By Gary Curreri

After starting off the season 0-3, the Highlands Christian Academy boys basketball team has started to hit its stride.

“Each game we were improving and still trying to establish our identity,” said Knights coach Jim Good, who is in his 19th year at the school and also serves as the school’s athletic director. The team recently won its own, 38th annual Holiday Classic with a dramatic, double overtime, 89-81 victory over King’s Academy. “Early on, I tried to stay positive and encourage the guys. Looking back, we didn’t play a complete game and it was usually one quarter where we would break down.”

“The boys are really starting to buy into the system and it all came together in that championship game,” said Good, whose team last reached the title game when, in 2010, it defeated St. Andrew’s School. “It was by far, our best win of the season!”

The Knights team has now won six of its past seven games and has improved to 6-4 on the season. Reg Cook, former AD and boys varsity basketball coach at Highlands Christian started the Holiday Classic in 1978 in which Highlands won the first of its nine championships.

Knights’ junior point guard Herman Robinson was named the tournament’s MVP as he recorded his first triple-double of his career with 25 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in the championship game.

Robinson also hit the game-tying 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds in regulation to send the game to its first OT.

HCA junior forward Kyle Lassen was named to the All-Tournament team as he scored 24 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, while sophomore shooting guard Matt Veynovich chipped in with 18 points going 5 for 6 from the 3-point line. He had a total of 12 three pointers in the 3-day tournament.

Beating King’s Academy in double overtime was a special moment for Good and the team.

“I’m extremely proud of the guys and their commitment to work, learn and improve,” Good said. “We have a special group this year. Once a week, we have been meeting for team devotions and emphasizing: being unselfish, love your teammate, display self-control, persevere, have a positive attitude. It’s very rewarding to see the guys ‘buy in.’”

Good started coaching the elementary school team in 1997 and is now in his eleventh year with the varsity squad. Robinson and Steven Ludwig are the team’s two captains and have provided excellent leadership, according to Good.

“Herman is leading the team in scoring with 15 points per game, and 6.9 assists,” Good said. “He started playing varsity in the 7th grade. Kyle Lassen has been doing a great job for us in the post and is averaging right around 12 points per game. Sophomore Matt Veynovich, who moved up from JV, has added some much needed scoring to our offense and leads the team in 3s made with a total 22.”

“It’s been very rewarding as a coach to watch our team these past few weeks,” Good added. “During the beginning of the year, we were still trying to find our identity and I think we’ve done that now.”

By Gary Curreri

As a high school junior at Highlands Christian Academy, Herman Robinson knows his time is now.

The 17-year-old Robinson, of Deerfield Beach, made the most of his opportunity recently in the “Comin’ For That #1 Spot Basketball Showcase” at the Coral Springs Gymnasium where he and another 200 athletes performed in front of college coaches and national recruiting services.

“This is awesome,” said Robinson, a standout point guard for Highlands Christian. “It is a great experience. This is pretty big to come out here and show my skills and be put on the map.”

The 10th annual tournament featured more than 200 boys and girls middle and high school aged players showcasing their skills in the two-day event at the Coral Springs Gymnasium.

Tournament organizer Tony Perkins holds various tournaments during the year; however, this is his lone showcase event. The boys played on Saturday, while the girls came in on Sunday. The athletes are guaranteed three games, in addition to skill development from various coaches.

“The purpose is to get a lot of these kids in South Florida exposure on a national level,” Perkins said.

Robinson said basketball is his “life”, although he has his priorities in order.

“God comes first, then after school comes basketball,” Robinson said. “Basketball has helped me tremendously. It has helped me become organized, have leadership and be able to go to school on time. It has helped me because the coaches are on top of me.

“College does interest me,” Robinson added. “This summer I went to Bob Gibbons camp (at the Suwanee Sports Academy in Atlanta). I have had coaches come up to me saying this year they will be contacting me.”

Bucks rout visiting Colts

Teddrick Moffett got the host Deerfield Beach High School football team off to a quick start as he accounted for three first quarter touchdowns to lift the Bucks to a 56-2 victory over Coral Springs Colts in the District the 11-8A opener for both teams.

