Silicon Valley Start-Up: De Anza has surprise season
CUPERTINO - Not many saw this coming. Most, except De Anza College women’s basketball head coach Mike Allen.
After inheriting a program that finished 8-18 in 2016-17, Allen installed his own “three-year plan” to turn things around and build a contender in the Coast Conference
Following season records of 1-23 in 2017-18 and 4-19 in 2018-19, Allen’s program just completed a remarkable 18-10 regular season campaign – capped with the Coast-South Conference championship. It’s the school’s first title since the 2013-14 season.
It was more than an uphill climb for Allen, without any impact players returning – much less many interested in joining a first-time college head coach starting from scratch.
The three-year plan didn’t seem as promising to start this season either, as the team limped out to a 2-5 record.
But Allen never lost hope.
“I knew what we had,” said Allen.
“It just took us some time to gel and learn how to play together. We talked about an opportunity to leave a legacy and accomplish something we will never forget.
De Anza went wire-to-wire as “not ranked” in the polls during the 2019-20 season – among all of the state’s 13 conference champions.
While the team’s resume may not stack up with the other champions, Allen points to all 10 losses coming from teams with double-digit wins – and, more so, a tight-knit roster of 15 overlooked players.
“I’m so proud of this group,” he said.
“Many of these students didn’t play much in high school or took one or two years off. Somehow, we found each other at the right time and knew we had the makings of a special season.”
The team is paced by the top scoring tandem in NorCal: sophomore wing Anisah Douglas (Evergreen High School) and freshman point guard Danielle Gezzi (Gunderson).
Douglas led the conference in scoring (22.9 ppg) and closed the season in MVP fashion – averaging 29 points per game during the team’s current four-game winning streak. She also ranked second in conference steals and was among the Top 10 in rebounds and blocks.
Gezzi was also a front-runner for Player of the Year consideration. She ranked third in conference scoring (19 ppg), led the Coast-South in steals, and finished fourth in assists.
Freshman center Tahlia Sherlock (Norte Vista/Riverside) averaged 9 points per game and led the conference in rebounding with 13 per contest.
Sophomore forward Cleo Goodwin (Gunn) led the team in field-goal percentage (50.5, fourth in conference) and scored 8.1 points per game.
As a team, De Anza’s offensive field-goal percentage (42.4) ranks fourth in Northern California.
“The vision was to help our young women believe they could accomplish anything they set their hearts to. We have a great academic institution, so to mirror that with a quality athletic program on the floor; we wanted high-character students who were willing to persevere through adversity and all of the challenges. We are a testament that hard work brings change.”
De Anza will be seeking its first postseason win since the 2012-13 season, when the program advanced in the Play-In Round as the No. 15-seed before falling to No. 2 Fresno.
(Courtesy De Anza College Athletics)
(Action photos by Travis Wynn)