Moncks Corner – After doubling up on the victory total this winter, it’s safe to say the Berkeley High boys basketball program is thriving after two seasons with Matthew Mullins as head coach.
Mullins came to Berkeley prior to the 2022-23 season after making the Colleton County program a winning commodity. His first season led to nine wins as Mullins was patient in establishing his culture and getting a very young team to buy in.
That buy in continued this season, in a big way. The Stags contended for the region 6-AAAAA championship this winter, finishing in second-place behind Cane Bay. Berkeley posted a 17-9 record in year two of the Mullins program, a good positive step in the right direction.
“The biggest thing we did last year was make our players understand what my expectations were,” Mullins said. “They did a good job of understanding what type of program we wanted to be and it carried over into the summer and preseason.
“We had a pretty good season. We were still a pretty young team but they had a year of experience. Now we want to move forward and continue our growth. We will have some guys who will be third-year starters next season and I am pretty excited to have an older team on the floor. It’s going to be nice to have experience. The offseason, the summer, will be very important for us.”
Mullins says the team is still learning how to play winning basketball. His hope during the offseason is to see players develop their overall skill level and be able to play several positions on the floor.
“We need to become more well-rounded as players,” he said. “We need a guy that may be a wing or a forward to learn to play away from the basket. We need guys to develop mid-range stuff, regardless of what position they are called.”
The two key ingredients for this year’s team, and for the next few years, are rising junior forward Deuce Kinloch (6-6) and rising sophomore guard John Cleveland. Cleveland led the team in scoring, averaging about 13.5 points per game while Kinloch averaged 11 points per game. Both were all-region selections and both were starters last season as well. Mullins feels both players will be among the top players in the Charleston area next season.
Mullins is looking to junior Jordan Livingston to elevate his game as well.
“I’ ve seen a big jump from him each year and I feel like next year could be a big year for him,” Mullins said.
Point guard Cam Palmer will be a senior next season and has shown great potential, according to Mullins. Another player who the coach hopes can take a big step is Jehoava Williams, a bullish forward and football player who can be a solid defender and rebounder.
Overall, Mullins is seeing growth at in the sub-varsity programs as well. He is looking forward to the new crop of underclassmen that are on the way.
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