Shacolby Randell named to replace Kris Klamberg as boys basketball coach at Irvine

Shacolby Randell is the new boys basketball coach at Irvine High. (Photo courtesy Randell family).

Shacolby Randell, former head coach at Mountain View High School in El Monte, has been named the new boys varsity basketball coach at Irvine High, according to Bob King, Irvine High assistant principal.

Randell replaces former long-time coach Kris Klamberg, who was head coach for 14 years. Irvine was 14-14 overall and 4-6 in the PCL last season.

“He (Klamberg) goes out on the best of terms and will remain a health and PE teacher at Irvine High,” King said.

“He has three young children and wants to be involved more with his family.”

King said Randell made a great impression during the hiring process.

“Shacolby Randell is an experienced coach, having been the head coach at Mountain View High since 2015 and having worked as an assistant coach for men’s basketball at Vanguard University,” King said. “We are excited for him to bring his unique energy to Irvine High boys basketball.”

King said that Randell “knows the intracacies of the sport.”

“We asked the student-athlete who was on the hiring panel which of the coaches he would want to work under and he emphatically chose Coach Randell indicating that he knew Coach Randell would challenge him and make him a better player,” King said.

Randell, in an email to OC Sports Zone, said he recently completed his fourth season as head coach at Mountain View High School.

“During my four-year stint we won the fourth Mission Valley League championship in the school’s 48-year history while making the CIF-SS quarterfinals and the second round in two consecutive seasons,” he said.

“Prior to my arrival at Mountain View High School the basketball team hadn’t won a league game in four years and had never made it past the first round of the CIF-SS playoffs.”

The Mountain View team won the league title in 2018, posting a 17-13 overall record and 11-1 league mark. This past season, Mountain View was 8-20 overall and 4-8 in league play.

Randell also has college coaching experience.

“Before I took the job at Mountain View, I was an assistant men’s basketball coach at Vanguard University for two seasons. During my time at Vanguard, we won the 2014 GSAC Conference championship and the 2014 NAIA national championship,” he said.

Randell has also outlined his plans for Irvine High’s program.

“My goals for Irvine High School include empowering student athletes with confidence and the skill to excel on and off the court, to build a highly competitive program that will compete for league championships and a varsity program that will compete for a CIF-SS championship and state titles,” he said.

Randell has a family of six, including his wife Jessica and sons Britton and Cason and twin daughters Dawson and Ellison.

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com