Pioneer Athlete Spotlight on Devin Foo
Team: Mt. Diablo High School • Grade: Senior • Sports: Basketball, Track
When this year’s crop of seniors on the Mt. Diablo basketball team were freshmen the school got a new varsity coach, but Ejon Felder’s Red Devils failed to win a single game. The last two seasons found the team winning nine games each season.
Now Foo and his teammates are hoping that should they be able to get a season underway they will post a winning record, something MDHS basketball has failed to have since the 2004-05 season. Foo is in his third varsity season and has been a captain for coach Felder. “He is a very savvy combo guard that shot nearly 40 percent from the three-point line. A tough and pesky defender that never gives up on the play. He has been a joy to coach and will be missed when he graduates and goes off to college,” Felder says.
Foo played AAU basketball for Blaze and also has run track during his career at Concord’s oldest high school. He is also a nearly 4.0 student who enjoys science. “Remote learning was difficult at first. I’m not enjoying it all and wish we could get back to school in person,” Foo adds. He plans to play basketball in college and his coach explains “Whoever gets to coach him is getting a real jewel of a player.”
Much of the confidence Foo (“I’m 5-7, 5-8 on a good day”) and his coach have about this season is because of 7-foot-1 center Mezziah Oakman, who transferred to Mt. Diablo last year and was able to play in the second half of the season. He earned first-team all-Diablo Athletic League honors while Foo garnered honorable mention notice. Their senior classmates combo guard Shawn Gutierrez and wing Jeramyah Johnson-Hodrick bring their experience to the starting lineup that last season gave the Red Devils a 34-point win over rival Concord High, the Devils first victory over the Minutemen in 15 years.
The enthusiasm around the program hopefully will not be doused by the pandemic. SportStars Magazine featured the Mt. Diablo basketball stalwarts on a recent cover, a first-ever feature for the school. “I take pride in trying to build what we have now,” Foo told the magazine. “Hopefully, we’ll have a breakout season. We’ve worked really hard to build what we have and this family that we have. I’m very confident that we’re going to do something big this year.”
The Pioneer congratulates Devin and thanks Athlete Spotlight sponsors Dr. Laura Lacey & Dr. Christopher Ruzicka who have been serving the Clayton and Concord area for 25 years at Family Vision Care Optometry. www.laceyandruzicka.com
Do you know a young athlete who should be recognized? Perhaps he or she has shown exceptional sportsmanship, remarkable improvement or great heart for the sport. Send your nomination for the Pioneer Athlete Spotlight today to sports@pioneerpublishers.com.