Hall of Fame
When Gloria (Judah) Bates '16 chose to attend Orange Lutheran, it was strictly an academic decision. As someone who had a strong interest in STEM subjects, Bates toured the campus and was impressed with the lab classrooms and the opportunities available for research and internships.
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Bates excelled while at OLu and was recognized as an Honor Scholar for outstanding academic achievement. But in addition to getting it done in the classroom, she also was a top student athlete for the Lancers on the basketball court.
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As a member of the 2015 and 2016 OLu girls basketball CIF championship teams, Bates led the Lancers in rebound and blocks and was top two in all major statistical categories for three straight years. She played in every game during her three seasons on the varsity roster, helping the team notch 73 wins over that span. Her impact on OLu's back-to-back title runs earned her CIF Player of the Year honors in both 2015 and 2016.
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In recognition of these achievements and her contributions to the OLu girls basketball program, Bates will be honored this June as one of eight inductees into the 2025 Orange Lutheran Athletics Hall of Fame.
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Bates has always had hoops in her blood. Her mother played basketball in high school and was recruited by both Cal State Long Beach and the Los Angeles Sparks. Since her mom is a lefty, she taught her daughter to shoot left-hand starting at just five years old.
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Although she tried other sports while growing up, Bates never took to any of them the same way she took to basketball. Beginning in middle school, she started playing in AAU leagues and found her home on the court.
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While at OLu, Bates moved up to the varsity squad her sophomore year, and it took her some time to find her footing. She watched several of her former teammates head off to different high schools to play, and she felt the pressure to compare herself to their trajectories. Â
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"I remember I really struggled with finding my place in the team because I didn't want to be a bad teammate," said Bates. "But I was also intensely competitive…In the back of my mind, I wanted to show that I still had that potential, even though I had chosen a more academic path."
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After losing in the 2014 CIF quarterfinals, something clicked for Bates, and as she entered her junior and senior years, she understood the work ethic it would take to win a championship. So she spent her spring and summer seasons preparing, and it made all the difference in her game.
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"By the time you get to playoffs, it's not a physical thing at all; it's purely mental," said Bates. "So many people are tired and hurting and don't want to do this anymore. I think that's where the preparation really shows the most."
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In 2015, the Lancers handled their opponents in the first four rounds of the CIF Division 3A playoffs and faced fellow Trinity League rival Santa Margarita in the title game, defeating the Eagles 35-31.
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One year later, OLu moved up to CIF Division 3AA, and once again, Bates and the Lancers moved through the first four rounds with ease. Facing Sonora in the championship game, OLu clinched the program's first back-to-back titles with a 32–28 victory.
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Although she entered OLu knowing only one other person, teammate Taylor Griffin, she came away from the experience with a strong sense of community.
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"What I appreciated was I definitely felt like my teammates had my back," said Bates. "I came out feeling like I knew all of them as well as I knew (Griffin), and I appreciated the closeness that happens when you play a team sport."
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After graduating from OLu, Bates attended Claremont McKenna College where she majored in biochemistry and played basketball for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. She competed all four years, contributing to three league championships and an NCAA Division III March Madness appearance.
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Bates is currently a doctoral candidate in bioengineering at Caltech. She stays connected to the game as a volunteer assistant coach for Caltech's women's basketball team and plays on a Claremont-Mudd-Scripps alumni recreational team. She plans to pursue a career in patent law.
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While Bates has always been drawn to STEM, OLu gave her the opportunity to explore a range of other interests. She studied Latin as her foreign language and was a frequent contributor to King Author, the school's student-led literary publication. Latin teacher Hayley Sampson, former English teacher Michael Kramer and the entire OLu English department were all influential in her time as a Lancer.
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"There wasn't pigeonholing at Orange Lutheran," said Bates. "Just because you're good at one thing doesn't mean that you can't be good at other things, or doesn't mean you shouldn't try other things. So I really appreciated that support."
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Bates credits her years at OLu for teaching her about personal responsibility and the impact of representation.
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"I really appreciated at Orange Lutheran how they impressed upon us the importance of being conscious of how you show up in spaces and who you represent, not only representing yourself, but your family and your community," said Bates.
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And she didn't realize it at the time, but the support Bates received from OLu girls basketball head coach Tom Howard had a profound influence on her views of both coaching and life.
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"Now looking back, I realized he was a great coach," said Bates of Howard. "He was incredibly consistent, he was clear and he was level-headed in tough situations. He valued everyone's work ethic, regardless of their talent starting point…and he fostered that environment where it was okay to learn and get better and hang your hat on your work ethic rather than your field goal percentage. I've come to really appreciate that upon reflection."
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As a 2025 Hall of Fame inductee, Bates is grateful to be recognized for all she invested into her athletic career while at OLu, and she will always value the lessons she learned both on and off the court as a Lancer.
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"At Orange Lutheran, you were encouraged to bring your best to every space," said Bates. "Since that became my normal, I expected myself and everyone around me to always bring their best to whatever they were doing. And your best wasn't about the numbers, the stats, or the performance. In the end, it was about your work ethic."
