The 2012 Casey Awards for the prep football season
December 11, 2012
LSU earns high marks in final season report card
December 11, 2012
With a first-year head coach and a youthful roster, many expected the 2012-13 season to be a rebuilding year for the Ellender boys’ basketball team.
Early results show that prognostication is false – the Patriots are just as potent as anyone in the Tri-parish area.
With its usual pressure defense and a diverse mixture of speed and shooting on offense, the Patriots have rolled to a solid early season start, already boasting two victories against Terrebonne and a triumph against Houma Christian.
“We’ve gotten off to a good start,” Ellender coach Cornell Scott said. “We have a young group, so we’re having to be patient with them, but we like the way that they’ve responded so far. We think we’ve done a pretty good job.”
Take a look at the Patriots’ roster and one may be astonished at how the team is having success.
Ellender’s rotation is glittered with young players – a group of underclassmen led by names like freshman Eric Welch and sophomore Leland Alexander.
That inexperience is complimented by senior guard Cameron Parfait, who provides experience as a returning starter from last season’s team that reached the second round of the Class 4A State Playoffs.
But Scott said the team’s chemistry runs deeper than just young players.
The coach said the team also has a handful of players that either didn’t play basketball at all or who were on the roster, but didn’t accumulate much varsity experience. Scott said those two things add to the ongoing puzzle the Patriots are trying to fill.
“It’s kind of rough sometimes because I have a lot of freshmen and sophomores,” Scott said. “On top of that, we have a lot of guys who just didn’t play last year. We’re learning on the fly right now. But I like the way that we keep fighting and I truly think we’re getting better every game.”
The players agree and said they see improvement every game and practice the team completes.
“We know that we’re trying to get the hang of playing on this level,” Welch said. “But every day it gets a little better.”
“We’re a young group,” Alexander added. “The biggest thing for us is chemistry – we’re just trying to get chemistry.”
The players may be different, but the scheme and philosophy remains the same for the Patriots.
Just like they did under former coach Scott Gauthreaux, Scott’s inaugural Ellender squad utilizes pressure defense and a quick-paced offensive attack.
“If the officials allow us to play our tempo in a game, it’s going to be an up-tempo game where we’re really trying to drive the game with our defense,” Scott said. “We’ll really be pressuring the ball and trying to make things happen to earn some quick and easy baskets.”
Against Houma Christian, that scenario played out perfectly as the Patriots trailed by eight points in the third quarter. Thanks to a couple of turnovers that turned into 3-pointers on the other end of the floor, Ellender erased that lead and was able to rally for a 46-43 win.
Scott said that game should serve as a golden example that the team’s successes lie upon defensive effort.
Players agree and tout that the pressure defense is the signature of Ellender basketball.
“We work hard at practice on mastering that – that’s what we do,” Alexander said. “We work really hard on that tempo and keeping up that pace. It’s just up to us to keep it up and to take it to the floor.”
“Our mindset going into each game is to just keep running and keep pushing,” Welch said. “We’re going to live up to our motto of 32 Minutes of Pain. We can’t stop running. This is the way that we’ve played basketball here for a really long time. This is the way that we’ll always play basketball here. It’s part of who we are as a program.”
While the tempo and pressure is nice when it works, it can also be a hidden curse to an inexperienced team.
Against the Warriors, the Patriots were in the double bonus in both halves – a situation that handed Houma Christian a lot of points at the free throw line.
Scott said the biggest focus the team has going forward is to defend without fouling.
“I’ve got to be patient with them and there’s more teaching involved with this team,” Scott said. “But we’ve got to stop fouling and getting in the bonus so early. We have to correct that.”
When the Patriots are able to conquer those demons and the defense is able to control opposing offenses, Ellender’s offense will be at its best.
Scott said he is blessed with a roster full of players who can shoot the basketball.
Against Houma Christian, the 3-pointer was the difference in the game, allowing the Patriots to offset all of the Warriors’ runs.
“I do have some shooters – I will say that,” Scott said. “If we play defense and we fill our lanes and shoot the ball the way that we normally can, we’re pretty much going to be in every game. We know that.”
With the calendar rolling toward January, the Patriots are focused on one thing – the district championship.
Even though they were not part of the varsity squad in the past few seasons, both Welch and Alexander said they are aware of the fact that Vandebilt has gone undefeated in the past few seasons.
The duo said they will do everything they can to try and dethrone the reigning champs and take home the district title.
“We’re good enough to – we just have to stick together,” Welch said.
“We can do it,” Alexander added. “We definitely believe. Our goal this year is to do that little bit of extra hard work to try and get ourselves over the hump.”
Scott admitted the Patriots’ distict will be a challenge. He added that the team isn’t shying away from the competition.
“When we do what we know how to do, we’ll be right there against everyone,” he said.
Ellender guard Jaylan Coleman rises through the air and grabs a rebound in traffic during the Patriots’ win against Houma Christian. Coleman is a senior on a roster loaded with talented underclassmen. That mix has the Patriots believing the future is bright.
