From SOMSD:
When Deon Mingo was hired as Columbia High School’s new boys basketball coach on May 30th, he wasted no time in getting together with his team.
“I spent a lot of time with the guys over the summer,” Mingo said. “And we have gotten so much better since then.”
The time Mingo spent with his players in the off-season was aimed at developing their skills, but there was another priority that was just a little higher.
“My thing is mentorship and teaching these guys what it means to be a high school athlete,” he said. “This is not just a basketball team. This is a mentoring program.”
Therefore, being head basketball coach is not just an extra-curricular occupation for him, he said. It’s more of a vocation – a job that he takes “very, very seriously” – as he drives the values of hard work and accountability among his players.
CLICK HERE to see a video of a team practice.
As the team prepares for their home opener this Thursday against Bloomfield, Mingo has the benefit of many years of coaching experience – the last five at Newark Academy in Livingston as head coach – with coaching positions at Dwight-Englewood School, Rutgers-Newark, East Orange Campus High School, and North 13th Street Tech in Newark. His son, Deon Mingo, Jr., played for him for two years at Newark Academy and now plays at Rutgers-Newark.
Mingo is also no stranger to the District, having a daughter in the third grade at Marshall Elementary School as well as playing against the Cougars when he was in high school at East Orange.
Mingo’s mentorship-based coaching style does not mean he is forsaking a winning season. In fact, he wants to lead the Cougars to new heights.
“Our goal is to compete for a county championship and get to the state tournament,” Mingo said unequivocally. It’s been 17 years since the Cougars had a shot at the title that has always eluded the team.
In addition to his players, Mingo has great confidence in his assistant coach, T.J. Whitaker. Whitaker is a local basketball legend in his own right having played for Seton Hall Prep, the University of Vermont, and later coached with Seton Hall Prep’s revered head coach, Bob Farrell, who retired in 2011.
The CHS coaching staff is also bolstered by Freshmen Coach Mathew Derilus, and volunteer coach Tunde Adedoyin, the head of the District’s Human Resources Department.
Mingo believes the combination of experienced coaches and dedicated players can bring home the Essex County championship.
“It’s going to take a lot of work,” he said. “We’re going to surprise a lot of people.”
The Columbia High School Boys Basketball Team will host Bloomfield High School on Thursday, December 14th at 7:00 p.m. at the CHS Gymnasium. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students with ID and senior citizens.
