Head coach Ellis Barfield (far right) stands with members of 2025-26 squad at Lynwood that won program’s 30th straight league title for a new state record. Photo: Nick Koza.
One of the most storied girls high school basketball programs in California history and its legendary coach made history on Tuesday with a 66-43 victory over Downey. That’s when Lynwood won its 30th straight Gateway League championship, and according to the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, that breaks the record of 29 straight that Lynwood shared with Troy of Fullerton, which won its titles between 1993-2021.
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In the record-breaking win over Downey, three Lynwood girls reached double-figure scoring led by senior Shanilah Ewing and freshman Kaylee Albritton with 16 points apiece. Sophomore Emma Iheanachor added a double-double 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The streak for “the Wood” began with the 1996-97 season when veteran head coach Ellis Barfield, a 1983 graduate of Lynwood, was in his fifth season at the Lady Knights’ helm.
This year’s version of Lynwood is led by Ewing, a 5-foot-5 point guard who is averaging 13.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 2.3 assists per game. Albritton is at 10.4 points per game, sophomore Chancess Horn averages 10.3 points per game, and Iheanachor is at 10.0 points per game and a team-leading 8.7 rebounds a contest.
In a statement about the record to the Lynwood community Barfield has this to say.
“This accomplishment is for you Lynwood and everyone who helped us in this journey. Your love and support has helped us throughout the years to make this a historical moment for our community and program.”
Lynwood has been a state powerhouse under Ellis Barfield many times since the early 1990s. Photo: Nick Koza.
Talking about through the years.
Barfield was a multi-sport athlete at Lynwood but says “basketball was my first love.” After high school, he went on to Rio Hondo College in Whittier with a dream of playing professionally.
“I’ve never thought I’d be a coach,” Barfield remarked.
However, when former Lynwood head coach Maurice Roberson asked him to help out, at first he declined. But eventually Barfield relented and came on board when his sister Kim played for the Lady Knights. Then, when Roberson stepped down after the 1992 season, Barfield was named the head coach, and the rest is history.
Lynwood was already a Southern California power. In four years under Roberson, the Knights went 103-16 and he guided Lynwood to the CIF SoCal Regional Division I and Southern Section Division I-AA finals in his final season. His 1990 squad advanced to the CIF Southern Section final, and his other two Lynwood teams were semifinalists. However, Lynwood never made it all the way to the CIF state championships until Barfield came aboard.
Lynwood and Barfield have won four CIF state championships with one runner-up. The victories are tied for sixth most all-time, with the last coming in 2013 with a Division II title, but the other three came in Division I before competitive equity and the Open Division, and when D1 was usually considered the top division. The first state championship came in 1993, when the team went 31-0 and Barfield was named the Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year for girls basketball, and the runner-up finish came the following year. Arguably the best teams were in 2002 and 2003, when the Lady Knights won two straight D1 state titles and 2002 Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood was the centerpiece.
With the advent of competitive equity and the Open Division, the private schools, with a very few exceptions, have cornered most of the top players in California, and in Southern California in particular, and while they have remained competitive, schools like Lynwood can’t really compete in this environment.
Has that stopped Barfield? Absolutely not.
When we had the pleasure of announcing the Lady Knights’ game back on January 10, a 77-66 loss to San Clemente at Santa Ana Mater Dei, and less than two weeks after he recorded career coaching win No. 700 in a 57-47 tournament win over Nevada Virgin Valley of Mesquite on December 29, the 60-year old Barfield (soon to be 61) showed no signs of slowing down.
“I didn’t even realize it (the 700th win) until afterward, and we really did not publicize it, because it’s never been about me. It’s about the girls and the program,” Barfield said.
Not only did he build the program at Lynwood to its championship status, what he’s done for the young women in an inner-city school is phenomenal, having sent over 100 of them on to play somewhere at the next level.
Barfield has had a share of big stars as well. Besides sending players like Wiley-Gatewood on to Tennessee and Maryland and McDonald All-American honors, he also had a member of the first McDonald’s team when they opened it up for girls in 2002. That’s’ when Janice Bright, who signed with Cincinnati, was selected. There were no McDonald’s games for girls back in 1994, but his first big star, Timicha Kirby, the star of the 1993 state championship team, who went on to Iowa, was named a Parade All American. Lenita Sanford also made the McDonald’s team in 2007 before playing at Nevada-Las Vegas. His most recent McDonald’s honoree was in 2021 when Rayah Marshall, who graduated from USC and is currently with the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA, was selected.
With such a successful career has he ever thought about retiring? The answer is he’s planning on continuing on in search of league titles No. 31 plus many more.
“I have nothing to prove,” said Barfield. “But I still have a love and passion for the program and helping the young women coming in who are striving to achieve their dreams.”
The California girls high school community needs more coaches like Ellis Barfield.
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
