For years Marion “Pooh” Baines II was known on the West Coast as the man behind Da Trap Music, an independent label that helped launch and support the careers of rising artists like KT Foreign and X4. But in the last three years, Baines has written a new chapter for himself—one that swaps the studio for the hardwood. Today he serves as head coach of LA Premier Prep while running his own AAU and youth basketball development program, Da Trap Sports.
The pivot may seem like a sharp turn, but for Baines, it was a return to his first love. “Transitioning from music to youth sports is just basically me following my heart and going back to my passion,” he said. “I want to give back and be able to give kids a positive role model and keep them away from making the same mistakes I did as far as gangs and hustling in the streets.”
The foundation for Da Trap Sports was laid years before the first team took the floor. Baines had already established “Da Trap” as a recognizable brand, and he wanted to reshape its meaning. “Da Trap sports came from me already having the brand and logo and I wanted to give the term Da Trap a positive meaning,” he explained. “Da Trap can be anything—you going to work, going to Da Trap, school, gym, workout, train—it’s all Da Trap.”
Even as his music label gained traction, Baines was nurturing his coaching ambitions. His experiences at the height of Da Trap Music are still vivid. “My favorite memory is putting KT Foreign and with several other West Coast artists and making some classic music and taking them on a tour,” he recalled. “They are from two different sides, one Blood one Crip, and when on a tour had no problems bringing both sides together. That was some of these guys’ first time even leaving the state of California. And just getting artist X4 signed, walking him into that Interscope building and seeing his expression.”
While music created lasting moments, basketball offered him the chance to impact lives more directly. “The best part of making the transition is me being able to help these kids get better and develop in basketball and putting my players into college,” Baines said. “Last year out of 34 players we put 30 in college from D1, D2, D3, NAIA and JUCO.”
His drive to coach is rooted in his own story with the game. In high school, he averaged 32 points a game under young coach Thurman Watson who had just finished his playing career at Saint Mary’s. That mentor relationship shaped Baines’ perspective, and eventually he leaned on old connections like Reggie Morris Jr. at Redondo Union, trainer Keion Kindred, and longtime friend Cedric Lusk of OGP to get his start. “I just wanted to be able to give back and help some of these kids from making the same mistakes I did,” he admitted. “I was a great basketball player but I loved the streets more. My freshman year I got shot three times, once in the head, and I still played and had a great season. But that pushed all the schools away. I ended up still going D1, but I never left the streets alone. So I’m just trying to right some of my wrongs and give back to these kids.”
That mission is clear in the way he relates to his players. “My relationship with my teams and players are great, from my AAU program to my prep school players,” he said. “They all love me, including their parents.”
For Baines, Da Trap Sports is bigger than just wins and losses. “As a brand and organization Da Trap Sports means everything,” he said. “It means hard work, success and determination. Coming from nothing turning into something.”
Looking ahead, his vision is ambitious. “The goal is to be the biggest AAU program out of Cali and be the West Coast hub for prep school, trying to be the IMG of Cali,” he said. In the short term, his focus is squarely on the season at hand: “The goal for the rest of 2025 is to keep God first, stay blessed and WIN.”
Still, the roots of Da Trap extend beyond sports and music into fashion. The Da Trap clothing line was born organically out of Baines’ earlier ventures. “Da Trap clothing started on accident,” he explained. “Da Trap originally was the name of my dispensaries and when I would go to the weed conventions I would wear shirts or sweatsuits with Da Trap on it and my logo, and would pass out t-shirts. Then people started wanting to buy the clothes and it ended up taking a life of its own. A lot of people tried to copy my logo and name, but the original always stands tall.”
Whether through music, fashion or basketball, Baines’ journey shows how one vision can evolve while staying true to its roots. From giving artists their first shot on tour to putting players into college programs, his definition of “Da Trap” has shifted from a street hustle to a legacy of opportunity and resilience.
1stDayFresh.com 