Beyond the Game: Basketball at King H.S. is father/son affair
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- When it comes to running a basketball team, on the court it can be like father, like son. That is being proven especially true at Rufus King High School in Milwaukee this season.
The final chapters of the Mitchell Report in Milwaukee basketball are being written at Rufus King High School.
Marc Mitchell is one of the best players in UW-Milwaukee history. A product of the city, he led the Panthers to win after win in the Coach Steve Antrim era.
His son, Austin Malone-Mitchell is now propelling the Generals to win after win and stacking his own reputation as a player up against his dad's.
"He faces it. We always hear little comments here and there. We talk about that. He's not as much of a go getter as it was, but he responds well and that's a challenge for him. He wants to show everybody that he's better than me," Mitchell said.
"I don't feel any pressure. I think I play hard. I do everything pretty good, and I'm solid. I play hard every night," Malone-Mitchell said.
That's a requirement given the Generals' schedule. Malone-Mitchell started his high school career at Shorewood before transferring to King. His dad was the head coach at Custer for awhile before becoming an assistant at King.
"When I transferred, everything got serious, like every game is serious. At Shorewood, not every game was. When I got here, all the games are big and the crowds, so wow, that's fun," Malone-Mitchell said.
"He came here and he's having meaningful games. It really means something to him and he's up to it. He's happy with it and I'm really happy for him as a father and he's doing really well," Mitchell said.
As if it isn't hard enough to carry on the Mitchell name in local basketball quarters, Marc Mitchell is serving as an assistant coach.
"Marc got a job at Custer a few years ago and I brought him on my staff to fulfill his dream to coach his own son and it's good watching those two and it's a unique bond between those two. I can't say it's always friendly. It's fierce and the competitveness in Marc comes in and he won't settle for anything less," Generals Head Coach Jim Gosz said.