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.”
