Irvine boys basketball coach says his team had ‘an amazing and historic season’

Cooper Stearns is congratulated by Irvine teammates after a home CIF playoff game. (Photo courtesy Mark Bausman, For OC Sports Zone).

Irvine High School boys basketball team, despite losing to Francis Parker 63-62 in the opening round of the CIF State Division II regionals Tuesday night, had a season to remember.

The Vaqueros finished 29-4 and captured the first league title for the program since 1991.

“Last night was a battle,” Coach Harry Meussner said Wednesday. “Credit to Francis Parker for fighting through adversity and making a few more plays than us. I was proud of our team’s effort. All season, our team always showed up ready to compete.”

Cooper Stearns scored 25 points, Holden Stearns 11 points, Jalen Yim 10 points and Jackson Schaffer eight points to lead the Vaqueros.

“This was an amazing and historic season for Irvine,” Meussner said. “The first league title since 1991, two tournament championships, a 22-game win streak, and qualifying for state all are accomplishments that make this team one of the best in school history.”

The coach said the future looks bright for the program. 

“Looking forward, we have seven returners and a great group of young men who will take what they have learned from this season and apply it to the next,” Meussner said. “It will take everyone to maintain the culture and I am confident we have the leaders to step into the void left by eight graduating seniors.”

The coach also praised the contributions of Stearns, who is headed to Stanford University next year on a golf scholarship. 

“His career with almost 2,000 points and 1,000 plus rebounds go down in school history and he will be remembered for changing the culture of Irvine boys basketball,” Meussner said. “I want to congratulate him on an outstanding career. He has an incredibly bright future ahead of him. “

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com