By Jeff Odom
Wiregrass Ranch boys basketball coach Jeremy Calzone made his team focus on just one thing for the first three weeks of offseason workouts — defense.
The Bulls (3-0) were one of the best in the area when it came to scoring last season, averaging 77.3 per game while eclipsing the 100-point mark twice and 90 four times.
However, it was Wiregrass Ranch’s defense that likely prevented it from raising the district championship banner for the second straight season.
The Bulls finished the 2011-12 season 17-11, but fell in the Class 7A-District 9 final to Chamberlain 80-65. They allowed 73.1 points per game last year, way more than the seventh-year coach wanted.
“The kids were getting sick of (practicing defense), and they finally said let’s play some,” Calzone said.
His team played well in practice, but limped through the preseason, which frustrated Calzone.
Junior guard/forward Elijah Blackman said their coach called a team meeting Nov. 19, the Monday before Wiregrass Ranch’s regular season opener against River Ridge, to discuss what needed to be change.
The squad responded with an 81-47 thrashing of the Royal Knights, stopping many of their opponents’ scoring chances.
“In the preseason games, we did all right, but we didn’t do as well as we wanted to,” Blackman said. “After (River Ridge), we felt like we stepped up as a team. There’s still some holes where we can work on, like talking consistently, but going forward we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”
The Bulls followed up the season-opening victory with wins at Sunlake 73-44 Nov. 28 and at Nature Coast 65-63 Nov. 29, the first 3-0 start in the program’s seven-year history.
In order to end up on top of the 7A-9 tournament, which is at Steinbrenner, Wiregrass Ranch will have to get past the reigning champion Chamberlain and the Warriors, who the Bulls knocked off in the district semifinals 85-75.
Senior guard Larrentz Manora, who averaged 11.1 points and 3.5 rebounds last year, said the plan is not only to rely on the defense, but making 3-point shots, which the team has had plenty of success doing.
“Confidence is key to making the shot, and I believe we have a lot of confidence on the team,” Manora said. “When we shoot the ball, we already know it’s going in, so we’re just ready to get back on defense and start the press.”
Calzone echoed Manora and said he would like to see more easy baskets when the 3-pointers aren’t falling.
“That’s the way we play,” Calzone said. “When we shoot that way we’re going to win, and we’re trying to preach more layups when we’re not shooting well, but when we are, we’ll try and shoot as many as we can.”
The squad does return most of its starters from last year, including The Laker/Lutz News Boy Basketball Player of the Year in senior guard/forward Rico Kerney, who averaged 25.1 points and 14.2 rebounds last season. Calzone said there are many playmakers on his team that can get it to the next level.
“Demarco Burgess (7.5 points, five assists, 2.9 rebounds*) has really stepped up his game; Chris Parra (17.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, three steals*) is obviously a big time kid for us, a 1,000-point scorer in his career, so those two and Menora have really stepped up this year hitting threes as our sharp shooter,” Calzone said. “We’re so deep, we feel like we can beat anybody. We can beat anybody on any given night.”
Wiregrass Ranch hosts Steinbrenner Dec. 4 before traveling to Chamberlain Dec. 7. Both contests start at 8 p.m.
*Stats from last season
