Cradle of Coaches

Phil Lumpkin

  • Position Basketball
  • Custom1 2016
  • Custom2 Following a standout playing career at Miami University and in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns, Lumpkin spent 25 years coaching high school basketball. He began as an assistant at Bellevue High School (1984–88), before becoming head coach at Seattle Prep (1988–91). In 1992, he took over as head boys basketball coach at O'Dea High School, where he led the Fighting Irish for 18 seasons through 2007–08. During his tenure, Lumpkin guided O'Dea to 15 state tournament appearances, reaching the finals seven times and winning five state titles (1993, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2007). Though his career was cut short, Lumpkin’s legacy is lasting. He was inducted into the Miami University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1983, the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009, and was named to the O'Dea Wall of Honor in 2003. O'Dea High School named its basketball court in his honor.

Biography