Ocean Lakes Hoops Coach, Former Bayside AAA State POY Dies
The Hampton Roads basketball community is mourning the loss one of its most accomplished players and respected people.
Ocean Lakes Head Basketball Coach Mario Mullen - who helped lead Bayside to back-to-back Group AAA State Championships in 1990 and 1991 before going on to play his College Basketball at nearby Old Dominion University - passed away at Sentara Virginia Beach Hospital on Friday, July 5, 2024. He was 50.
Tributes came flooding in all over social media as the news was learned about Mullen's passing, less than two weeks after being hospitalized. That includes from Nic Mace, the man who preceded him as Head Coach at Ocean Lakes.
"I don't have all the words I'd like to say right now to do this man justice. Coach Mullen was more than a good friend of mine. He was a brother," Mace wrote on Facebook.
"We didn't know each other at all when I started my second tenure at Ocean Lakes, but by the time it finished I was closer to him than I've ever been with anyone I've coached with over the years. There's very few people I talk to on the phone regularly, but after a few games of phone tag he and I would always catch up. Mario was such an amazing father and husband. He was also one of the best friends I'll ever have. I'm devastated by his passing. The world lost one of the best men I've ever known."
At Bayside, Mullen was the Group AAA State Player of the Year in 1991 with averages of 16.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 62% from the field for a Marlins team that won its second straight title. There, he played for Ron Jenkins, a man Mullen referred to as a "father figure," and "pillar," in the community.
Jenkins was honored by Bayside this past February with Mullen among the many former players on hand for the occasion.
"Mario will be truly missed not just for his athleticism, but more so as a great human being," Jenkins posted with a heavy heart on Facebook. "My sincere condolences to his family. I love you big guy."
After Bayside, Mullen played his College Basketball at Old Dominion, choosing the Monarchs over James Madison, Maryland, Richmond and Virginia Tech. The 6-foot-6 forward was a four-year starter there, earning All-CAA Freshman honors in 1993 and averaged 8.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest during his collegiate career.
Perhaps the finest moment in Mullen's college career came in 1995 when Old Dominion as a No. 14 seed stunned No. 3 seed Villanova in the NCAA Tournament. In that 89-81 triple-overtime triumph over the Wildcats in Albany, he recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Mullen was a teammate of both current Old Dominion Head Coach Mike Jones and assistant Odell Hodge. Another teammate of his at ODU, David Harvey, noted how Mullen did so much in his life with grace and dignity.
""Mario was a class act. Off the court, we hung out all the time and talked after school. I talked to him and texted regularly, and every holiday - Father's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas. He was an awesome family man, great teammate and true testament to the state of Virginia. This is tough," Harvey told VirginiaPreps.com.
Both Harvey and Mullen were on hand in Norfolk this past March for the introductory press conference of Mike Joens being hired at their alma mater. It turned out to be the last time they would see each other.
"I saw him at Mike's press conference. He and I embraced then. We talked about each other's families, our children, how each other was doing." added Harvey, a longtime assistant basketball coach at John Marshall High School in Richmond.
Mullen's legacy and spirit will carry on through the lives of so many he impacted. Many will remember him more for how he conducted himself off the court than what he did as a member of the Marlins, Monarchs or even the past four seasons coaching the Dolphins.
"To be a homegrown young man that went to High School in this state, go to college in the state where you grew up and where you're from, plus coaching at a High School in the area... he truly represented Virginia," Harvey stated. "I'll remember him as a high-character gentleman and great guy."
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and be sure to Subscribe to CoVA Sports TV where you can watch and hear his Podcasts.