Dennis Latimore played college basketball at Arizona and Notre Dame. He knows about dealing with the media and being in high-profile si…
Eric Sondheimer has been covering high school sports for the Los Angeles Times since 1997 and in Southern California since 1976. Get his latest from the field and follow all our prep sports coverage and analysis here.
Dennis Latimore played college basketball at Arizona and Notre Dame. He knows about dealing with the media and being in high-profile situations.
But now he’s taking over as basketball coach at Chino Hills, a school that has gained national attention over the past two seasons thanks to the Ball brothers and their outspoken father, LaVar Ball.
« I’ve never met Mr. Ball or any of the parents of the team, but I’m looking forward to meeting them all, » Latimore said Friday afternoon shortly after addressing his players for the first time. « I feel I have had some pretty good relationships with parents throughout my teaching and coaching. I try to always be positive and optimistic. »
Latimore guided View Park Prep to a City Section Division V championship in 2014. He was hired as an English teacher at Chino Hills in January. He understands the expectations of a program that went 35-0 two seasons ago, 30-3 last season and returns standout juniors to be in LaMelo Ball and Onyeka Okongwu.
« Without a doubt, it’s a high-profile job, » he said. « The administration and I have been in communication that we want to have uniform decision making and philosophy. »
Asked about his meeting with players, Latimore said, « I think the meeting went well. It was brief. I introduced myself. I went over some of my expectations. My goal as a coach is not to get in the way of their success. We’re going to take it one day at a time and work hard every day in practice. »
Asked if he’ll maintain the Chino Hills playing philosophy of high-scoring games, Latimore said, « A style of coaching depends on his players. I definitely think the uptempo style here and scrappy defense has worked well and I hope to continue that same culture. »
