Tragedy in SD Hoops community: Crawford standout presumed drowned

On Monday, June 13, Woodlain Zachee-Prudhomme and his twin brother Woodley received their high school diplomas with the rest of the Crawford High School class of 2022.

A day later, he went to Mission Beach with friends and got into the waters near Jersey Court.

He hasn't been seen since.

Authorities presume that Woodlain drowned in the water after having trouble staying afloat in a rip current around 3:30 p.m. June 14. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department crews are still searching for his body.

Woodlain, who moved to San Diego with his family from Venezuela in 2020, was a standout student and basketball player for the Colts, earning All Central League First-Team honors as a senior while leading his team to the CIF Division 4 semifinals.

Last season, Woodlain was a starter on Crawford's Division 5 championship team, helping the Colts lead an impressive turnaround from an 0-22 campaign in 2019-20.

In an earlier report on Full-Time Hoops, I listed Woodlain as the No. 12 under-the-radar prospect in the 2022 class.

Ed Baskin, Woodlain's coach, called the events "devastating."

"They are good kids from an awesome family who helped change the community, let alone the basketball program," Baskin said.

News of Woodlain's presumed drowning quickly spread through San Diego's basketball community Wednesday morning, generating an outpouring of sympathy for the Crawford High School community and the Zachee family.

This is the second time in a decade that a San Diego basketball player drowned. Former Balboa Prep forward Abdul Razak Shanun drowned in the waters of Mission Bay in August 2014.

I would personally like to offer my condolences to the Zachee family and the Crawford High community during this difficult time, and my prayers are especially with his brother, Woodley.