BOYS 3-A BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME : Mayberry Proves Nice Guys Can Finish First

It’s not often that a coach will burst into tears after his team has won a game, but then, John Mayberry is more than a coach at Kennedy High School.

In a way, Mayberry, 58, is Kennedy High. He was one of the original faculty members hired when the school opened in 1964, serving as a driver’s education instructor and then a guidance counselor. He became an assistant basketball coach in 1968 and the head coach in 1977.

He has always been one of the school’s biggest supporters. When Kennedy won the Southern Section’s 3-A football title in 1971, he dressed as a leprechaun--complete with green sports coat, green pants and green shoes--at pep rallies.

“He’s one of the most-respected and well-thought-of teachers on the campus,” said Scott Lovely, assistant basketball coach. “The kids love that man.”

So, while Mayberry was wiping away the tears after his team had scored an improbable 83-80 victory over Rolling Hills in three overtimes Tuesday, students, faculty and alumni mobbed the veteran coach, most of them hugging him in his brightest hour.

Kennedy had overcome a 24-point deficit in the third quarter to reach the 3-A division championship game at 11:30 a.m. today against Tustin in the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

The Irish have never won more than one basketball playoff game before this season, so Mayberry plans to dress for the occasion today. He should be easy to recognize with his green pants, green sweater and green shoes.

“I bleed Kennedy green,” Mayberry said while finishing a practice session on Thursday at Cypress College. “I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do, or anywhere else I’d rather work than coach basketball at Kennedy High.”

Mayberry is proof that nice guys can finish first. He often has been criticized by his peers and by the media for being too nice. Some say Mayberry doesn’t discipline his players. Others say he stops coaching in crucial situations and becomes more of a fan than a coach.

Through the years, Mayberry has shrugged off the critics and continued to coach the only way he knows how . . . usually giving his players a pat on the back and offering encouragement more than mapping the X’s and O’s during the heat of a game.

Mayberry has a 144-91 record in 11 seasons, during which the Irish have qualified for the playoffs eight times. But again the critics point to his 1-7 playoff record before this season and say that Orange County’s Mr. Nice Guy can’t coach.

“Anybody can be an X’s and O’s man,” Mayberry said. “I learned a long time ago that there’s more to this game than X’s and O’s. The players have another life when they leave the gym each day.

“I decided a long time ago that if I discipline a kid, it would be individually. I won’t discipline a kid if it hurts the team. If I disciplined my players the way some coaches do, I wouldn’t have five starters left.”

Michael Keith, a three-year starter under Mayberry, leads the team in scoring and rebounding. He said Mayberry should be measured as a coach more than just by his won-lost record.

“He cares about people,” Keith said. “He cares about what you’re doing in basketball, and also how you’re doing with your school work or in your social life. He helped mold my personality and worked on my attitude.

“It used to be that if somebody said something bad to me, I retaliated. Now I’ll turn the other cheek, at least most of the time. I’m getting better.

“When things go bad, he’ll get upset, but he doesn’t get mad or start screaming. He was disappointed with us after the first half against Rolling Hills (the Irish were trailing, 42-19), but he never got mad. He encouraged us to go out and win.”

Lovely said he watched in amazement as Mayberry applauded his players on their way to the locker room after they played their worst half of the season.

“The reason we came back,” Lovely said, “is right over there.” Lovely pointed to Mayberry. “He refused to give up on these kids.

“There have been times when I’ve said, ‘Coach, what are we going to do?’ He’ll put his arm around me and say, ‘Don’t worry, it’ll work out.’ The man has more patience and tolerance than anyone I’ve ever met.”

Almost. Kennedy has managed to try Mayberry’s patience more than once this season. Like the time the Irish blew a seven-point lead and lost to Edison, 60-59, for third place in the Irvine World News tournament. Or the time the Irish missed 15 free-throw attempts and lost to Santa Clara, 58-49, in the Orange tournament.

Kennedy slipped to 3-6 after the loss to Santa Clara, and appeared to be going nowhere. Mayberry admitted that the Irish, a preseason top 10 team in the county, had him wondering as they prepared for Garden Grove League play.

“I’ve had my share of trials and tribulations with this team,” he said. “That’s what makes this group so special. I’ve had lots of individual talks with the players regarding various problems.

“I’ve had kids with grade problems. I had another kid who got shot in Compton before the season started. But those problems have brought this team together unlike any other I’ve ever coached.”

Mayberry thinks the turning point in the season came after a loss at Bolsa Grande in league play.

“We opened the league with six straight wins and then lost at Bolsa Grande,” he said. “The ride home was real quiet. The next day at practice, the kids were real serious. You could see they weren’t going to let that (losing) happen again.”

Kennedy has won 11 straight games since the loss to Bolsa Grande, and Mayberry has become an even more popular figure on campus.

Mayberry never played basketball at Berkeley High in Northern California. He was a baseball player and later became a baseball coach at Ohio University. He returned to California as a scout for the Cincinnati Reds for three years before ge obtained a teaching credential and began his career at Western High.

In 1964, Centrallia High was scheduled to open in La Palma and Mayberry was hired to teach driver’s education. Incoming students from Walker and La Palma junior high schools petitioned the Anaheim Union High School District to have the school’s name changed to John F. Kennedy High in November of 1963.

“This was the first high school named after the President in the country,” Mayberry said. “The first flag we had at Kennedy was sent from the White House. There’s a lot of tradition at this school, and I feel fortunate to be a part of it.”

TUSTIN vs. KENNEDY

RECORDS--Tustin 25-4, Kennedy 21-7.

SITE--Sports Arena, 11:30 a.m.

TUSTIN UPDATE--The Tillers defeated Palos Verdes, 63-59, in the semifinals, which was considered a mild upset. However, Tustin Coach Tom McCluskey told his players before the playoffs that they had the talent to reach the final. “I hope we’re realizing that potential,” McCluskey said. Center Leo Parker is healthy, which means the Tustin offense is set. Parker scored 25 points and had 11 rebounds against Palos Verdes. In the last three playoff games, Tustin has been forced to go to a zone defense because it lacked the quickness of its opponents.

KENNEDY UPDATE--The Irish rallied from oblivion in the semifinals against Rolling Hills. Kennedy, down by 24 points midway through the third quarter, came back to win, 83-80, in triple overtime. That stunning performance showed the caliber of talent Coach John Mayberry has. Forward Michael Keith reaggravated an old injury to his right elbow in the first quarter against Rolling Hills and didn’t participate in most of the Irish’s drills on Thursday. However, Keith has said he’ll be ready by game time.

KEY TO THE GAME--For Tustin, Brad Cantrell must hit his outside shots early so Kennedy cannot sack on Parker. Kennedy must get into its transition game.

CONSENSUS--Kennedy has the ability to run away with the game if the Irish play as they did in the second half against Rolling Hills. They won’t. Tustin plays with too much intensity. The Tillers in a close game.