Team of the Week: With new coach, roster, MiraCosta College starts season 9-0

In his only season as the head of Grossmont College’s women’s basketball program, Westly Perryman led the Griffins to a 24-6 record and fell one victory short of making the California community college tournament’s Final Four.

There was only one problem. There was one too many words in his title — interim coach.

“I have a family and children,” Perryman said earlier this week. “I didn’t want to be an interim coach. I wanted to be the coach, and it wasn’t immediately happening at Grossmont.”

Perryman decided to move on to MiraCosta College, where he was named permanent head coach. And, with many of his key players from Grossmont following him, the Spartans have started the 2025-26 season with a 9-0 record.

“My goal at MiraCosta is the same as it was at Grossmont: turn around a struggling program … make it successful and make it fun for the girls,” Perryman said. “But here I have the support, the resources and the facilities.”

And he has a one-word title: Coach.

Five of the 12 players on Perryman’s first MiraCosta roster followed him from Grossmont. But a key to understanding his players’ belief in Perryman as a coach and mentor is Faith Behrendt. The sophomore guard from Classical Academy in Escondido had been planning to transfer from MiraCosta to Grossmont last summer to be coached by Perryman.

“Instead, he came to me,” said Behrendt, who was one of the players involved in the interview process when Perryman first appeared on the Oceanside campus.

“That caught me by surprise. I had already talked to him about transferring to Grossmont. And here he was. When he got the job, I decided to stay.”

Behrendt was part of the MiraCosta team that went 8-17 last season and ended the campaign on a six-game losing streak.

“There’s a big difference between what it was like last year and now under Coach Wes,” said Behrendt. “Our hard work is unmatched. He pushes us. It’s challenging. I’m working harder. I’ve never run so much in my life. I like it. It’s a lot of reacting and making decisions, pick-and-rolls, split actions.

“But the biggest difference is in the culture. It’s between the girls and Coach Wes and developing a love for your teammates. Coach Wes is very good at reaching out, getting to know his players and looking out for them. Right now, with the sophomores, he’s taking time to help us find the right spot to keep playing and further our education goals.”

Kyla Palpallatoc is one of five players who followed Perryman from Grossmont College to MiraCosta.

“We knew that we didn’t want to leave him. We wanted to stay with him,” she said. “He prepares us in the best way on and off the court. We can go to him with a problem. He helps us find contacts and the right place for our futures. He cares about us as well as basketball. And we know that.”

Palpallatoc was a standout at Morse High School. She said Grossmont College “was last on my juco list” until she met Perryman.

“I was a military kid and I had moved around a lot,” said Palpallatoc. “I spent one season at Morse and was still a new name to a lot of people. But Coach Wes did some research. He learned about me. He can talk to me about what I need and how to plan for my future.”

Perryman’s system features four guards and a single post. It’s a pressure defense focused on turnovers and rushed shots.

The system “allows us to play freely,” Palpallatoc said. “You can showcase your talent. He controls the game but trusts us a lot. He likes to run. And the type of player I am fits really well in his system.”

MiraCosta goes 12 players deep this season. Four of the five players who followed Perryman from Grossmont play key roles.

The 5-foot-4 Palpallatoc led the Pacific Coast Athletic Association in scoring last season and leads MiraCosta this year, averaging 15.0 points a game. Point guard Anayla Anderson was an all-state player at Grossmont last season and is averaging 11.2 points, 7.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds a game. Five-foot-10 forward Kiya Waters is averaging 13.4 points and 8.8 rebounds a game. Six-foot forward Chaya Scott (University City High School) is averaging 5.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a game. The fifth player, forward Zoe Price, is redshirting this season.

Behrendt (7.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists) and guard Hailey Schmidt (4.9 points, 3.8 rebounds) are holdovers from MiraCosta’s 2024-25 team. Perryman also brought in four freshmen and two transfers, including former University City guard Pohai Basso.

“I think we’re on pace to do a lot of great things,” said Palpallatoc.

And Perryman is free of the “interim” label.

“Grossmont gave me the chance to launch my career. But I was bothered that I was going to be an interim coach again,” Perryman said. “MiraCosta stepped up with the support and resources I wanted. Now we have to deliver.”

Every week during the school year, U-T contributor Bill Center highlights one San Diego college team that’s making strides on and off the field. To nominate a team, email wcenter27@gmail.com