"Be good to basketball and it will be good to you" is just one of many sayings from hoop legend John Mayberry.  Basketball was indeed good to Coach Mayberry in 1988 to the Kennedy High School coach as Mayberry's cagers won the Harden Grove League Title, a California Interscholastic Federation Class 3A Crown and an appearance in the 1988 State Tournament.

All well in good for a man whose life has revolved around athletics and the people and players that are part of it. 

That 1987-88 season was a dream year, as the Mayberry-led Irish, who won 20 of their last 21 games, had six straight playoff victories (including a classic triple-overtime victory in the CIF 3A semi-finals) and recorded another overtime victory to capture the league championship.  For his efforts, Mayberry was named League Coach of the Year, Los Angeles Times All-Orange County Coach of the Year, Big "A" and The Orange County Register Coach of the Year.

A West Virginia native, sports have always been a big part of "The Coach".  During the 1940's Mayberry's family moved to Northern California where he attended Berkeley High School,  John Enrolled at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia and he graduated in 1958.  His college life was busy not only in the academic classroom, but as well on the playing field as he lettered in freshman football, basketball, varsity cross-country and baseball.

John went on to teach in Western High in Anaheim, California before coming to Kennedy High School for the 1964-65 school year.  He has served as teacher, career guidance counselor and coach in the 24 years at Kennedy and is affectionately known as "Mr. Kennedy High School".  In addition to the head basketball mentor for the Irish, John has coached baseball, cross country, golf and swimming.

He is the former president of the Orange Swim Conference and was one of the founding fathers of the AAU "C" Swim Division.  John has also been a member of the Board of Directors of National Junior Basketball and the Southern California Coordinator of Shot Doctor Shooting Camps.  He is also past President of SCIBCA and an Advisory Board Member of California Interscholastic Federation Basketball.

In addition to the many accolades over the years, John has developed many a friendship with thousands of people through athletics and has served the Hoop Historians as the "Unofficial Shutterbug" of the organization as the group photographer.

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