Following a Sweet 16 loss to Ponte Vedra High School last year, the Purple Hurricanes of Gainesville High School have some big aspirations this season.
With five returning seniors, the team will be all about proving to everyone that last year’s winning 18-12 season was no fluke.
The key players returning to the team include junior Cordarius White and his brother, senior Cornelius White, senior David Osho and junior Craig Thomas Jr.
With other key players, the team will look to build on its assets and play the right way.
“As a team, we know we can go pretty far if we do the right things, play well together and avoid injuries,” said Mike Barnes, Gainesville High’s basketball coach.
The team’s confidence is echoed in the locker room as well as on the court. The season has only just begun, but the style and play of this group is evident during practice.
The Hurricanes begin each practice doing simple drills and often advance into more complicated ones, but it is obvious the trust and chemistry among this team make each drill more fluid than the next.
“Every day is a chance that we have to improve,” Thomas said. “We all can be better at communicating as well as having each other’s backs, but sometimes we don’t fully know it. If we just come together, we have a chance to win every game.”
Barnes said he knows his team’s capabilities and understands its willingness to win, but on the basketball court, he makes sure players start on the defensive end.
“We’re going to play man to man and were going to do that very well. With us, it’s about this is what were are going to do and you’re going to have to beat it,” said Barnes.
The more experienced drills include different defensive packages that a team might show during a season. The drills elevate the team’s defense for long spans with offensive dry spells.
Barnes said the coaching staff has ingrained a defensive mindset into the team to make sure players understand that winning basketball requires getting back on the defensive end and understanding the defensive will in turn lead to offense.
“I’m very talkative down on the defensive side, I feel like that’s the side that really helps us out, and other people like Cor (Cordarius White) really motivate us out there,” Thomas said.
With lots of returning players, the Hurricanes want to see a certain aspect of their game dominate, and that is effort: doing all the simple things in a game and finishing the job with just an extra two minutes of effort.
Some teams lack the killer instinct and Barnes said he wants his team to understand that.
“Effort is pretty good, but just making sure we are not just watching, getting balls from off the rim and communicating defensively are all things we will continue to work on,” Barnes said.
The Hurricanes know every good basketball team starts with leadership. Each player has his role. But on this team, two of the biggest leaders are Cordarius White and Cornelius White.
Both athletes are extremely talkative on either side of the court and have the ability to maintain the team’s composure with the power of their words.
“I’m very encouraging to my teammates. Instead of shaming them if they miss a shot, (I) pick their heads back up. It is important to stay vocal and make sure the team knows where they are supposed to be at,” said Cordarius White.
Fundamentals are extremely important for all basketball teams, but at the high school level, it is a part of the game that is often dysfunctional. There is a strict learning curve at each level of basketball, and with a carousel of new players joining and old players leaving, fundamentals must be relearned and retaught.
“I don’t have to get on guys about effort,” Barnes said. “We went through our bumps and bruises last year, and it’s a great group of guys.”
Because it has played multiple years with almost the same team, Gainesville High believes it has a one-up in many categories.
“There are going to be lots of challenges but playing together and knowing each other’s game will help us win games,” Cordarius White said.
High school basketball is often tried by academics along with athletics. Barnes instills the importance of academics to have success in the sport.
“A lot of them have strong family figures, whether that’s two parents in the house, or one very strong parent that is around and able to keep an eye on them,” Barnes said. “That is a priority to them not only for basketball but for a life outside of basketball, outside of high school.”
The Hurricanes began the season on Thursday night with a 63-51 over North Marion High and another win over P.K. Yonge with a final score of 64-36. The Hurricanes will take the court for the next game against Williston High on Friday, Dec. 5.
Ultimately, players and coaches share the same goal and have words for fans about the upcoming season.
“Be ready; we are about to make an impact this season,” said Cordarius White. Teammate Thomas added: “Be prepared for the unknown.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
