Edison High School hooper Va’Ron Mitchell is proving himself as one of the elite all-around players in the Central Section. Mitchell is regularly getting buckets in the half court offense and also forcing turnovers at a high rate to create fastbreak opportunities. And it’s not by accident that Mitchell has evolved into an all-around hooper.
“Honestly it’s been a lot of film study, asking questions in practice, talking with my coaches on how I can improve in order to make it to the next level,” Mitchell said. “Just following what my coaches has told me.”
The senior had one of his best performances against the West Vikings (Bakersfield) on Dec. 6, finishing with 22 points, six rebounds and four steals. He also finished multiple fastbreak opportunities with dazzling dunks. The strong all-around performance was another testament to Mitchell’s willingness to trust his coaches.
“I really started getting with my coaches like Michael Potts, Michael Fulford, Terrant elliot, Justin Ayers and started to ask how I can get better,” the Edison student-athlete said.
Mitchell is especially proud of his team’s performance against Stockdale on Dec. 7, where he scored 18 points on 58% shooting to help the Tigers get a 60-43 win.
“It was a big rival in the past two years, we was facing a lot of adversity with my teammates and guys had to step up in different roles and we played together as a team,” Mitchell said. “It was good watching my teammates step into different roles, but that game they showed what they really can do and I just added what I bring to this team and it all clicked.”
Edison is off to a 5-5 start on the season. The Tigers have earned several dominant wins, but have also ended up on the opposite end a few times.
“Honestly, I think that we gave some games away early this season, but we are starting to build our chemistry and we are getting two of our core guys back from the the transfer sit out period,” Mitchell said. “Once they get back it will click and our culture will be up to par.”
For Mitchell, the key is to keep trusting his coaches.
“We have a lot of talks privately and I’m understanding more and more in order for me to be the best version of myself, to give 100% every game,” he said. “And that is what the next step is going to be for me.”
