Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, VA has named Mario Mullen as its new Head Boys Basketball Coach.
Previously, he served as an assistant coach to head man Nic Mace, and before that, was a junior varsity coach at Maury High in Norfolk. The task of turning around a program that has fallen on hard times will undoubtedly be a challenge for the former Beach District standout. Virginia Beach has seen four different schools - Cox, Green Run, Landstown and Salem - win a regional title since 2018 with two of them earning the distinction of State Champs.
Mullen becomes the fifth different Head Coach for Ocean Lakes in nine seasons. The Dolphins have won eight or fewer games in each of the past ten seasons. But in Mullen they have someone both familiar with the dynamics and used to success on the court.
During his playing days at Bayside, Mullen was the Group AAA State Player of the Year in 1991 and helped lead the Marlins to back-to-back state titles. From there, he went on to become a four-year starter at Old Dominion, where he recorded a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds when the No. 14 seeded Monarchs toppled No. 3 seeded Villanova in triple-overtime in the 1995 NCAA Tournament.
Last season, the Dolphins finished 4-19 overall, falling to Oscar Smith by a count of 91-43 in the opening round of the Region 6A Tournament. Their last winning record came in 2009-10 when the squad went 15-9 overall under Mike Head.
What will make next season unique for Mullen is the chance to coach his son - 6-foot-6 guard/wing Tyler Mullen from the Class of 2021.
Previously, he served as an assistant coach to head man Nic Mace, and before that, was a junior varsity coach at Maury High in Norfolk. The task of turning around a program that has fallen on hard times will undoubtedly be a challenge for the former Beach District standout. Virginia Beach has seen four different schools - Cox, Green Run, Landstown and Salem - win a regional title since 2018 with two of them earning the distinction of State Champs.
Mullen becomes the fifth different Head Coach for Ocean Lakes in nine seasons. The Dolphins have won eight or fewer games in each of the past ten seasons. But in Mullen they have someone both familiar with the dynamics and used to success on the court.
During his playing days at Bayside, Mullen was the Group AAA State Player of the Year in 1991 and helped lead the Marlins to back-to-back state titles. From there, he went on to become a four-year starter at Old Dominion, where he recorded a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds when the No. 14 seeded Monarchs toppled No. 3 seeded Villanova in triple-overtime in the 1995 NCAA Tournament.
Last season, the Dolphins finished 4-19 overall, falling to Oscar Smith by a count of 91-43 in the opening round of the Region 6A Tournament. Their last winning record came in 2009-10 when the squad went 15-9 overall under Mike Head.
What will make next season unique for Mullen is the chance to coach his son - 6-foot-6 guard/wing Tyler Mullen from the Class of 2021.
