Ricky James Pellegrin
December 17, 2013
Anna Marie Reed
December 26, 2013
In Cajun culture, when one says that they have, “the frissons,” it means that they have Goosebumps or the chills.
That tingling feeling of astonishment is something that has become very common to Larose-Cut Off Middle School girls’ basketball assistant coach Celeste Breaux in the past few weeks.
That’s because the Lady Bulldogs are a local powerhouse – a squad that has rolled through the competition in their early weeks of the season with a glistening unbeaten record filled with blowout wins. Most of the team’s games are so lopsided that the outcome of the game has largely been decided by halftime.
Their success has caught the eyes of other coaches in the area, as well.
The Lady Bulldogs were recently nominated to take part in an elite middle school tournament in Ruston later this winter – an honor that both Breaux and head coach Jason LeBoeuf said is a testament to the players within the team.
“They do things that amaze you every day,” Breaux said. “There are times where I watch them and I get the frissons because you look at it and just know that you’re watching something special. This is such a great group of girls. We’re so happy to be around them every day because we see such amazing things from them.”
“They are special,” LeBoeuf said. “This is a special bunch of kids – it’s just that simple. We have a group here that makes us feel lucky to come to work every day.”
‘WE’RE ALWAYS TOGETHER’
LCO eighth grade point guard Traya Bruce is phenomenal to watch. With prep-level handles, speed and athleticism, she is one of the main cogs that makes the Lady Bulldogs tick.
“She’s an incredible point guard,” LeBoeuf said. “She’s the best ball handler I’ve probably ever seen at her age. She’s a young lady that can do it all.”
But away from the steals, layups and success, Bruce is quick to tout that she remembers where it all started for she and her teammates. The young guard said she knows two of the team’s true keys for success: chemistry and continuity.
“We’ve always been together,” Bruce said. “Since we’ve been about 7 or 8, it’s always been us together – this group of girls.”
Most of these girls have been playing together from their earliest days on the floor. A slew of the young ladies on the team grew up playing with or against one another in Biddy basketball competition.
Through those battles, the players tout that they’ve grown together and have become better players. They also are very quick to say that lifelong friendships were born.
“We’re always together,” Bruce said. “As a team, we do everything together off the floor. And I think that’s very important. Because when we have to get on the court, we already know how to co-exist with one another. It really pays off on the court.”
“We are always around one another after school and everything like that. We’re all close friends,” forward Victorianna Nelson added. “These are my sisters. When someone needs help on or off the floor, we provide it. It’s family.”
The family has been pretty successful at nearly every level of play.
Bruce, Nelson and other Lady Bulldogs have been winning games since they first picked up a ball. Several members of the team were a part of last year’s South Lafourche Biddy Basketball program that won the Biddy World Tournament Championship this past spring.
Eighth grader Jacey Gautreaux wasn’t on that team. But she said it’s very easy to see that the more she and her teammates play together, the more magic they are able to produce.
“We continue to grow each time we’re able to play together,” she said. “We don’t think about of that other stuff when we’re out there on the floor. We’re just playing and having fun. And the more we do it, the better we seem to get.”
LeBoeuf said he gives “tons of praise” to youth basketball programs for maturing the young ladies to where they are now.
But at the end of the day, he said the players deserve some of the credit, too.
“They could have been in any youth sports program in any place. They could have had any coach. They could have had any hand dealt to them and they’d have still found a way – they are just that special,” LeBoeuf said. “No matter the circumstances, I think these children are going to do great things.”
The success they’ve had speaks for itself.
IT WAS OVER BY HALFTIME
LeBoeuf is the first person to admit that he is not overly familiar with the history of Tri-parish middle school athletics.
But he’s pretty sure that not many teams recently have been able to start a season the way that LCO has.
In the Lady Bulldogs’ first three games of the year, LCO scored consecutive blowout wins.
LeBoeuf didn’t elaborate too much on the performances because there’s still a lot of games to be played.
But he did share the halftime scores of the Lady Bulldogs’ early-season triumphs, including two games where LCO led by 39 points through the opening minutes of play.
Just for the sake of comparison, most local teams have a very hard time scoring 39 points in an entire four-quarter game.
