Prep talk: Maranatha coach loses home in Eaton fire, then guides team to playoffs

The story of coach Michael Allen and Maranatha High girls’ basketball team is nothing short of amazing.

He joined the program as an assistant coach this year to help out a friend. When the head coach resigned two weeks before the season began, he took over as the fourth head coach in four years.


“I’ve never coached in my life,” he said.

The team went 0-8 in league play last season and hasn’t been to the playoffs since the 2018-19 season.

The Eaton fire happened on Jan. 7 and Allen’s house was destroyed, along with that of his assistant.

“The night I lost our house was a breakthrough game for us,” he said. “We beat Whittier Christian for our first league win. A couple hours later, my house went down.”

Then came a series of events that indicated someone was looking over Maranatha. Whittier Christian lost a buzzer beater, forcing a play-in game against Maranatha to decide third place in the Olympic League and a playoff spot. Maranatha won the coin toss to host. Then Maranatha won the game in double overtime and will go to the playoffs with a 9-16 record.

“We had definitely divine intervention,” said Allen, who’s 28 and runs a business that helps schools with after-school programs.

Afterward, there was a joyous celebration, with boys’ basketball players, coaches, girls’ players all letting loose to celebrate the journey the girls team has taken.

“Seeing it in our seniors’ eyes, you can see how much this girls’ program has been through,” Allen said. “It was nice to have a positive outcome.”

Asked about dealing with all the families displaced in the Altadena/Pasadena area, including his own, while coaching basketball, Allen said, “It’s been something to distract us. It speaks to the heart of our community. Altadena/Pasadena have some of the most resilient people. The streets are flooded with people giving and helping.”

On Saturday morning, Allen will wait to find out what team he will have to prepare to play in the Southern Section girls basketball playoffs.

A happy moment for a team and coach that has gone through so much.

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