Sugar industry recovers with sweet harvest
December 21, 2010
Tri-parish families get troops home for holidays
December 23, 2010
South Lafourche senior Jarrett Gilliam spends every autumn crashing quarterbacks.
When winter comes around, he crashes the boards.
Gilliam is one of several Tarpon football players who annually trade their helmets, pads and cleats for tank tops, shorts and sneakers for South Lafourche.
Through that year-round teamwork sparks camaraderie, according to the multi-sport athletes who are off to a strong start on the basketball hardwood this year.
“Playing multiple sports with each other definitely gives us a feel for how each other’s going to react and play in each situation,” Gilliam said. “From knowing each other better, it gives us better chemistry and it allows us to do well on the court.”
In total, four Tarpon football players make up the team’s basketball starting lineup.
Gilliam, senior Justin Lasseigne, junior Bruce Lee and sophomore Treavon Evans are joined by the team’s only non-football playing starter, Gregory Curole to make up what the Tarpons believe is one of the most well-rounded units in the district n a unit that has been years in the making down the bayou in southern Lafourche Parish.
“We’ve all played together since we were younger,” Lasseigne said. “We’ve been around one another a very long time and we’ve been practicing very hard every offseason in both football and basketball and now we’re just carrying it over and are hoping for another strong season.”
So far Lasseigne’s hope has been South Lafourche’s reality.
The Tarpons currently have a 7-5 record that includes an early-season win against rival Central Lafourche n which is always a big plus south of the Intracoastal Canal in Lafourche Parish.
The reasons for South Lafourche’s early season success is three-fold.
The Tarpons are one of the deepest teams in the Tri-parish area, counting on several reserves to contribute big minutes in critical situations.
Through that, Tarpons coach Brian Callais is able to mix and match his best five players in every situation to enhance South Lafourche’s opportunity for victory.
“We can be a little deep at times,” Callais said. “That’s going to help us when district comes in.”
Because of that depth, South Lafourche is also balanced on the offensive end of the floor.
The Tarpons have seen several different players hold the title of a game’s leading scorer already this season, which Lasseigne believes will help the team going forward.
“We have a lot of guys who can score, rebound and defend,” Lasseigne said. “And that’s a big plus, because what that does is it keeps our opponents off balance because they never know who to key on or who to pay attention to, because on any given day any of us can lead the offense.”
South Lafourche is also feasting on some newfound athleticism.
With Evans serving as the team’s point guard and Lee running the floor with him on the fast break, the Tarpons have much more speed than they’ve had in years past when they played primarily a half-court game.
“Yes, this is,” Callais said when asked if this was the most athletic team he’s had in recent years. “And we can take advantage of that at times. But we just need to do a better job of finishing. We’ll get the steal and we’ll push it up the floor, then we’ll miss the layup. … But we are quick and we’re athletic.”
Finishing those layups and cleaning up some small mistakes will come in time, though, Callais believes.
Because where having football players is good for your team’s overall athleticism, it ultimately hurts early in the season due to some rust they develop on the gridiron.
“It takes a while,” Callais said. “Lasseigne came out the first couple of weeks and he didn’t have his shot. Now he’s getting his shot back. Gilliam’s getting his outside shots right now, too. But it takes a while n I’d say a good month n to get their legs back to basketball playing and just getting their timing down with their shots.”
That’s a problem Callais is willing to have because he knows when district play rolls around the Tarpons will be ready to play and Gilliam will be trying to sack a district championship.
“We have a long way to go,” the coach said. “Our district is going to be competitive. We just want to stay competitive and give ourselves a chance to win in the fourth quarter and keep working hard and improving as a team.”
South Lafourche sophomore Treavon Evans glides through the air for a layup during last Thursday’s win against West St. John. Evans is one of four Tarpon football players sparking the team’s basketball success. CASEY GISCLAIR
