Righetti High School senior Courtney Barba sees and feels the difference.
When comparing this year’s Righetti basketball team to the previous three she played on—well, there’s no comparison.
Over three seasons between 2012 and 2015, the Warriors posted a 25-49 record and were led by a new coach each season. Oftentimes, controversy, in one form or another, surrounded those coaches as they departed.
“It’s been a crazy four years,” reflected Barba, a team captain.
But there was something different about the 2015-2016 campaign. In came Desiree Domingues at the head coaching helm, a 25-year-old former Righetti star and now Righetti special education teacher—a former three-time PAC 7 Defensive Player of the Year who played college ball at CSU Los Angeles.
Domingues brought with her a certain level of credibility, of connection to the players. She injected fresh energy, positivity, and confidence into the team.
“She’s such a role model,” Barba said. “We want to play for someone so good and energetic.”
From the beginning, Barba and her teammates felt that this season could be the moment of reversal for the program.
“I think we saw a chance that there could be a turnaround,” she said. “I think we all just really knew what we were capable of and just wanted to push to be the best that we could.”
Domingues remembers the first day of practice at the beginning of the season, when the team gathered together to discuss their goals for the year.
“I said, ‘OK, what is our plan for the season? How hard do I need to push you guys?’” Domingues recalled asking her team. “The girls said, ‘We want to make it to CIF because we haven’t been in years. We also want to be league champions.’”
“None of the girls have ever played in a CIF game,” she continued. “I told them if we want to accomplish those goals, we’re going to have to work hard every single day.”
The Warriors put their noses to the grindstone and accomplished their stated goals in an extraordinary fashion. They ended their regular season on Feb. 12 with a share of the PAC 8 league title and a 20-4 record. Righetti easily qualified for the CIF playoffs—even securing a first-round bye—and beat Tahquitz High in the second round on Feb. 20 to advance to the quarterfinals.
The team’s success was so great and instantaneous this year—no one could have predicted it.
“We really weren’t expecting to do that well,” Domingues said with a laugh. “We weren’t really sure just playing together for one year.”
Righetti kicked off its season with a victory over Lompoc High School, the defending Los Padres League champion. They pulled out a 50-47 upset and immediately felt the magic in the air.
“That game kind of set the tone for the season,” Domingues said. “We were like, ‘Wow, we just beat the league champs last year.’ Our girls’ confidence just grew.”
Domingues entered into each practice with a plan. She scouted opponents and held film sessions with her players. Her dedication to coaching the right way came from her own experience during her playing career.
“That’s just what I knew needed to be done to be successful,” she said.
Domingues preached defense first, and designed a fast-paced offense allowing lots of ball movement to create open shots for the Warriors’ many talented outside shooters.
“We probably spent an hour every practice on defense. We push the ball a lot, which comes off of our defense,” Domingues said. “We also have a really good shooting team. We’ve made 140 3-pointers this season. Nobody else is really even close to that.”
Barba leads the team in 3-pointers, but the effort isn’t hers alone. Seniors Danita Estorga and Nakaila Fuggs, sophomore Ashley Reynoso, and others were all mentioned as key contributors.
“It’s not just one girl. I have about six girls who can consistently hit 3-pointers,” Domingues said. “That’s another part of the team that makes us pretty strong. It’s not just one player who can score, everybody on my team is a threat on offense.”
A certain amount of Righetti’s offensive explosion this season can be credited to Domingues’ positive, encouraging communication style.
“I always give them the green light [to shoot],” Domingues said. “I say, ‘If you’re open, shoot it.’ So they’re never afraid to shoot the ball.”
Barba told the Sun she found herself less afraid to pull the trigger on her jump shot this season.
“I’ve always had a pretty good shot,” Barba said. “My dad was a basketball coach and I learned the right form. This year, I kind of found out that it’s OK to shoot, whereas before I was hesitant.”
Entering into what is destined to be competitive and grueling CIF Division IIA playoffs, Barba can’t help but cherish the improvement that’s taken place with her team. She doesn’t take it for granted and isn’t shy about telling her team to enjoy it, especially the underclassmen who didn’t play through the tumultuous past seasons.
“It’s a dream come true after all these years,” the senior said.
Contributor Peter Johnson can be reached at pjohnson@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2016.