Moffett hit Randerick Gervin for a 14-yard TD pass, and followed that up with a 25-yard scoring run. He added a 55-yard scoring toss to Ryan Powell to build a 20-0 lead. The Bucks (3- 0, 1-0 in the district) put the game away with a 29-point second period to force a running clock that helped put the winless Colts (0-4, 0-1) out of their misery.

Moffett, a senior, added scoring tosses of 12 yards to Jerry Jeudy and 11 yards to Jefftey Joseph. Aaron Robinson returned an interception of 30 yards for a score.

The Bucks’ Lafleur Limprevil went in from 5 yards out, and, after a Colts’ safety, Alton Allen caught a 28-yard TD pass from backup quarterback Alec Brown to close out the scoring. The Bucks ran for 112 yards and added 95 yards through the air. It limited the Colts to 117 yards total offense, seven first downs.

By Gary Curreri

When Melvin Randall first began coaching high school basketball some 23 years ago, he never thought he would be where he is today.

The 52-year-old Randall, the head coach at Blanche Ely High School, is just 18 wins short of 500 career victories and recently became the first boys basketball coach from Broward to win six state championships.

In defeating Kissimmee Osceola 72-60 in the state final in early March, Randall also became the second coach in Broward County history to finish the season as an undefeated state champion, as the Tigers finished the 2014-15 campaign at 28-0.

His efforts earned his selection as the National High School Coaches Association Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.

“This is pretty awesome to be acknowledged by the coaches across the country for the job I have been doing at Blanche Ely over the years,” said Randall, who earlier this year also was named the All-USA Boys Basketball Coach of the Year by USA Today. “It is a great honor and I’m very humbled by this award.”

Randall is the third coach from Broward County to be honored as National Coach of the Year. George Smith of St. Thomas Aquinas won it for football in 2008 and Rich Bielski of Archbishop McCarthy for baseball in 2011.

“It lets me know that what I am doing here at Blanche Ely is very noticeable,” Randall said. “It is a passion for me and I enjoy what I am doing. I am just putting in what I got out of it as far as coaching on the other side. I was once an athlete and putting all of the passion and skills in becoming that athlete I am now doing that as a coach.”

Randall said he has taken bits and pieces from his previous mentors and coaching colleagues, such as the late Butch Ingram, John Keister, Greg Samuel and Wade Edmonds.

He said other influences are former Cardinal Gibbons High School volleyball coach and Athletic Director Louise Crocco, and the late Dillard football coach Otis Gray. Randall takes being a role model very seriously.

“It is a great honor to be a role model,” Randall said. “I know that some of my colleagues say they are not role models, but you are whether you want it or not. You have to be able to point these student athletes in the right direction and let them know it is not really about me, it is about them. It is a great feeling.”

Randall has coached 23 years in Broward and has compiled a 482-141 career record. A graduate of South Plantation High, he went on to play in the NCAA tournament at Mercer University. He is hopeful of winning another state title this season despite graduating seven players, including four starters.

“Winning a state title is my plan every year,” Randall said. “I am always going to play with the cards that I am dealt and every year it gets harder and harder because of the expectations. We are going to be young and a little inexperienced, so we will have to grow up quick.”

Randall added, “I am just in awe what these kids have accomplished every year and I am glad to have been a part of it.”

Pop Tennis Clinic

If you are looking for an alternative to tennis, paddleball and badminton, you can check out a free clinic on Sept. 19 at Pompano Community Park, 100 W. Atlantic Blvd., Pompano Beach.

Pop Tennis is a combination of the three sports and is played on a court 1/4 the size of a tennis court with a paddle and a deflated tennis ball. The demonstration and clinic is free to the public and will be held from 8 to 10 a.m.

“The Pop tennis court is smaller than a tennis court, the racquet or paddle is shorter than a tennis racquet, and the ball is less lively,” said organizer Mitchell Ball. “Additionally, the net is lower, and the players serve underhand – not overhand, as in tennis. All of these things make Pop Tennis easy to play.”

For more information, call Ball at 754-201-9047.

By Gary Curreri

With Blanche Ely High School’s boys basketball team set to play in the Dick’s Sporting Goods National Invitational in New York this week, its coach Melvin Randall learned was named USA Today’s All-USA National Boys Coach of the Year.

“It’s s a great honor,” said the 52-year-old Randall, who led the Tigers to its third state championship in four years. “I can’t take all the credit because I have some players that worked extremely hard all season. This speaks volumes for not only the kids, but my coaching staff as well.”

