To say that DeAndre Cole inherited a difficult challenge when he became the boys’ basketball coach at Compton Centennial this season would be an understatement. The team went 1-23 last season and had a streak of seven consecutive losing seasons since finishing 13-13 in 2017-2018.
“The expectation was to bring the winning culture, to bring some excitement,” the 44-year-old Cole said.
Incredibly, Centennial has already finished its regular season with a 12-12 record and represents one of the biggest turnaround stories in Southern California. The .500 record means Centennial is eligible for a Southern Section at-large playoff berth.
This is a program where UCLA assistant coach Rod Palmer once had teams competing against the best when alumnus Arron Affalo was bombing in threes and delivering dunks before going on to UCLA and the NBA. Centennial won the 2004 state Division III championship. This year’s team went 1-6 in the Ocean League, where Inglewood and high-scoring Jason Crowe Jr. won the league title.
Cole once served as an assistant coach at Washington Prep and Manual Arts. He was set to be head coach at Morningside until the school closed last year.
He’s a Crenshaw grad who says he was kicked off the basketball team by legendary coach Willie West. Asked what he learned, Cole said, “It takes hard work and being dedicated buying into the program and no player is bigger than the program.”
He said his problem was not listening to West and thinking he was the next Stephen Curry.
Even though Centennial had only six players available much of the season for varsity action, Cole created a junior varsity team, so help is on the way if the team gets a playoff spot. The team’s best two players have been guards Jaden McDonald, a transfer from Detroit, and Edward Johnson, who used to be home-schooled.
Five of the six players have played football, including Joshua Crathers, who was the school’s quarterback for two years.
Asked what he learned after winning one game last season, Crathers said, “Don’t give up. When you lose, you get better.”
Cole had to be creative when he lost a player against St. Bonaventure, leaving the Apaches with four players. A student who was a friend of a Centennial player with minimal practices was asked to join the team for a single game.
“We need you to show up,” Cole told the student.
Cole remembers him being so out of shape that he needed a water break after the first play of the game. Centennial won 63-58.
McDonald said the team has no choice but to be in their best shape knowing players have to play the entire game.
“I feel everything that comes to us is deserving, but we have to work hard,” McDonald said.
There’s no reason the program can’t continue to grow considering the Compton area is filled with talent. Remember the city is where DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Christopher, Tyson Chandler and Corey Benjamin once played. It’s about keeping the neighborhood kids home and showing players can develop and explore their basketball dreams.
Considering how far Centennial plunged, a 12-12 record at this point is a stunning reward for the school, players, parents and fans. Let’s see where Cole can take them.
The school is about to go through a rebuilding phase, with the gym being torn down and replaced on a whole new campus.
The straight outta of Compton story is in its beginning stage, but it sure looks like things are changing fast.
