Being a head coach at age 26 isn’t easy in any environment, much less in inner city Oakland at your alma mater. Those are the shoes that Edward Washington walks in as the head coach at Castlemont HS (Oakland, CA).
On top of all that, Washington’s mom is on drugs, he helps take care of his live-in grandmother, and he is the oldest of 13 siblings.
Over the past four season, Castlemont HS has had four different head coaches and they haven’t won a game in three seasons. Last year the school of 500 kids fielded a team of just 25.
It’s a unique situation to say the least, and in Washington’s mind, he’s the perfect head coach for Castlemont because he’s went through the exact same struggles as his players. They’ve both walked the same streets, overcome similar obstacles, and wore the same jersey.
“This is breaking the silence. I’m jumping in the middle and saying ‘Look, this is you in five years man I’m you.'” he told the cameras on his way into the school for a morning lifting session.
“A Coach in the Deep East” is a documentary profiling coach Washington’s journey and how he approaches making a difference in the lives of the embattled kids of Castlemont HS.
This a really good perspective at a very unique coaching situation that’s certainly worth a few minutes of your day.
