LONG BEACH, Calif. – Longtime Long Beach State Men’s Basketball assistant coach Myke Scholl died Monday night following a recent cancer diagnosis, a sudden loss for the college basketball community.
Well-known worldwide for his basketball acumen and development skills, Scholl was a tireless recruiter who brought in some of the biggest stars for Long Beach State Men’s Basketball over the last ten years.
Winning the 2022 Big West regular season title, Scholl played a major part in last season’s magical run in the Big West Championship, as the Beach won three games to return to March Madness for the 10th time in program history. During his tenure at the Beach, nine players earned First Team All-Big West, and Colin Slater was named the Big West Player of the Year in 2022 as part of that championship run.
An accomplished speaker and leader, Scholl was active on campus as well, most notably as a member of the President’s Equity and Change Commission for the last three years. The President’s Equity & Change Commission (PECC) was created out of a need to not only achieve inclusive excellence in our community and culture, but also to interrogate, disrupt, and transform systemic inequities throughout the university. The Commission integrates diversity, equity, and educational inclusion into the fabric of our institutional operations, knowledge creation, student engagement, and collegial relationships; bringing forth actionable recommendations for change.
A two-year player at Sacramento State, Scholl finished his undergraduate career at Ohio Weslyan, earning a double major in Sociology and History. He then went on to earn his law degree from Maryland, and pursued a passion for international basketball.
Starting out his coaching career by working with NBA players in camps throughout the Carribean, Scholl then moved to Johannesburg, South Africa. Working as the Director of Sports and International Programs for Miles and Associates International, School managed the creation and implementation of the “Love Life” HIV and AIDS prevention campaign, voted the most creative and innovative prevention program in the world by the United Nations.
Never abandoning his pursuit of basketball however, Scholl established the first national high school basketball league in South Africa, a program that included over 42,000 participants. Additionally, he served as an international scout for the Detroit Pistons, working with players such as Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiel, and Arron Afflalo.
While overseas, Scholl also found time to serve as an assistant coach for the Senegal Men’s National team, as well as working as a GM for the Soweto Panthers of the Premier Basketball League and spending six years as an assistant coach of the South Africa Men’s National Team and head coach of the South Africa Men’s U20 Team.
Returning stateside, Scholl spend six years with Loyola Marymount before joining Dan Monson’s staff in 2014-15, rising to the Associate Head Coach role within the program starting in 2018-19. He had accepted a coaching role with Pacific Men’s Basketball beginning this summer.
In Memoriam: Myke Scholl – Long Beach State University Athletics
