O'Neil brings enthusiasm to Paloma Valley basketball team

By Sydney Woodley, Correspondent

Derrick O'Neil has been named the new head coach of the boys basketball team at Paloma Valley High School. O’Neil was chosen to be head coach because of his student-athlete experience and ability to develop athletes.

“Derrick’s energy and enthusiasm immediately stood out to us through this process, combined with his experiences as both a player and a coach, We are excited about what he brings to our boys basketball program at Paloma Valley,” Justin Marquis, Paloma Valley’s athletic director, said.

O’Neil’s journey began in Riverside, where he attended Valley View High. However, it was the move to North Carolina during his high school year that his love for basketball ignited. O’Neil attended a preparatory school called Laurinburg Institute, and he stated that playing at the school expanded his vision of basketball.

Though O’Neil excelled on the court, he faced struggles academically that affected his eligibility. With perseverance and maturity, O’Neil buckled down and handled his books and grades to graduate.

O’Neil wanted to stay on the East Coast and committed to Florida Community College at Jacksonville. He was named team MVP for both his freshman and sophomore seasons, where he averaged 13 points per game. His talent at the junior college level led him to play Division I basketball at Florida Gulf Coast University.

After two solid years at Florida Gulf Coast University, O’Neil was the first in his family to graduate from a four-year university. After walking the stage and receiving his diploma, O’Neil traveled to play in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he experienced his first obstacle.

“I was cut from the team,” O’Neil said. “It was a reality that basketball is pretty serious.”

However, O’Neil had always possessed a hard work ethic and took basketball seriously. He stated that the individual skill set was important, not just being a good player overall, but being great at one to two things.

Following this occurrence, O’Neil played professionally for four years and gained international experience. He played overseas in China, Mexico and Holland. Additionally, O’Neil competed in the NBA Development League, or the NBA D-League.

O’Neil had suddenly received the opportunity to coach at Linfield Christian as the girls basketball coach.

“My college’s women’s team was pretty good, and I was a fan of the game. I used to go watch their practices,” O’Neil said. “I never knew God would lead me to be a girls coach.”

O’Neil stated that the transition from playing to coaching was easy, considering he had always been a student of the game, listening to his previous coaches. O’Neil possessed the ability to coach and train athletes.

Within the first three years at Linfield Christian, O’Neil was appointed as the girls and boys varsity basketball coach. O’Neil stated that it was an accomplishment and a testament to how much the school trusted him to be a coach on both sides at a prestigious private Christian school.

After one year of coaching the boys team, O’Neil dedicated his energy to solely the girls team.
“I had built the girls program for three years and knew we had a chance to win CIF,” O’Neil said.
Thus, O’Neil’s prophecy came to light one year later, when the girls team took home a CIF championship. It was the first in school history on either the girls or boys side. With the success of that season, four of the varsity players continued their basketball careers playing at the college level.

“With being the girls coach for five years, it expanded my knowledge of the game,” O’Neil said. “Whereas boys depend on athleticism, the girls focus was on passing, catching, cutting.”

Additionally, O’Neil was the CEO and coach of Prospects on Deck, or POD, a boys and girls travel ball team built in 2015 and run through 2020. The program was devoted to strengthening and nurturing young talented athletes and offering them resources to succeed at all collegiate levels.

O'Neil draws inspiration for his coaching style and beliefs from people he refers to as his heroes.

One of these was his junior college basketball coach, Phillip Stick, who had had a pivotal shift in O’Neil’s life. Stick provided a humbling effect on O’Neil, where he would mentally break O’Neil down and reveal that he did not know everything about the game, while also encouraging him.

Stick had influenced O’Neil’s philosophy quote: “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

Though O’Neil was not the biggest, fastest, strongest and most talented on the court, the heights he had reached were because of the hard work he put in. Therefore, he engaged in experiences that not many talented players get to, such as playing overseas and traveling the world.

Another hero was Paul Simpson, who O’Neil described as a basketball fanatic. O’Neil met him after his freshman year in college. Simpson had emphasized and helped O’Neil understand the lessons Stick was telling him.

“The two had gone hand-in-hand with my development as a player and now as a coach,” O’Neil said.

Since his departure from Linfield Christian, it had been five years since O’Neil coached a team. However, prior to reaching out to Paloma Valley, O’Neil noticed signs hinting at a return to the court. It started with conversations with people who happened to be from Menifee. Then, he received a text message from one of his old friends stating that the head coach position at Paloma Valley was open.

By the end of April, O’Neil reached out to the high school; within two days he had an interview and was soon given the role.

O'Neil is taking on a boys basketball program that has struggled in the past years, but O’Neil strongly believes it is about the work. O’Neil stated that it took him four years at Linfield to win a championship.

“We preach work and if you put in work every day and if they trust the recipe and philosophy from the coaching staff, then I am not too worried about the games,” O’Neil said. “I am a bigger fan of practices than the games; the games are just about adjustments.”

O’Neil is not the only addition to the basketball program. He is assembling a robust staff that includes a strength and conditioning coach, three trainers and three assistant coaches.

This approach ensures that players are provided with attention and individualized development. O’Neil emphasized the importance of inclusivity. Each player, whether they are on the freshman team or a starter on the varsity, has value in the basketball program. During one of the summer practices, O’Neil dedicated a time slot for the players to learn each other’s names.

Additionally, more coaches allow O’Neil to balance his coaching responsibilities with his personal life as a devoted husband and father of four kids.

“My first years at Linfield, I had three children at the time, and it was so much dedication and sacrifice to the family time because I was pouring into other families and student-athletes and winning because it was just me and two other coaches,” O’Neil said. “However, with more coaches, I can delegate roles and that frees up time to spend with my family.”

O’Neil is committed to the team and understands this journey will not be an easy road, but revitalizing the program begins with a strong team culture and emphasizing excellence on and off the court.

“We don’t want to have a good team, we want a good program from frosh, junior varsity and varsity,” O'Neil said.