Daily Pilot Boys’ Basketball Dream Team: Derick Johnson rewrites Edison’s record books
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Edison High senior Derick Johnson plays the game of basketball with a passion, a purpose.
His left arm bears a tattoo that tells part of the reason why.
“Eusebio,” it reads, honoring the name of his grandfather, who died before Johnson’s senior season with the Chargers.
Johnson’s father, Eddie, passed away a couple of years earlier.
Basketball provides a respite, a place where Johnson can go to get away from life when life becomes too heavy.
“This season was just me playing for my grandpa and my dad, for the people that couldn’t be here,” he said.
Everyone in the stands saw a player who blossomed, leading Orange County in scoring and leading a relatively inexperienced team to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section playoffs.
For that leadership, Johnson is the 2025-26 Daily Pilot Boys’ Basketball Dream Team Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-4 point guard averaged 34 points and 12 rebounds per game for Edison (21-10), helping the Chargers defy modest expectations. Edison finished third in league and advanced to the Division 2 quarterfinals before losing to Eastvale Roosevelt.
Johnson, a first-team all-league selection who signed with Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday, finished the season with 955 points to break Randall Walker’s single-season program record of 645 points from 2013-14. His career point total of 1,832 is also a team record, besting Dylan Garrity’s career total of 1,729, reached in 2011.
Second-year Edison coach Josh Beaty said Johnson and his mother, Daisy, were the first people he called when he came over from rival Fountain Valley last year. He wanted to make sure that his star player would stay put in southeast Huntington Beach.
Johnson said he considered transferring to Los Alamitos, but both player and coach are glad he stuck it out with Edison.
“He could always score, but his best quality is that he’s hyper-competitive,” Beaty said. “He scores with the intention to win, whereas, I think nowadays, a lot of times kids are scoring for highlights or for their own personal resume. But he really, really, really can’t stand to lose, so he’s always trying to score to help the team win.”
Johnson also set the Edison single-game points record, erupting for a 50 spot in the Foothill tournament against Mission Viejo.
He practically willed the Chargers into the last eight in CIF, scoring 27 of his team’s 30 points in the second half of a 58-56 second round win over Valencia.
Johnson said preparation was key, crediting his personal trainer, Randy Lavistre.
“We already know I’m going to get beat up [during the game], so just preparing for that mentally and physically really set my game up this year,” Johnson said. “[It was] just being more relaxed and patient with everything, not getting too amped when I’m not having a good shooting game.
“There were a lot of games where I didn’t have a good shooting game, but I knew that my rebounding and my defensive [presence] and me taking it to the rack would still be there,” he continued. “It’s just not giving up on myself, really.”
One person who never gave up on Johnson was mom Daisy. He said he’s proud to have earned an athletic scholarship for college, to maybe repay her a bit.
“It’s hard to explain, but she’s just been my lifesaver,” Johnson said. “She always kept me in the right programs, kept me in the right place, on the right track. She taught me everything I know. I just want to make her the most proud, because she’s given her life up for me, the sacrifices that she made for me.”
Here’s a look at the coach of the year, first-team and second-team Dream Team selections:
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jason Simco
Corona del Mar
Simco’s Sea Kings ran through the Sunset League — and nearly everyone else they played — on their way to one of the best seasons in program history. Corona del Mar finished the regular season 27-1, with the only loss in double overtime to Lake Washington, of Washington state, in the Desert Holiday Classic championship game on Dec. 30. The 27 wins was a program record, breaking the 25-win mark previously set two years earlier. The Sea Kings won their 12 league games by an average of more than 20 points per contest, advancing to the elite CIF Southern Section Open Division playoffs before dropping contests there to Crespi, Sierra Canyon and St. John Bosco (state tournament play-in game). Simco credited his talented coaching staff and players, but the head man, in his fifth year in charge, had his team playing uptempo and sharing the ball to great results.
FIRST TEAM
Maxwell Scott
G | Corona del Mar | Jr.
A three-time first-team Dream Team selection, Scott kept building his game, crashing the boards more often as CdM lacked height on the inside. The Sunset League MVP and an All-CIF selection, he had a team-best 21.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game for the league champions. It was Scott’s second league MVP award and with his senior year still to play, he has now scored 1,785 points, the most in school history.
Michael Noel
G| Pacifica Christian Orange County | Sr.
Noel was a winner, the first player in school history to finish his high school career as a four-time league champion, according to coach Jeff Berokoff. Noel, a first-team All-San Joaquin League selection, led Pacifica Christian (20-8) by scoring 14 points per game on only 10 shots per game, helping the Tritons earn a three-way tie with Fairmont Prep and San Gabriel Academy for the top spot in league.
Kenneth Nguyen
G | Fountain Valley| Sr.
A first-team All-Sunset League selection, Nguyen averaged 19.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and five assists per game — all team bests for the Barons. After helping Fountain Valley go a perfect 16-0 in the preseason, he bumped his scoring up to 21 points per game in league play.
Owen Saukkola
F | Newport Harbor | Sr.
Saukkola was definitely a steadying force on a younger Sailors squad this season. A first-team All-Sunset League selection, the Johns Hopkins commit averaged 17.2 points and 10 rebounds per game for Newport Harbor (16-13) while earning all-tournament team nods at three different tournaments.
Oliver Nakra
G | Corona del Mar| Sr.
Nakra ended his prep career as a four-time first-team All-Sunset League selection, twice each with Huntington Beach and CdM. A deadly outside shooter, he scored 17 points per game and made 95 three-pointers as a senior, which was second in Orange County, and a CdM single-season record. He also holds the school record for most triples in a game, with eight against Edison.
Mekhi Belote
G | Los Amigos| Sr.
Lobos coach DeAndre Ferguson called Belote a coach’s player, the first in the gym and the last to leave. A two-time Coast League MVP, he averaged team-best totals of 14.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, guiding the Lobos to their third straight league title overall. Los Amigos’ 20-8 overall mark was its best in decades, Ferguson said.
Drew Romine
G | Estancia| Sr.
Romine averaged a team-best 15 points per game for the Eagles, helping them win a share of the Grove League title, their first league crown since 2020 and just their third since 1997. He was a first-team all-league selection for Estancia (18-9).
Luke Mirhashemi
G | Corona del Mar | Sr.
A four-year varsity player, Mirhashemi earned his second first-team All-Sunset League nod. He averaged 8.8 points and a county-best 6.5 assists per contest, and his 202 assists for the season set a CdM single-season mark. Also known for his shutdown defense, Sunset League opponents will be happy he is graduating.
SECOND TEAM
Position, Name, School, Year
G Tre Cradle, Sage Hill, Jr.
G Colton Willis, Marina, Soph.
F Malachi Jefferson, Ocean View, Jr.
F Donovan Hogan, Pacifica Christian Orange County, Sr.
G Lincoln Silva, Estancia, Sr.
G Ryan Mansouri, Corona del Mar, Jr.
G Philip Steinert, Los Amigos, Sr.