“We were up 30-7 at halftime against East Thibodaux, 53-12 at half against Montegut, against E.D. White, we were up 41-2,” LeBoeuf said. “We’re not being cocky and we’re not pouring it on. We play our starters until halftime, then see what the score is and go from there. So far, every game, our girls were able to jump on the other team early. So far, all of our girls have been able to play in every game.
“And we have 16 players on our team.”
With scores like that, LeBoeuf said it becomes obvious that the team’s talent is shining through.
Bruce’s skillset has already been detailed. She is the floor general that makes the machine tick. But Nelson was the Tournament MVP for LCO in the Lady Rebels Classic a few weeks ago. The coach said she and Emily Danos combine to create a low-post duo that is a bit like fire and ice to opponents.
“Victorianna is more athletic. She’s, I guess, what you’d call a bit more polished,” LeBoeuf said. “But Emily calls herself the enforcer. She’s our hustler. She’s the one who always is on the floor getting loose balls and making scrappy plays. Together, they work very well together.”
Rounding out the starting five is Gautreaux, who LeBoeuf said is a lethal wing who can play either inside or out and also Jacie LeBoeuf, whom coach/dad describes as a solid on-ball defender.
“But we have players off the bench who are able to come in and step up, too – that’s the key,” LeBoeuf said.
“It’s a total team effort,” Nelson added. “We all have one another’s backs.”
TO RUSTON, THEN TO SOUTH LAFOURCHE
Each year, the Multi-State Middle School Tournament is held at Louisiana Tech. The event is sponsored by Adidas and it features some of the best middle school programs in Louisiana and the surrounding states.
LeBoeuf said neither he nor Breaux had any idea the event existed when the season got underway.
But a phone call to Breaux a few weeks ago opened doors for LCO to take part in the multi-team field.
Veteran Oaklawn coach John Campbell was asked by tournament organizers to recommend a few teams from the area to take part in the field. Having seen LCO play, he told the tournament’s committee that they deserved the invite to the field.
After doing a little research about the Lady Bulldogs, they agreed and LCO got their spot.
“This guy called and he told Celeste, ‘Hey, I heard ya’ll were one of the best middle school teams in the South,’” LeBoeuf said. “So they invited us to Louisiana Tech to play. We were surprised that anyone from Louisiana Tech or from anywhere near North Louisiana could have heard anything about LCO Middle School basketball. It was an honor. We were all very happy.”
So for LCO, the big tournament will be held from Jan. 31 – Feb. 1.
The Lafourche Parish School Board has already approved the trip and the team’s coaches said they are eagerly awaiting their opportunity to find out where LCO stacks up against other elite competition.
Breaux said she has “no idea” what the other teams in the field will look like, but added she is expecting her team to compete.
“They are going to be good teams, too,” Breaux said. “But we think we’re going to be able to hold our own. Nothing these kids do surprises me anymore.”
For the players, it’s going to be one of their first times playing in a big arena, but it likely will not be their last.
The majority of LCO’s core will depart from middle school after this year and head to South Lafourche High School next fall.
While there, the Lady Bulldogs will pool with a slew of talented young ladies from Golden Meadow Middle School to make up one of the most anticipated groups of kids the Lady Tarpons have had in years.
“I think their coach will be pretty pleased at freshman tryouts next year,” LeBoeuf said with a laugh. “I think they’ll be pretty happy with what they’re getting.”
But for the players, they are just living in the moment and enjoying today.
The future tournaments and the career as Lady Tarpons is something they admit that they think about, but the reality of it all hasn’t sunk in quite yet.
For these girls, it’s all about playing for one another and enjoying the game they love.
“We know that’s coming, but we love it here, too,” Bruce said. “We want to enjoy being Bulldogs while it lasts.”
“We’re going to stay together,” Gautreaux added.
“Until the end,” Nelson responds to finish the sentence.
Special kids, indeed.
The Larose-Cut Off Middle School basketball team poses for a photo following a practice last Wednesday at the school’s gymnasium. The Lady Bulldogs are arguably the top middle school team in the Tri-parish area. LCO’s success has led to the team being invited to a prestigious multi-state tournament that will feature some of the best middle school programs in the surrounding states. Coach Jason LeBoeuf said the Lady Bulldogs have a special group of players.
