The End Of Two Eras At Pasadena High School

Pasadena High School’s Jett Del Mundo (girls’ basketball) and Jose Montes (baseball) have both stepped down from their respective positions as head coach.
–Photo by Aaron Valdez / Beacon Media News

By Aaron Valdez

Jett Del Mundo of Pasadena girls’ basketball and Jose Montes of Pasadena baseball have both stepped down from their respective head coaching positions.

The announcement was made last week by athletic director Tony Brook, who also said the process to fill those positions is already underway.

Del Mundo spent three years at Pasadena as he helped spark a revival after the Bulldogs went 5-20 overall and 3-11 in league during the 2014-15 season. He replaced then-Head Coach David Ng and produced better results with each passing season.

Despite the Bulldogs only going 10-18 overall in his debut season, Del Mundo was able to quickly turn the program around. He led the team to a CIF-SS semifinal appearance in 2017 (losing to Valley Christian 67-53) and a CIF-SS second-round appearance in 2018 (losing to Sunny Hills 64-60).

The Bulldogs also qualified for the CIF State Championships in 2017 but lost to Scripps Ranch in the opening round. Del Mundo finished his tenure with a 47-41 record.

Jose Montes’ time at Pasadena has the head coach for the baseball team played out very similarly to Del Mundo’s. Montes was also at the helm for three years and even though he and the Bulldogs had a losing record in his first season, they went on to improve in the next two.

Montes succeeded Michael Parisi after the 2015 season where the Pasadena went 17-11 overall. His best season was in 2018 as he led the team to a 15-12 overall record. However, the Bulldogs did not enjoy much success in Pacific League action, finishing in fifth place with a 6-8 record.

Ironically, the longest win streak the baseball team went on this season lasted six games during league play. The streak included wins over Burroughs, Hoover, Glendale and Burbank. Montes record as Pasadena’s head coach was 38-42.