Erika Garcia named assistant basketball coach at Menlo

Erika Garcia named assistant basketball coach at Menlo

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.