Blanche Ely is hoping to pad its 28-0 record when the third-seeded Tigers tip off against No. 6 Findlay Prep of Nevada at noon Thursday at Christ the King High School in Queens, where the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will be played. The championship will be played at Madison Square Garden.

Randall, whose team defeated Kissimmee Osceola 72-60 in the state final in early March, became the first boys’ basketball coach from Broward to win six state championships. He also won two titles with neighboring Deerfield Beach High School.

In his 23-year coaching career, Randall has an overall record of 505-145. He was also named the Florida Dairy Farmers’ Class 7A coach of the year.

Dolphins hold camp

The Miami Dolphins organization was in town last week to help kickoff its NFL Flag Football program that will start up in a few weeks.

Former Miami Dolphins tight end Troy Drayton, 44, who is the Youth and Community Programs Manager with the Miami Dolphins, held a clinic for about 35 youngsters last Tuesday, while his former Penn State College roommate Reggie Givens, 43, also a former NFL and CFL linebacker player, came out on Saturday and hosted another 45 youth football players.

Both are heavily involved in the Dolphins Academy football program that puts on hundreds of camps a year throughout the state.

“We just want to get them to come together on the weekend with your peers and your fellow athletes in your age group and do something constructive,” Givens said. “You are out here in the air, working on your physical fitness and agility, and you can take this in any sport. Even though we are out here for football, you can take this in any sport you do — baseball, soccer, basketball, any sport you want.”

“I just love giving back, working with kids and keeping them active,” Givens added. “That’s a positive thing no matter what happens. They will take this throughout life. If you get them going now, they are always going to grow. Physical fitness is a huge thing that is in America and a huge thing we are lacking in.”

Deerfield Beach’s Diesal Eagleson, 11, a Quiet Waters Elementary School fifth grader, enjoyed the camp.

“This is really fun because I like football,” Eagleson said. “I am learning how to catch, run and jump. I don’t play football on a team, but I am thinking about doing it now after this.” Pompano Beach’s Jeremiah Fowler, 12, is a member of the

Pompano Beach Steelers football team and said he’s been playing for fi ve years. It was good to refine his skills.

“This is good because I am learning more stuff and how to play football to get ready for the season,” said Fowler, a sixth grader at Deerfield Beach Middle School. “I am learning how to move my feet quick and I think the best part is catching a football.”

“We are hooked up with them now because our flag football program is NFL Flag so they were helping us promote flag football and they were tying us into their Play- 60 campaign,” said city of Deerfield Beach Athletic Coordinator Blaise Leone. “It was a lot of fun. When the Dolphins do something, they do it right and it is top shelf. The kids were excited. We had a lot of fun.”

The city is still taking registrations for the program, which will begin on April 14-15. The cost is $50 for residents and $60 for non-residents.

This is the first year that the league has partnered with the NFL and the players will receive NFL replica jerseys. Last year, the city’s flag football program fielded seven teams.

“We are looking to have a lot more this year,” Leone said. “We have always had a flag football season, but having the Dolphins involved has taken it to a whole new level.”

For more information, go to the city’s website at http://www.deerfield-beach.com or call 954- 480-4433.

By Gary Curreri

All season long, Blanche Ely boys basketball coach Melvin Randall thought he had a special team.

He was right. The Tigers won the Class 7A state title with a 72-60 victory over Kissimmee Osceola in the Class 7A state championship at The Lakeland Center on Saturday and continued to make history.

Ely (28-0), ranked No. 5 in the nation by USA Today, won its fifth state title overall and third in the past four seasons. It is the school’s fourth title since 2007.

“I can’t say they are one of the top (teams at the school),” said Blanche Ely coach Melvin Randall. “They are the top!”

Blanche Ely is ranked the highest it ever has been in school history and became the first by a Broward County public school and second in county history following Sagemont’s undefeated run last season. It is the first time the Tigers finished the year undefeated.

“It wasn’t a pushover schedule that we had,” said Randall, who also won state titles in 1997 with Deerfield (Class 5A) ,and his win in 1999 (Class 6A) came at the expense of his current school Ely, 77-69. After moving over to Ely, Randall won state titles in 2007 (Class 6A), 2012 (Class 7A) and 2013 (Class 7A).

