A trio of Ironmen Basketball alumni take the reins at two prestigious programs.
By ERIKA JAMES
Special to The Rafu
Ironmen basketball has been one of the top club basketball programs in Orange County with over 20 teams and the largest and most sought-after youth summer basketball camp, and now some of their best coaches have secured prominent coaching jobs in Orange County.
Jordan Hamamoto, an Ironmen basketball coach since 2015, is the new Saddleback College women’s head basketball coach. He grew up playing basketball in the Orange Coast Optimist organization before he played at Kennedy High School and Western High School. He was a four-year varsity athlete, earning the Orange League MVP and 2nd Team All CIF in 2009.
He received an athletic scholarship to play Division II basketball at Lake Superior State in Michigan and then NAIA basketball at Northwestern College. He also played one season at Irvine Valley College. After finishing his playing career, Jordan dove into coaching and even earned his master’s in physical education from Azusa Pacific in 2019.
Jordan Hamamoto has taken the lead of the women’s program at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. His debut as head coach will be Oct. 24 when the team plays at Citrus.
Jordan will transition to Saddleback College from his associate head coach role at Cypress College, where he spent the last nine years recruiting and leading player development, game planning, and heading daily operations for the men’s program. His history and experience with basketball lives and breathes in him, and that expertise is a huge gain for the Bobcats.
On the other side of town, the female leaders of Ironmen basketball are taking over the Fountain Valley High School basketball coaching staff. Two beloved and long-time coaches of Ironmen basketball, Camryn Hamaguchi and Izabella Om, will be the co-head coaches of the Fountain Valley High School girl’s varsity basketball team.
Izzy was a four-year varsity athlete in both basketball and golf at Fairmont Prep Academy, where she received the San Joaquin League MVP and the Orange County All-League Team. She also played in the Nike EYBL 17u circuit for Cal Swish, where she ranked No. 2 in the country for assist rate percentage.
She later went on to play Division I college basketball at the University at Albany in New York. Recently, Izzy has become a member of the Cambodian National Basketball Team, where she competes in the Southeast Asian Olympics (SEA Games).
Camryn played basketball for Orange County Buddhist Church in the SEYO league as a child, and graduated in 2017 from Kennedy High School, where she was the Empire League MVP in 2016 and the Kennedy Female Athlete of the Year in 2017. She played at Chapman University on the women’s basketball team for two years and also ran track and field.
Camryn has been the director of Ironmen basketball since 2023, and she has a background of coaching experience, including Kennedy High School, Mater Dei High School, and Concordia University.
Completing the Lady Barons varsity coaching roster is Dani Iwami, a current Ironmen basketball coach, who will be taking on the varsity assistant coach position. She was a four-year varsity starter and three-year team captain at Los Alamitos High School, where she earned the two-time Sunset League MVP, two-time First Team All Sunset League, two-time First Team Division 1AA All CIF selection, and two-time Long Beach Press Telegram’s First Team Dream Team.
Dani committed to Hawaii Pacific University on a full ride scholarship before she transferred to Western Washington University on a full ride and earned GNAC Newcomer of the Year. She was a four-time GNAC All-Academic Team selection, experienced three season-ending injuries, and was a member of the 2022 NCAA DII National Championship runner-up.
Dani shares the collective energy. “I am so excited to be taking over the Fountain Valley girls program alongside two of my closest friends! As a Fountain Valley local, it feels like I’m truly coming home! This is such an exciting opportunity, and we’re looking forward to taking this program to the next level.”
Seeing our very own, such deserving players and coaches who grew up and gave back to the Asian American basketball community, securing these local and important coaching positions is inspiring. Their mentorship and tenure is already paving the way for so many young athletes.