Last season was not a memorable one by any stretch of the imagination for the Apalachee High School boys basketball team and coach Kevin Morris.
The team posted just one victory and the memory of that most recent season remains burned into Morris’ mind. The AHS coach has experienced the highs and lows of the profession. While a Final Four trip was recorded a few seasons ago, the 2010-2011 campaign bothered Morris on many fronts.
First, no coach enjoys seasons like that. You can keep all the talk of how it helped build character and how it tested the makeup of the squad. Morris, like all coaches, wants to see his players succeed and enjoy the thrills of victory, not the agonies of defeat.
With a new season set to begin next Tuesday against East Jackson, I found Morris taking somewhat of an unusual approach. While many coaches would simply forget a season of major rebuilding, the AHS mentor wants his players to remember it. The reason? He wants them to never want to experience anything like it again. Whatever amount of work it takes, Morris does not want the program to go through another one-win year.
All but one player returns from a season ago. That means the younger players who were thrown into the fire have valuable experience on the varsity level going to 2011-2012.
The Wildcats still have plenty of work to do — both now and throughout the season — but, on paper, at least, the makings are there for a drastic step forward.
Morris deserves credit for the way he handled the disappointing season a year ago. While some coaches would have taken the “run and hide” approach, Morris was always upfront. Never once did he offer a “no comment” or say “I’d rather not talk about it.”
Instead, the AHS coach answered every question that was asked of him. He offered insight into why the team was struggling and what he would have to do done to turn things around.
To me, Morris deserves credit for that. Many coaches would prefer no press in situations like that. However, Morris showed, through his leadership, that you have to face the bad when it comes and not just shine in the spotlight when things are going your way.
Will AHS go undefeated this season? Probably not. Will the Wildcats post just one win again? The answer is no as well. Double digit victories are a strong reality. Nothing is guaranteed in sports, especially at the high school level, but I’ve seen Morris work long enough to know the winner’s mentality he brings to his program and the inner desire to win is as strong as it’s ever been.
Many factors contributed to the down season of 2010-2011. It goes beyond the coach and the players although many often try to pass off seasons of that nature on one or both of those elements.
Morris has proven that he is a quality coach and a quality leader. When all is said and done in the 2011-2012 season, the memory of the one-win year will certainly begin to fade from memory. The work put in by the coaching staff and players this season will be worth noting because none want to go through it again.
It starts again for AHS Tuesday night against East Jackson. That game will serve as the first step toward turning things around and the beginning of the process of returning Wildcat basketball to its past glory. Will it be easy? Of course not.
However, anything you have to work for is not going to be handed to you. The Wildcats will be an interesting program to follow this season and one fans should be looking forward to.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. You can send comments about this column to cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
