BASKETBALL: Catching up with Coach E - 1/14/2013

After a great weekend with the New England Patriots winning their playoff game and Tom Brady proving once again why he is not only better than Peyton Manning, but the best QB in the game it is now time to gear up for conference play! We have a tough non-conference game tomorrow night at Santa Fe. They are (3-0) after the winter break with 2 convincing wins over Suncoast Conference teams. We are (15-4) coming off a tough home loss against a very good Central Florida team. It was a game where we did not compete at a level we need to in order to beat a top 5 team in the state. Hopefully, our team bounces back and is focused for 40 minutes tomorrow night in Gainesville, FL against the Saints.

This is a pivotal time of year for us. Since we play such a fast style, we have to be in superior condition.  I think this is really what gave us an edge the first semester. During winter break, we lost that and we became a little complacent. This is why we have not played up to the level that I feel we need to in order to make a run at the Suncoast Conference championship. We are not going to sneak up on teams anymore. They will be prepared for us, which means we have to get back to what made us great, which is out working other teams. The 3 things we stress before each game are: PLAY HARD, PLAY SMART AND PLAY TOGETHER. If we are able to accomplish these goals, then we will have an equally impressive 2nd semester.

				With all that being said, I cannot finish this without recognizing the amazing crowd we had last Wednesday for the Central Florida game. The crowd was ELECTRIC. The first game of the year we had about 40 fans. Last Wednesday we had over 200 fans which is a testament to how our kids have performed on the court and also how they have changed the culture off the court. With that, the SCF athletes in attendance were tremendous. Baseball, softball, tennis and volleyball gave us so much support! The signs (especially the Coach E one!), body paint, face paint, and the cheering was the best. (Oh yeah, stay off the court, Orlando!) I can’t wait to get back to our gym for another home game Catch up with me next week! Coach E