Tigers’ title inspiring others locally

The Thibodaux High School boys’ basketball team built the blue print.

And now every, single other local boys’ basketball team in the area is trying to replicate it, tweak it to fit their personnel and use it to be more competitive in the upcoming seasons.

Local coaches shared in their happiness for the Tigers this past week, saying that coach Tony Clark and his team were more than deserving winners of the Class 5A State Championship — the school’s first-ever basketball title.

Several local coaches attended the Top 28 and said they’re using some of the lessons they learned from the Tigers and other top teams in Louisiana to carry into their own offseason plans heading toward next season.

“I definitely think you learn a lot being here,” H.L. Bourgeois boys’ basketball coach Andrew Caillouet said. “I think you can look at these teams and see — they all have great chemistry and they all do fundamental things well. I think Thibodaux is a great example of that. They share they ball, they’re quick. They’re so difficult to prepare for. And the challenge now is to try and build a team similar to that to try and have the same results.”

Conditioning is something local coaches all applauded the Tigers for during their run.

Thibodaux dominated the fourth quarter in all five playoff games — a huge factor in the team’s ability to win the title.

In the opening round against Terrebonne, they led by just 4 with a 2 minutes left in the third quarter. They dominated the final 10 minutes and won by 20+.

Later, they trailed Hahnville by 9 with four minutes left and rallied to win.

In the Title Game against Walker, they trailed throughout the game, then scored 30 points in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

Clark said the reason for that success is a workout regimen in the offseason that focuses heavily on building players’ stamina for the schedule ahead.

“I’m not sure I know of anyone who runs as much as we do,” Clark said. “You can ask the kids. We put in the time and the work and I think that’s what allows us to finish strong.”

And others want the same for themselves.

Caillouet said he’s challenging the Braves in the weight room this offseason and his team is buying in.

He said his players are all working to build strength so that they can better match the top 5A teams they’ll see.

“We’ve been killing them in the weight room,” he said. “And to our credit, the kids are coming in and doing the work — showing up every day and getting it done.”

South Lafourche boys’ basketball coach Brian Callais agrees with the Tigers’ strength, conditioning and overall toughness being a factor in his win.

He said one of the big themes of his offseason is toughness — in all phases.

“We have to get tougher,” he said. “We have a lot of guys coming back, but we told them that something has to change because if we do the same thing as last year, we will get the same results. We have to get tougher, be stronger and we’re working on those things in the weight room and on the court.”

Physicality aside, locals say there’s a lot to be learned from how the Tigers shared the ball.

Central Lafourche coach Mark Sanders said the team-first mentality that Thibodaux played with was admirable — a constant willingness to share the basketball that allowed the team to overcome a lack of size.

“As an opposing coach, it was hard to know what to prepare for,” he said. “Because they could come in all directions.”

Assumption boys’ basketball coach Derek Szush agreed and said that selflessness was inspiring to see as a coach.

South Terrebonne girls’ basketball coach Nick Cenac, perhaps, offered the simplest, yet most effective explanation.

“I’ve seen them play several times,” he said. “You tell me — Who is their best player? I still don’t know.”

But while the basketball community grapples to try and emulate the Tigers’ successes, other sports in the school are doing the same.

Thibodaux baseball coach Shane Trosclair said he “couldn’t have possibly been more excited” for the Tigers’ championship run, calling the student-athletes on the team “great kids in every way.”

“They’re amazing kid,” Trosclair said. “You see them in the hall and it’s all, ‘Yes Sir,’ or ‘No Sir,’ and they give you a bro hug every day and tell you, ‘I love you, Coach Trox.’ They deserved it. Those kids are great in every way.”

Trosclair said he’s told his own baseball team that the school’s basketball team should be a testament that great things can happen to those who work hard, put in the time and dedicate themselves to a common cause.

“If they can do it, why can’t we?” Trosclair said. “There are great things going on right now at Thibodaux High.”

Marvin RobertsonFILE | THE TIMES

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