VAN NUYS — There’s basketball excellence in Zoee Mitchell’s family. Both of her older brothers — David and Keith — had successful playing careers at Birmingham Charter and have even won a City Section championship.
Now, it’s her turn.
“I am definitely outdoing them,” Mitchell said. “I love the energy, I love the team, I love the staff.”
Birmingham girls basketball (15-6 overall, 3-0 West Valley League) has separated itself as the frontrunner in the race for the West Valley League title. The Patriots have yet to lose a league game, are outscoring league opponents 66-36 and beat Southern Section teams like Chaminade, Hart and Burroughs.
Leading the group is Mitchell, a 6-foot-1 junior guard who is averaging 8.1 points per game and league-leading 6.9 rebounds per game, according to Maxpreps.com.
She was a key piece in Birmingham’s City Section Open Division championship last season and has strengthened her post game for this season while working on her shot from the perimeter.
Mitchell had her first game back since Dec. 27 on Friday evening after dealing with a knee injury when the Patriots hosted Granada Hills Charter. Even on the bench, she was valuable.
“She’s got an infectious attitude,” Birmingham head coach Victor Koopongsakorn said. “If she’s in a happy mood, the team is in a happy mood. When she’s cheering on the team, the team feels a positive energy form the bench and feeds off of that.”
She made her presence known early against Granada Hills, which is rebuilding this season after reaching the CIF State Division III championship in 2024. She drove into the paint for a layup just seconds into the game and on the Patriots’ next possession, grabbed a pass from Kamora Coleman for another layup.
Birmingham gained a 37-21 lead by halftime and began to rest its starters early in the second half. The Patriots won the game 68-42.
Winning back-to-back City Section Open Division championships is a motivating factor this season. The Patriots worked their way to the top last year and want to stay there.
“Practices are two hours long and we’re going hard those two hours,” Mitchell said. “That’s why we’re the team that we are. Coming back and getting another championship and possibly winning state, that’s what keeps us working every day.”
The Patriots have depth beyond Mitchell, which includes the smooth-shooting abilities of Kayla Tanjiri and the speed of Coleman, who repeatedly beat defenders to the basket for easy layups Friday.
“In the open floor, nobody can catch her,” Koopongsakorn said. “Having that, it kind of helps us run our transition offense and when they do stop us, with Zoee flashing down the lane, that’s when we try to look inside to her.”
Birmingham next hosts Chatsworth on Wednesday at 4 p.m. before finishing out the final four games on its West Valley League schedule.