LOS ANGELES, CA, June 29, 2021 – Loyola High School of Los Angeles, the oldest continually operated educational institution in Southern California, announced today that it had hired Damaine M. Powell to helm its Varsity basketball program. Coach Powell comes to Loyola from St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs where he has been the head coach for seven years.

“Coach Powell brings to Loyola more than 26 years of coaching experience at the high school level as well as at the university level,” said Athletic Director Chris O’Donnell ’88. “The many championships he and his teams have won throughout his career speak for themselves. We are very fortunate to have him lead Loyola basketball.”

At St. Paul’s, his team twice had the best record in school history and clinched the conference championship four times. As the coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills for 10 years, he won the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference championship three times and garnered the best record in school history two different times. Prior to Cal State Dominguez Hills, he coached for six years at Compton College, won two state championships and appeared in four Final Fours. And, as an Assistant Coach at the University of Southern California for three years, he helped lead his alma mater to the NCAA tournament.

“I’m very excited to join one of the best academic institutions in the state of California,” said Coach Powell. “I’m looking forward to joining an elite team of administrators to continue the excellent tradition of boys basketball at Loyola.”  

In addition to his coaching experience, Coach Powell is an accomplished educator. He has taught history and algebra at St. Paul’s, history at Cal State Dominguez Hills and history at Compton Community College. He will be teaching Algebra 2 at Loyola.