie Hanks said. "She was a tremendous player that came back to give back to future IVC basketball players. Her services were invaluable. She worked so well with the athletes. She made a lasting impression on them and she helped them reach their potential.
"As for me, what a great honor to have a player come back to help you continue what she brought to the program as a player. Menlo is very lucky to have her, and I am sure she will have great success in the future. She will be missed."
Garcia was a former standout for the Lasers. She played at Irvine Valley from 2008-10, was a two-year starter and was named first team all-Orange Empire Conference both seasons.
She averaged 10.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals in her freshman season at IVC in 2008-09 and then 9.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals as a sophomore in 2009-10.
As a sophomore, she was picked as the team's best offensive player and earned the H.I.P. (Hustle, Intensity, Pride) award. She helped lead the Lasers to a record of 36-22 over those two seasons. Garcia was also named Irvine Valley's scholar athlete of the year in 2009-10.
She moved on from Irvine Valley to have a successful career on and off the court at Menlo College. She graduated from Menlo in the spring of 2012.
In her senior year at Menlo, she was a 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete after leading the team to an 8-2 mark in conference and a trip to the NAIA Tournament. It was Menlo's first trip to the tourney in five seasons.
Garcia earned several other awards at Menlo. The 5-7 guard took home her second straight all-California Pacific Conference first team distinction, averaging an impressive 11.6 points per game during the 2011-12 campaign.
She was also on the Dean's List.
In 2010-11, she averaged 11.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists and was named first team all-Cal Pac for Menlo.
Garcia is headed to help a Menlo team that is coming off a solid 2014-15 season. The Oaks went 22-6 a season ago, made their fourth consecutive trip to the NAIA National Championships and netted their fourth-straight regular season California Pacific Conference Title.
The team will play in the NAIA Golden State Athletic Conference next season.