Corey Cafferata takes over Foothill women’s hoops

Foothill will not field a team in 2022-23, giving Cafferata a full year to reshape the program through the recruiting pipeline. The Owls have just two returning players currently on roster.

“My No. 1 job now, it’s one thing, it’s to recruit players to come and play for me,” Cafferata said. “I am taking a year off from coaching and I have to build a team there. And I will.”

Cafferata remains on staff as a kinesiology teacher at Mission. A 1986 graduate of Oceana, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a college freshman. The illness led to his resignation from Mission, where he built the Saints into a perennial contender, recording a 192-150 career record.

Cafferata declined comment as to the details of his recent medical condition, but his health took a turn for the better, he said. Prior to this, he was already on a short list for potential coaching hires at Foothill, according to the college’s athletic director, Mike Teijeiro.

The Foothill women’s program was run by longtime coach Jody Craig, who stepped down during the 2019-20 season when the program folded 12 games into its schedule. In 2021-22, the program was restored under Anna Harp, who stepped down after a 12-16 season.

“It left us with kind of an empty cupboard,” Teijeiro said. “So, as soon as she was separated from the college, the first call I made was to Corey.”

If Foothill is looking for fast results, Cafferata is a solid choice. His Running Rams girls’ varsity teams at Westmoor were legendary, with their tenacious, up-tempo style of play where they appeared in the Central Coast Section playoffs for five straight seasons from 2003-07 — an era that included a 49-game winning streak in league games — with a trip to the Division II finals in 2006, the best finish in program history.

When he arrived at Mission prior to the 2009-10 season, the Saints were coming off an abysmal 2-26 record. Cafferata cleaned house and within two years built the Saints into a winning program. The rebuild started during the first practice at the Santa Clara campus, when, of the seven returning players who reported for duty, only one returned for practice the following day.

“Only one girl after my first practice lasted,” Cafferata said. “And I’m not saying … my practices were hard … but I recruited players who came to play for me.”

Kimberly Meyerowitz was the player who survived that first practice. An out-of-state player from Hawaii, Meyerowitz didn’t have any family in the Bay Area.

“Let me tell you, that first practice was a huge eye-opener for me,” Meyerowitz said. “New coach, new culture, his coaching style was just completely different. It took some time to get used to his style, his pace and just: run, run, run, run. … It was intense.”

Meyerowitz said Cafferata quickly took her under his wing. She ultimately transferred to Bethany College where she played for one season before finishing her degree at University of Hawaii-West Oahu as a non-player. She said it didn’t take long for her to appreciate Cafferata’s coaching style.

“Immediately,” Meyerowitz said. “His heart was pure. For him, it was just loyalty. I was the only one he took under his wing, not just like a player, but like a daughter.”

In 12 years, Cafferata saw 36 players take his fast-and-furious, hyper-aggressive style of play as transfers to four-year schools, including three to NCAA Division I programs in Rose Thompson, San Jose State in 2011; Felicia Anderson, University of Omaha in 2013; and Karel Fernandez, San Jose State in 2019.

“My style is my style,” Cafferata said. “We’re going to press the whole game. Win or lose I have the jet offense I put in. … And I’m going to find a place for you to move on either at San Jose State or Bugs Bunny College of the Bible. I will find a place for you.

“My kind of player is someone that is challenging, someone that believes in themselves but doesn’t have confidence, someone who has been labeled: ‘You’ll never play college basketball,” and I’ll change that,” Cafferata said. “The underdog.”