“We played some teams that really pushed us,” added Randall, whose previous high national ranking was 12th in the country in 2013. “The way this team played is surprising because when you are ranked that high in the country, you are looking to have maybe four or five Division 1 players or Top-100 players on the team, which we don’t have. These kids played with a lot of heart and played together. They enjoyed playing with one another and that is what makes it good. For the most part, they listen.”

The Tigers are now tied with Ft. Lauderdale Dillard for the most state titles by a Broward County school.

Blanche Ely opened the game on a 7-0 run and led 13-2 at one point. The team stretched the lead to 13 before Osceola (26-6) clawed its way back to grab a 39-38 advantage with 4:25 left in the third quarter.

Senior Therrell Gosier Jr., who was a part of Ely’s two state championship teams as a freshman and sophomore, helped the Tigers erase that brief deficit and closed the game out with 20 of his 27 points in the second half. He also had eight rebounds.

Senior Laquincy Rideau had another balanced effort with 10 points, six assists, six rebounds and five steals, while senior guard Javon Heastie scored 19 of his 21 points in the first half. Randall said he is hopeful of a bid to the Dick’s Sporting Goods National Invitational in April in New York.

Randall said the “formula” to being successful was a simple one.

“I take it as a blessing,” Randall said. “I learned from the best – Greg Samuels, Butch Ingram, John Keister, Wade Edmonds, and I have a little bit of them in me, and I really studied them and took notes. I want to win with class and that is what is taught here. You can win, but we teach our kids the right way; they win with class.”

Randall said there is another thing on his bucket list that he would like to accomplish.

“I never met Louise Crocco from Cardinal Gibbons and I know it is another sport, but she has won championships and I wanted to know what she is doing,” Randall said referring to the volleyball coaching legend, which amassed 1,132 victories and 18 state championships in a stellar 40-year career. “I never had a chance to meet her, but I will.”

By Gary Curreri

So much for déjà vu. For the first half of Tuesday night’s regional semifinal game against Dwyer, it looked like history was going to repeat itself as the visiting Panthers took a 35-26 halftime advantage against the host Blanche Ely boys basketball team.

That was until Ely, ranked No. 7 in the nation in the USA Today Super 25 Expert Rankings, outscored the visitors 49-21 in the second half, including 26-11 in the fourth quarter, and roared to a 75-56 win in the Class 7A regional semifinal and advance to the regional final on Saturday against Miami Central.

The Tigers ran off 27 consecutive wins in the 2009- 2010 season before Dwyer ended the Tigers’ season with a 70-57 victory in the regional semifinal. It was something that Blanche Ely coach Melvin Randall didn’t let his team forget.

“This was a personal game, very personal,” said Randall, whose team improved to 25-0 with the win. “I briefly mentioned it to them, but I didn’t have to use it as a motivational tool.”

Therrell Gosier led the way with a game-high 17 points, while LaQuincy Rideau and Diandre Wilson each had 16 points, and Javon Heastie added 12 points in the win for the Tigers, who are hoping to win its third state championship in four years.

“The pressure feels like the Coach K situation of trying to win that 1,000th game,” said Randall, referring to Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski, who recently became the first D-1 college coach to win 1,000 career games. Randall has compiled a 499-141 career coaching record and is in his 14th year at the school and 21st overall. “Knowing where we are and how high we are ranked … with a target on your back, you know it is going to get harder and harder, especially during the playoffs.”

“My thing is I have to keep my kids very humble and focused, and also hungry,” Randall said. “With the exception of Cardinal Gibbons, we have been winning our games by double digits and we just have to take it gameby- game.”

Randall won state titles in 1997 with Deerfield (Class 5A) and his win in 1999 (Class 6A) came at the expense of his current school Ely, 77-69. After moving over to Ely, Randall won state titles in 2007 (Class 6A), 2012 (Class 7A) and 2013 (Class 7A).

“We have to have a sense of urgency and also increase the level of intensity,” Randall said. “We’ll be fine.”

The Tigers finished 21-5 last season, including four losses to Boyd Anderson and once to Cardinal Gibbons in the Big 8. Blanche Ely lost in regional semifinal to Boyd Anderson last season, 61-54. Randall said it would be special to run the table for the school’s first undefeated season and a state title.

