Ocean Lakes High School didn’t exist when Mario Mullen won two state basketball championships with Bayside High and was crowned the Group AAA Player of the Year.
Mullen and the Marlins won those titles in 1990 and 1991. Ocean Lakes was founded in 1994.
Ocean Lakes was in the middle of its first school year when Mullen had his marquee moment with Old Dominion, where he was a four-year starter. On March 13, 1995, Mullen had 16 points and 10 rebounds as the 14th-seeded Monarchs upset third-seeded Villanova in the NCAA tournament.
Mullen was named the new Ocean Lakes boys basketball coach this week, replacing Nic Mace, who moved out of the area.
Mullen “has a great basketball pedigree,” Ocean Lakes athletic director John Williams said. “He’s been working with our program the last couple years (as an assistant) and he brings a lot of basketball knowledge. In the same realm, he brings a lot of discipline and character to the program.”
Since his playing days, Mullen has been a special education teacher in Hampton Roads at schools including Maury and SECEP, a public school for students with disabilities. He coached Maury’s junior-varsity basketball team for several years.
Ocean Lakes has not had a winning season in 10 years, and Mullen is eager to begin implementing his strategy.
“Basically, my goal is to cultivate students to uphold the standards of Ocean Lakes,” Mullen said. “To be a part of the community, part of the learning and to compete at the highest level.”
For Mullen, that begins with discipline and preparation balanced by the patience he’s learned from his teaching career.
“It’s having patience and being able to accept differences,” Mullen said. “Being able to understand that everyone learns at a different pace. It doesn’t mean they’re not learning, but learning at a different pace.”
Mullen expects to return 10 or 11 players from last year’s team, allowing for initial continuity as he builds on Mace’s foundations.
“The last couple years, the program hasn’t been on the same level (as other Ocean Lakes teams), but I’m trying to build on what was started by Coach Mace,” Mullen said, “by changing the culture, getting the guys to believe in themselves and improving their confidence levels.”
Because, to Mullen, the fundamentals can trump talent.
“I think a disciplined team can beat a good team,” Mullen said. “… I just want the guys to compete as hard as they can. Long-term goal is building a program that can be recognized.”
Mullen still talks with former teammates about the recognition received by those Bayside squads and what they meant to the community. Reaching the pinnacle of high school athletics taught Mullen how important chemistry is to success.
“It takes four other guys besides yourself to make it happen,” Mullen said. “The teamwork, the camaraderie — that builds a culture. And that’s what I love to do.”
Ray Nimmo, 757-446-2364, ray.nimmo@pilotonline.com
