Coach John Mosley can still remember the day his life changed forever. Gang members fired bullets outside his Los Angeles high school in a drive-by shooting, and Mosley was on his way to get revenge. But as he was about to jump in his friend’s car, he asked himself, “What am I doing?” Soon afterwards, two words took him down a different path: “Basketball tryouts.” Mosley came late to the game, but his stellar point guard play earned him minutes at East LA College (ELAC), The Master’s College (now University) and with pro teams in Brazil and Australia. Next, he went back to guide the Mustangs on the sidelines with Coach Keith Oates and then took the assistant coach position at Cal State Bakersfield with Keith Brown.

His other alma mater, ELAC, came calling, and Mosley took his first head coaching job, believing he’d just be there for a year before accepting a D1 offer. Yet 11 seasons later, he feels called to remain at ELAC to develop troubled young men as players and people. Just before the pandemic, his squad got international airtime in season 1 of Last Chance U Basketball. Though COVID robbed them of a state title, KJ Allen, Deshaun Highler, and Joe Hampton became stars. In season 2, Coach Mosley and his assistants Ken Hunter and Rob Robinson guided a new crew led by Bryan Penn-Johnson, Dez Washington, Shemar Washington and Demetrius "DC" Calip II to D1 and D2 scholarships, and ELAC won the conference title.  

In this episode, Coach Mosley shares:

• How faith and basketball saved his life
• Why growing up in a tough neighborhood prepared him to lead young men
• When he almost turned down Netflix
• How he and his kids survived a terrible car wreck
• Why he continues to turn down offers from prestigious programs to serve at ELAC
• How his father passing unexpectedly galvanized his mission
• Why impacting lives is even more important than winning games or trophies

Learn more from Coach Mosley at his website, https://coachjohnmosley.com/ and on Instagram @coachjohnmosley