“It is all these kids,” Randall said. “They are working hard and they are training. They are hungry and, as a result, they are getting these little benefits from these games that we are playing.

“We can run the table,” he added. “I don’t think they realize they have already made history in being ranked as high as they are and I believe that is the highest ranking in the history of Broward County, if I am not mistaken. We still want to get to Lakeland, and we want to go undefeated. We can’t turn back.”

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach Middle School boys basketball coach Leonard Fudge had hoped for more.

The fourth-year coach fell for the second consecutive year to the eventual Broward County Middle School champion in the county semifinals.

“They fought all year,” said Fudge, whose team finished 13-2 this year. They lost to Millennium last year in the county semifinals. “We were inexperienced. We had one sixth grader and all eighth graders who had never played basketball before. They were fighters. They just wanted it.”

Pompano Beach came all the way back from an eight-point deficit with one minute to go to force overtime, but eventually fell to Lauderdale Lakes, 39-35, in overtime. Khristopher Bogle had 11 points in the game before fouling out in the first minute of overtime. His buzzer-beating basket tied the game and forced overtime.

“That was really hard losing Khris,” Fudge said. “My big kid, Joshua Noel Saint, came off the bench after having a rough start and he really turned it around. I am very proud of them. I couldn’t ask for anything more. They exceeded my expectations.”

Eighth grader Joshua Scott had eight points, while eight grader Brandon Peets and seventh grader Jordan Bennett each had five points.

After the fourth game of the season, when the team got off to a 4-0 start and defeated Lyons Creek Middle School, Fudge believed his team had a shot at making a run deep into the playoffs.

“It was a total rebuilding year,” Fudge said. “The kids fought hard and they believed they could do it all year long. They really did.”

“The best part of the season was the work they put in,” Fudge added. “The guys dedicated themselves all year long. Every day they came to practice and worked. They really did.”

Ely remains undefeated

Blanche Ely’s boys’ basketball team remained undefeated with a 69-63 victory over previously unbeaten Cardinal Gibbons in the Broward County Big 8 tournament recently at Fort Lauderdale High School.

Both teams entered the game undefeated and nationally ranked and the game see-sawed back and forth until the Tigers (22-0) closed out the contest with a 6-0 run for the win for its fifth Big 8 title and fourth over the past six years. It also avenged a loss to the Chiefs (25-1) in last year’s final.

Laquincy Rideau led Ely with 18 points as all five starters scored in double figures.

By Gary Curreri

What a difference a few years makes.

After being cut from the middle school team as an eighth-grader at Zion Lutheran, senior Keith Stone is making up for lost time.

The 6’8”, 230 lb. senior who averaged 28 points and six rebounds last season has the Lions primed for another postseason run. Zion Lutheran entered the week at 15-5 with narrow defeats to Cardinal Gibbons, Dillard, First Academy (Orlando), and Spring Valley and Dreher (both Columbia, SC).

“When I got cut from middle school, I really didn’t feel like doing it then, and coach Francis (Bornelous) came and got me,” Stone, 17, of Deerfield Beach, said. “I worked real hard, spent the summer with him. He helped me out. He trained me every day for free, so I owe him the world. Look at me today. I am just doing my thing, getting better at basketball and learning the game.”

Stone, who played goalkeeper in a recreational soccer league and baseball before giving basketball a try when he enrolled at Zion Lutheran, has come full circle. He recently signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Florida next fall. His future college coach, Billy Donovan, was in attendance watching Stone play at the Kreul Classic holiday tournament in Coral Springs.

“My old coach who cut me was proud of me and didn’t know I would turn out this way,” said Stone. “It helped me because it is the way my work ethic is set up. I like to work and I ain’t scared to work.”

It was hard in the beginning for Stone, who chose University of Florida over South Carolina, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech and Alabama. Stone is rated a four-star prospect and the nation’s 100th best (No. 9 in Florida) prospect for 2015 by ESPN and a three-star (No. 127 overall) by Rivals.

“At first, I didn’t want to play basketball anymore,” Stone said. “I didn’t want to do nothing. I stayed home, played my video games and just sulked. Then, I thought to myself that this man (Bornelous) wanted me to become better in basketball and I might as well take that chance because I didn’t get that chance in middle school. I went with him.”

