SACRAMENTO, Calif. – What do the Golden State Warriors and 1992-93 St. Francis basketball team have in common? Well, they are both talented basketball teams but the common connection is both have won titles in Oracle Arena. For winning the 1993 CIF Division III state title, the school's first state championship team will be honored with selection into the St. Francis Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday.
"It was kinda surprising," said Head Coach Dave Parsh of this honor. "You never think something like that would happen. It was a lofty achievement. There have been a lot of success athletically here through the years but that was the first state championship. The girls that year were really focused and believed they could do it."
They won the Metro League title, dropping only one game to El Camino in league play, and finished with a 27-5 overall record. They won also the Sac-Joaquin section title, the school's third in a row among a stretch of four straight titles from 1991-94.
"It was an attitude all year that we were striving towards," said Parsh. "When we achieved it, it was even more special. To think about getting in the Hall of Fame, it is a worthy accomplishment especially for that group of girls."
Parsh was in his first season as the head coach, taking over a program that had lost in the NorCal final the previous season.
"They came off the NorCal run the previous year and when I took over from Jerry Poole he told me it was a state contending team," said Parsh. "With the seniors, we had some summer meetings to set goals. All of them to a girl said state championship. They were really focused on what we did and they set the examples through effort and determination, listened and executed."
The seniors on the team were Camille Gutierrez, a 5-7 guard/forward, Mindy Bagatelos, a 6-0 center, and 5-7 forward Andee Whalen.
"It was the cohesiveness and all-for-one attitude," said Parsh. "They had good chemistry and got along well. The basketball IQ was off the chart with great leadership with the seniors – Andy, Camille, Mindy."
Parsh was appreciative of the acceptance by his new team, especially the seniors that set the tone for the season.
"I was the new guy coming in," said Parsh. "They bought in to what we were doing. I changed a few things and kept quite a few things Coach Poole was doing especially defensively. The transition was seem less because of the seniors."
With a strong regular season the Troubadours entered the playoffs on a strong note with a late victory over El Camino.
"We were walking back to our meeting room after our first playoff game and Andee Whalen said one down and six to go," recalled Parsh. "The players had it in their heads that it was a step-by-step. I will never forget when Andee said that. I knew we were onto something."
St. Francis defeated Grant 48-41 at the UC Davis Rec Hall for the section title and Parsh credited the balanced scoring of the team in media reports. Whalen had 13 points to lead the team, while Colleen Gately scored 10 points, including eight in a row to close the third quarter and open the fourth. Bagatelos had eight and Gutierrez contributed seven points.
The Troubies would reach the NorCal final for the second straight season, one step from the elusive state title game and chance for the title. In the win over Bishop O'Dowd, Kim Martinez led the team with 16 points with Gutierrez scoring 15 and Bagatelos chipping in 14 Then they faced Pleasant Valley in the final.
"When you get this far, any team can beat anybody else," said Parsh to the Sacramento Bee after the win. "We're not just happy to be in the championship."
St. Francis defeated Pleasant Valley in the final 52-47 keyed by two fourth-quarter baskets by Gutierrez despite a sprained wrist. Martinez scored 14 of her game-high 17 points in the first half to help the winning effort. Christina Delagadillo hit two free throws to seal the win.
Parsh told the Bee in an article on March 14, 1993, "I told them at the end of the third quarter that if we were going to win the game we'd have to play defense".
SF held Pleasant Valley to just six shot attempts and forced five turnovers in the final quarter.
The state championship game at then Oakland Coliseum (now Oracle arena) was memorable from the beginning.
Parsh said the team traveled in rented vans and had a shoot around at O'Bishop O'Dowd. When they got to the arena, they went in the wrong entrance and had to hassle with the ticket people at the gate. But Parsh said they team hardly noticed. The goal was at hand.
The Troubadours defeated Costa Mesa 50-43 in the state title game to capture the school's first team state title. Parsh remembers one stretch when he told Martinez to go in for Colleen Gately, who promptly scored and a got a steal.
The response he got from Martinez was memorable.
"She told me I am not going in for Colleen right now," said Parhs. "Kim was selfless enough to say Colleen is on fire right now, why would he take her out. It is a perfect example of someone willing to sit the bench in the state championship game because her teammate is doing really well."
It was another example why this team was special.
Parsh is quick recognize his assistants Missy Anderson and Laurie Alameda for their contributions to the season. The team also had a special weapon in advance scout Don Devenchese because "it gave the team a boost of confidence knowing something about the team".
Frank Conti, the longtime junior varsity coach, was also an important part of the staff.
"He was instrumental in a lot of the success we had because of the developmental program via the JV program," said Parsh. "He was an integral part of it and he would say he was not. He was a pivotal member of the staff."
Parsh would go on to coach at St. Francis for six seasons before taking coaching positions as the men's coach at American River College and then Yuba College as the head women's coach. He coached Kennedy High School for 10 years and is now back at the school as the athletic director.
The 1992-93 basketball team will be inducted as part of the inaugural Hall of Fame Class on November 17 at 6 p.m.
