The 2015-16 season marks the 17th for coach Bill Westphal as the leader of PLNU women’s basketball program. He is one of the most successful coaches in university history. He has guided the Sea Lions to nine 20-plus win seasons and nine national tournament berths, including the NCAA West Regional last season.
During his 16 years at the helm of the PLNU women’s program, Westphal’s squads have posted a 338-171 overall record, qualified for the playoffs each season and reached the conference tournament (PacWest or GSAC) semifinals or finals 11 times. In addition, the Sea Lions appeared in one NCAA West Regional, eight NAIA national tournaments, highlighted by 2004-05’s run to the “Final Four.” Westphal was selected as the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Coach of the Year on two occasions: 2001 and 2008.
Last season, Westphal led Point Loma to a 20-12 record and a third place finish in the PacWest conference with a 15-5 record. Jessica Escorza also earned first team All-PacWest honors and Roya Rustamzada was voted the PacWest Freshman of the Year. PLNU made a second half surge by winning 14 of its final 16 regular season games and carried that momentum into the PacWest Championships and NCAA West Regional. PLNU set the PacWest tournament record with 88 points in an opening round victory over BYU-Hawaii, and then it received the No. 8 seed as an at-large bid to the NCAA West Regional.
That first round match in the NCAA West Regional saw PLNU face the No. 1 team in the country, Alaska Anchorage, on their home floor and coach Westphal pull out one of the biggest wins in his career. PLNU jumped out to a 14-0 lead and led by as many as 19 (31-12) in the first half against the Seawolves. UAA chipped away at the Sea Lions' lead and took its first lead at 63-62 on a 3-pointer with 9.1 left. PLNU called a timeout and Rustamzada went the length of the floor off the inbounds pass to hit a spinning, right handed layup with 2.1 left to stun the home crowd. A failed half-court shot by the Seawolves at the buzzer then sealed the victory for the Sea Lions.
One of Westphal's toughest challenges was keeping the playoff streak alive during the Sea Lions' transition years to NCAA Division II. He led PLNU into the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) West Regional in both 2012-13 and 2013-14, after earning a spot in the GSAC playoffs in 2011-12.
Prior to taking over the PLNU women’s basketball team, Westphal spent 25 years of coaching men at the high school, college and professional level. His accomplishments at the college level are lengthy. He was the head coach at Grand Canyon University (1988-90), where his teams had a two-year mark of 55-15 and reached to the NAIA National Championship Tournament both seasons. Grand Canyon was ranked No. 1 in the NAIA polls for a number of weeks during his two-season stint.
From 1982-85 Westphal was the head coach at Western Washington University and he had two separate tenures as the head coach at Occidental College (1973-80 and 1986-88). He has a career record as a men’s head coach at the collegiate level of 240-179. Over 30 seasons of coaching, Westphal’s overall record is 578-341.
Following three years as the head coach at Brophy College Prep in Phoenix, Arizona, Westphal came to Point Loma in 1997 as men’s associate head coach under his former college roommate, and then men’s coach, John Block.
He took over the PLNU women’s basketball program during the 1999-00 season. In his inaugural year as coach, Westphal led the team into the GSAC playoffs where they advanced to the semifinal game. He was named the GSAC Coach of the Year that season and was honored with that same award after the 2007-08 campaign after PLNU won the GSAC regular season and postseason titles.
Westphal played basketball at Aviation High School in Redondo Beach, California, and went on to play at the University of Southern California (1962-66). After his collegiate career, he toured the country for two years as a member of the original Athletes in Action basketball team.
Westphal is a full time faculty member at PLNU while teaching in the Department of Kinesiology. He and his wife, Lynne, have three grown daughters: Kristie, Kelly and Kendra, and nine grandchildren.