Stone believes he has improved in his ball handling and stretching the defense in the last couple of years. He can step out and knock down 3s. He also believes his supporting cast is better.

“Our team is much better this year,” Stone said. “We have been, as a whole, since our 9th grade year. We all know each other. We all love each other and, since we are together almost every day, the communication is great on the court.”

Zion Lutheran boys’ basketball coach John Guion said the Kreul Classic helped his team.

“We had three great tests,” Guion said. “We played different kinds of teams and I just think it does a great job preparing us for what we are going to see in the playoffs and down the road.

“The whole key right now for us is to continue to get better,” Guion added. “We continue to see different things so we are continually learning from those mistakes that we make and the success that we have. We had a considerable amount of success this weekend.”

Guion said the team has also shown that it has more than Stone.

“Coming in, we know we have Brandon Bornelous ,who is a great shooter, and we know we have Keith, who is a dynamic weapon,” Guion said. “I wasn’t sure what the others around him were going to do. The best thing that I have seen is that we have a lot of people stepping up like Kevin Dailey, Rashad Witty and Edwin Louis. This is just a better collective team than we had last year. They are really good with each other.”

Stone is looking forward to the future.

“Winning state this year would be the icing on the cake,” Stone said. “I’d love to finish out my senior season with a state ring and then I head off to Florida.”

By Gary Curreri

Blanche Ely High School senior Therell Gosier is headed to the University of Miami next year to play football. He still has a few items to cross off his bucket list before he graduates.

Gosier, 19, of Pompano Beach, is hoping to keep the Tigers boys’ basketball team on track for an undefeated season. Blanche Ely entered this week’s action at 15-0.

“I knew we would be this good, but I didn’t think we’d be this good early,” said the 6-7, 210-lb. center. “We still have a couple of kinks we still have to work out.

“We are trying to do something special,” added Gosier, who averages 14.6 points and 8.5 rebounds a game. “We have a chance to be the first Blanche Ely team to go undefeated and win state this year so mainly that’s our goal to go to state and try to be undefeated. That’s our little edge going into every game.”

Gosier, a two-sport athlete at the school, welcomes the pressure of being undefeated.

“It helps us a lot having a target on our back because we know we have to bring it every night,” Gosier said. “Everyone wants to be that first team to knock us off and give us that first ‘L’. So we bring it every game to make sure that no team gives us that first loss.”

Blanche Ely coach Melvin Randall is in his 21st year, including the past 14 at Ely. Randall won state titles in 1997 with Deerfield (Class 5A) and his win in 1999 (Class 6A) came at the expense of his current school Ely, 77-69. After moving over to Ely, Randall won state titles in 2007 (Class 6A), 2012 (Class 7A) and 2013 (Class 7A).

Randall, who has compiled a 489-141 record at the school during that 14-year span, believes this year’s team could be one of the best ever.

“This is a special team,” Randall said. “Definitely at the guard play, I haven’t had a team with strong guard play in a while. I have had some good guards, but, with this team, you are talking about four or five that I can put out there. I have the flexibility to do that with this team.”

Randall said the team has played well since the summer when they showed promise during AAU play.

“They played on the AAU teams and they did great on the AAU circuit,” Randall said. “Now we have come together and we are keeping it family based.”

Even though the team graduated Lance Tejada (East Carolina) and Josh Floyd (Florida State College at Jacksonville) and Richard Lee went back to Northeast High School, the Tigers have still found a way to win. The team benefited from senior guard senior LaQuincy Rideau, a transfer from Palm Beach Lakes, who lives with his aunt in Pompano Beach.

Senior Javon Heastie, along with juniors Mark Houston and Trevor Goodrum, have all stepped up their games, according to Randall.

The Tigers finished 21-5 last season, i n c l u d i n g four losses to Boyd Anderson and once to Cardinal Gibbons in the Big 8. The team has been undefeated during the season before as it ran off 27 consecutive wins until it lost to Dwyer 70-57 in the regional semifinal in the 2009-2010 season.

“We are all coming together,” Randall said. “From the outside looking in, the fans and the spectators, we know we are not there yet. We still have a ways to go. We are better off now than we were a couple of weeks ago. We are still having problems with the rotation. I think they have been rotating well. These people have to understand to see those hard traps and to shift and rotate players. I think, once we get that down pat, it is going to prove that it will be pretty hard for a team to score easily.”

