Press Release March 27, 2006

SAN JOSE—San José City College’s Lady Jags captured the Coast Conference championship with a 24-12 record, but came up a tick short in the Nor-Cal State Championships, falling 60-56 to the number three-seeded team (and eventual runner-up in the state championships). But that doesn’t lessen the accomplishments of the 2005-06 Lady Jags or their coach, Terri Oberg-Hearn.

Having just completed her 17 th season as head coach, Coach Oberg-Hearn has transformed the women’s basketball program into a winner in more ways than one. A two-sport collegiate athlete in basketball and softball, she took over a team that had won zero games in three previous seasons, and began to transform the women’s basketball team from a losing proposition to an attractive program that has students from all over Northern California seeking the opportunity to play for a proven winner. Coach Oberg-Hearn’s teams won the State Championships in 1998, and were runners-up in 1999 and 2000.

But the main goal of the women’s basketball team, as it is with all athletic programs at San Jose City, are about being a student first and foremost. Coach Oberg-Hearn most enjoys seeing her athletes matriculate to four-year programs, and to continue both their on-court (whenever possible) and academic success.

Coach Oberg-Hearn says, “My goal is to have student athletes come to San José City and have the opportunity to become a student-athlete, be able to play and work on their game, but most importantly, to learn to be a successful student.” And successful students are what her five sophomore players are—each is graduating from San José City College in June with their Associate of Art degrees.

All the credit for helping to create successful student athletes does not stop with Coach Oberg-Hearn or the athletes themselves. “It’s a community effort here at City to help our athletes succeed. Our instructors and support staff always take that extra step to make sure all of our students succeed, not only our athletes, but also every student.”

While San José City College has not yet produced a WNBA player, Coach Oberg is proud of successful, productive young adults her teams have produced. She looks forward to hearing about new successes from her former students— Christmas brings cards and letters that help her keep in touch with many of her students. “Being a Lady Jag is being part of a larger family,” says Coach Oberg-Hearn.

The future is bright for the Lady Jags. The main core of the team is coming back for the 2006-07 season, including freshman Christine Riley, who tallied 24 points in the final game of the State Championship tournament.

Our program is well-rounded and is as much about becoming a successful student as it is about becoming a successful athlete,” says Coach Oberg-Hearn. “All too often student athletes are the victims of stereotypes, but our athletes know that academic success is our number one goal. We push them to reach for classroom success, and at San José City College, we help them achieve that classroom success. My greatest satisfaction is watching my athletes on graduation day, knowing they possess a balance between success in the classroom and success on the court. I’ve watched them develop, learning how to become productive members of a community and a team, and believe my efforts in molding true student athletes is something to be proud of.”