Pulido’s Improvement During Off-Season Increases Her Worth at Orange Coast

Dianne Pulido isn’t afraid of playing a physical style of basketball.

Pulido, a sophomore forward at Orange Coast, spent her summer playing mostly against men in pickup games at Los Caballeros Racquet & Sports Club in Fountain Valley.

Facing bigger, stronger opponents helped Pulido go from a reserve who averaged four points to a starter who is averaging 21 points and seven rebounds this season.

Pulido recalled one specific summer game because in it she was knocked to the ground by a male player who, at 6 feet 8, was 10 inches taller. Pulido got quickly up and played even harder.

But there was a time when it looked as if Pulido was going to stay down after struggling as a senior at Newport Harbor High.

She was an all-league performer as a junior and had high expectations her senior season. But her playing time decreased and toward the end of the season, she lost her spot in the starting lineup.

Her effort had been questioned and Pulido said her confidence totally collapsed.

“I pretty much had a horrible senior year,” she said. “It destroyed me. It really did. I remember a practice where I was shooting through tears because I honestly didn’t think I was good enough to make any shots . . . But now I want to concentrate on the here and now.”

For Pulido that means helping Orange Coast surpass preseason expectations. The Pirates, who returned only two players with significant experience, are 14-6, 1-1 in the Orange Empire Conference. Pulido has led OCC in scoring in 16 of its 20 games.

Pulido’s performance this season is even more impressive considering she originally had no plans to continue playing after high school.

She told everyone, including OCC Coach Mike Thornton, that she was finished.

But one day in late August before her freshman season, Pulido was out front of her home shooting around in an effort to stay in shape. Originally, she was just goofing around, but began pushing herself harder and harder.

She then called Thornton and said she wanted to come out.

Pulido came to the team with no pressure. She was the third forward behind all-conference performers Jamie Shine and Kathleen Kelly and wasn’t called upon to be the top scorer or defender.

But after last season, Pulido, the sister of Newport Harbor High football standout Danny Pulido, made the commitment to take over both roles.

She got a job at Los Caballeros and started playing basketball and lifting weights almost every day before or after work.

As a result, Pulido is quicker, faster and stronger. Thornton said she has shown more improvement from one season to the next than any other player in the eight seasons he has been at OCC.

“She plays through everything,” he said. “Sickness, injuries, no matter what, she is on the court.”