Gosier hopes the team finishes the year the way they started.

“ I t would be great,” Gosier said. “We would go down in history as probably the best basketball team ever to play at Blanche Ely. Going undefeated and winning states would be a great feeling.”

By Gary Curreri

Herman Robinson and Danielle Domino each look forward to the Highlands Christian Academy basketball camp every year.

Robinson, 16, of Deerfield Beach, and Domino, 15, of Parkland, are both sophomores and starting point guards for their respective boys’ and girls’ teams at the school.

“This is good,” said Robinson, who attended the camp in his fifth grade year and the past three years from his 7th, 8th and 9th grade years. “I get a lot of drills out of it and I get better. It depends on how hard you work.”

Robinson, who has attended Highlands Christian Academy since the fifth grade, followed up his week of learning with a week of giving back. It is also his second year working the camp.

“It’s interesting because I get to see what I am like to the coaches that are here,” Robinson said. “I also see what I was like when I was their age. I want to give them my full attention and teach them things that I already know like respect.”

“Basketball delivers hard work and patience and mostly everything, including teamwork,” Robinson added. “I have a passion for it … a strong passion for it. I want to go all the way to the professional ranks, whether it is NBA, D-League or overseas.”

Domino is the youngest of three siblings to play at the school. Her older brother, Derek (college football) and Drew (college basketball) also prepped at the school. She’s been at the school since the 2nd grade and been on the varsity since the 7th grade after she moved up late in the season from the JV and has been on the varsity ever since.

“It teaches me to work hard and how to work with people,” said Domino, who has attended the camp since the 2nd grade. “Especially when we are playing 5-on-5, it builds teamwork and good work ethics.”

This is her 3rd year working the camp.

“It is a lot of patience because I am with the little kids, the third graders, but I like working with them because I get to show them how it is done and build them up for the future,” Domino said. “I like to teach them to work hard. You just have to be quick with it (your message) because they have a short attention span. We teach a lot of the fundamentals. Whatever you do best, you try and teach them.

“I love working with little kids,” Domino added. “I want to coach when I get older, if I am not playing. I want to go to the WNBA, but college is my first priority right now. I want to play college basketball.”

Jim Good has been Athletic Director at the school for the past four years and the school’s varsity boys’ basketball coach for a decade.

The camp featured 53 boys and girls in its first week of camp, including students in grades 7 through 12. It has nearly 50 children in this week’s camp, including students in grades 2 through 6.

Good said it was rewarding to have students/athletes who grew up attending the camp now coaching the younger campers in the second week. Good has been involved in the camps for the past 17 years.

“Any time you have a player who goes through that camp and then comes around the next week and switches roles and now they are the coach, it’s rewarding as a coach, to see them give back,” Good said. “They are great role models for the younger kids.”

It marked the 29th year of basketball camps at Highlands Christian Academy. Former athletic director and boys varsity basketball coach Reg Cook started them in 1985. It is the most popular of all the summer athletic camps offered by the school.

The camps featured a morning devotion followed by warm-up runs and stretches, followed by an emphasis on ball handling and dribbling. The group was divided up into stations to work on lay-ups and shooting. A certain skill was emphasized each day. Several contests were done throughout the week, which included 1-on- 1, 2-on-2, free throws and hot shots. Full court, 5-on-5 full games were played in the afternoon after lunch.

“We update the drills and we also had an all-star game with the older group,” Good said. “We select the 10 best players in the high school groups, break out the uniforms, and they play the coaches. The coaches are undefeated in the four years we have played.”

Good said about 70 percent of the campers attend Highlands Christian Academy and the remaining players attend schools in the surrounding communities. The two most notable campers to attend the Highlands Christian Academy basketball camp include Brandon Knight (Milwaukee Bucks) and Andrew Smith (now a senior at Liberty University).

Knight attended the camp when he was in the 4th grade and went on to star at Pine Crest School, and played a year at Kentucky, before being a first round pick of the Detroit Pistons.

It is the only two weeks of basketball that the school offers. In future weeks, they will offer softball, soccer, track and field, volleyball and golf.

“We have three goals,” Good said. “One is for them to have fun, the second is to work hard and the third is to glorify God