Ed Washington inducted into Castlemont Hall of Fame. TKA freshman Boss Mhoon talks trip to USA Basketball minicamp. Plus, how a former Leland basketball coach is helping Leigh’s baseball team to a strong start.
Ed Washington inducted into Castlemont Hall of Fame. TKA freshman Boss Mhoon talks trip to USA Basketball minicamp. Plus, how a former Leland basketball coach is helping Leigh’s baseball team to a strong start.
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SAN LEANDRO: FORMER PRO TAKES OVER BOYS BASKETBALL PROGRAM
Davion Berry has accomplished a lot in his basketball playing career.
The former Hayward High and Weber State alum was the Big Sky Conference MVP in 2014 and carved out a decade-long career playing pro ball in places like Greece, Israel, South Korea and even in the NBA G-League.
But Berry is now ready for a new challenge.
He will be the next coach at San Leandro High School.
“I’m just so excited to coach these kids,” Berry told the Bay Area News Group on Thursday. “Just to be able to teach these young kids and help them with getting to college and being a good person is exciting to me.”
Berry takes over from Darrnaryl Stamps, who parted ways with the program in March after 13 years.
San Leandro was 3-23 this past season, its worst record in at least 20 years. Berry will try to turn around a program that hasn’t had a winning record since 2019 and has won just 23 games the last five seasons.
Though getting San Leandro back on track will take a lot of work, Berry has the resources to expedite that process.
San Leandro unveiled its brand new gym this past season. The gym includes a Jumbotron that hangs from the top of center court, seating that could fit large crowds, revamped locker rooms and college-level film rooms.
“It’s huge because you know right away that the school cares about athletics. They want to make the athletes feel good about themselves,” Berry said. “As soon as you walk through those gym doors you have to just smile from ear-to-ear. When you come to a facility like that, it’s eye opening, especially here in the East Bay where we don’t have any high schools that look like that.”
As a high school player, Berry earned all-league honors in 2009. He went on to play college basketball at Cal State Monterrey Bay for two seasons before joining fellow East Bay native Damian Lillard at Weber State.
– Nathan Canilao
LEIGH: MARINO SWITCHES SIDES IN CROSSTOWN RIVALRY
Drew Marino is a Leland Charger through and through. Or is he?
Marino, a 2008 graduate of Leland, played basketball and baseball for the Chargers, then later served as an assistant coach of the baseball team and head coach of the basketball team.
But today, he’s a Longhorn. Marino took over Leigh’s baseball team starting with the 2022 season.
He also serves as Leigh’s athletic director, deepening his connection to a school that is commonly a rival for Leland within the Blossom Valley Athletic League. Just last week, the schools did battle in baseball, with Leigh earning a home-and-home sweep against its rival to the south in San Jose.
So does Marino feel guilty about taking two games away from his alma mater?
“No, no, not at all,” Marino said. “Try and beat everybody.”
In all seriousness, Marino shares a special connection with Leland that cannot be severed by switching to a different San Jose high school.
“It’s always fun to go back there,” Marino said. “Mike Sparrer, who coached for a long time at Leland, I was on his coaching staff right when I finished college. And now I’m over here building this program.”
So for this year, he’s doing a noteworthy job. After their sweep of Leland last week, the Longhorns are 11-1 heading into a spring break-ending nonleague matchup against Soquel on Friday.
– Christian Babcock
THE KING’S ACADEMY: FRESHMAN STAR MAKES NOISE AT USA BASKETBALL MINI CAMP
When Boss Mhoon attended the USA Basketball Mini Camp in October, he struggled.
In an environment where the top players in his class were all under one roof, the size and physicality of his peers was a “wake up call,” according to Moon.
But when Mhoon returned to the camp this year in San Antonio, the King’s Academy freshman sensation did not disappoint.
Mhoon, fresh off of leading TKA to the Division III state title game, showcased his two-way abilities against the top players in the 2028 class. Like he did all season with the Knights, Mhoon knocked down shots from 3-point range while being a stingy defender at the rim.
“This time around, I was a little bit more comfortable since I knew what I was going up against,” Mhoon told the Bay Area News Group. “My shot was looking a little bit better than before. I feel like all the work I put into the season and in the off season since last camp has been showing. I felt like my defense was a little bit better this time too.”
After averaging 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block for TKA, Mhoon is already getting ready to make another state title run next season. Mhoon was a West Bay Athletic League first-team and an all-Bay Area News Group second-team selection this season.
“I took two days off,” Mhoon said. “After that I just had AAU practice in Los Angeles. I’ve just done more training since my two-day offseason ended. It’s just been nonstop.”
– Nathan Canilao
CASTLEMONT: ED WASHINGTON INDUCTED TO SCHOOL HALL OF FAME
In the last decade, no one has embodied Castlemont more than football coach Ed Washington.
On Monday, Castlemont’s Alumni Association announced Washington’s induction into the school’s hall of fame. Washington has been a fixture at the East Oakland school since he graduated in the early 2000s, making his second stint as head coach two years ago.
Washington was a standout defensive back at Castlemont and later went on to play college football at Texas College – a historically Black college in Tyler, Texas.
In six seasons as head coach, Washington is just 23-41 but his reach and impact is felt much farther than the football field.
Washington has helped keep the tradition of football at Castlemont, a place that is not known for pushing out many college players.
Last year, he was integral in creating Castlemont’s girls flag football team. He has also helped push his players to be more vocal about issues that affect them, like in 2016 when he supported his players making peaceful protests to start a dialogue on police brutality.
This past season, Washington coached his son, Elijah Washington, who is committed to play at Oregon State next year.
– Nathan Canilao
