By Uy Pham & Candice Tran
For the past seven years, mathematics teacher Marianne Karp has served as the head coach of the girls’ basketball team at Fountain Valley High School (FVHS). She coached the team to a Wave League title, achieved several CIF appearances and watched several players accomplish school records. Karp, too, has her own record in the gym under the name Marianne Belgen.
Her coaching career represents a culmination of the many basketball experiences she’s garnered in the sport — from playing for the Barons and holding the assist record to refereeing an Elite Eight game in the NCAA March Madness tournament.
Beginning in third grade, Karp played basketball on various school teams from elementary through middle school. After countless hours spent honing her skills, she made her way to the varsity level as a freshman at FVHS.
“When we had our first game, I was a freshman, and our coach announced the starting lineup, and she’s like, ‘Belgen, you’re starting,’ and it was like, ‘I’m starting?’” Karp said. “It was one of the first times I felt like, ‘I belong here’.”
In the 1984-85 season, she recorded 15 assists in a single game, earning a spot for her name with all the other records. To this day, her record remains unbroken and remains printed in the FVHS gym.
Karp’s refereeing career, on the other hand, began in seventh grade. As a competitive player, she never liked the calls referees were making.
“My dad would say, ‘You’re arguing with the refs … If you think you can do better, then you go do it, and so I went and started working with youth kids,” Karp said.
However, after high school, she took a hiatus from refereeing to focus on her education and college basketball. After college, Karp kick-started her professional career through an encounter she had with a fellow referee. From there, she began to referee high school basketball games, five consecutive CIF championship games and, eventually, a California state championship.
Opportunity after opportunity magnified her experiences as she ventured all around the country to referee college games, all while being a teacher at Westminster High School.
Some of her favorite games that she refereed? An Elite Eight game between Duke and Baylor in 2010 and UConn’s final game before losing their major win streak. With her perspective as a former referee, she returned to the Barons as a coach. Her favorite moment from this past season came from a last-minute inbound play that resulted in the Barons defeating Marina.
“What was weird was the night before, I sent [a similar] video out to the team,” Karp said. “The video did not execute it well, but our whole play [during the game] was executed so well … It showed so much growth, and it was such a great moment.”
After a riveting season that ended with the girls’ basketball team’s appearance in the CIF playoffs, Karp has decided to step down as head coach of the program.
“I, Coach Karp, am stepping down after [seven] years of rebuilding. Current players have the leadership qualities to keep this program competitive and FUN! Keep that family vibe,” Karp said in a statement posted to X. “Rejoice in each other’s success as I will continue to rejoice in yours. Goals set goals achieved.”
This article was originally published in the 2024 RED Magazine. Stop by room 306 to pick up a copy.
