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Hold these Tigers? No Way!

Sports

Thursday, 21 January 2010 00:46

New Dimensions gym rocks as the basketball team makes playoff plans
By Rick Pedone
Staff Writer
It’s one of the smallest schools in Osceola County, but New Dimensions’ boys basketball team is playing giant killer. Off to a 10-3 start, the Tigers already have clinched a spot in the Class 2A regional playoffs after a scintillating 61-50 win over Lakeland Christian Friday at the Tigers’ gym.
The win lifted New Dimensions to 3-0 in 2A District 9 and gave it a bye into the championship game of the three-team district tournament Feb. 13 at Lakeland Christian. Both the champion and runner-up will advance from the district.
Coach Ryan Adams, in his fourth season, has challenged his team all year, playing a schedule dotted with much larger schools such as St. Cloud, Gateway and Poinciana.
His players responded. New Dimensions, the county’s only charter high school with a population of about 330 students, earned victories over both St. Cloud and Gateway in December.
“They want to play good teams. They want to prove that they can play with anyone,” Adams said.
The Tigers aren’t tall, as no starter clears 6-1, but they are fast. Very fast.
“We have a small team; we have to run, be quick,” senior guard Jose Vasquez said. “We have to play good defense.”
That was apparent Friday when the Tigers pressed Lakeland Christian, forcing 13 turnovers that they converted to fast-break opportunities. That translated into a 16-point halftime lead.
Adams has the horses in players like Emmanuel Francois, Xavier Price, Sebastien Joseph, Orlando Vargas and Vasquez to run with anyone, while center Imer Robles, at only 6-1, is an athletic leaper on the boards.
The support group is capable as well, with James Fuchs, Kepler Francois, Marc Serat, Jeremiah Lebrun, Rudy Antomattey, Marcellous Fletcher and Nicolay Rybkin all pitching in when needed.
“I love coaching these kids because they want to get better,” Adams said after the Lakeland Christian victory Friday. “What a game this was, a real backyard brawl. I come from Maine, and this was just like the tough games we had up there all the time. Both of those teams wanted it. They were diving for loose balls, but our guys were not going to be denied.”
Emmanuel Francois, a senior guard, showed why he is considered to be among the county’s elite players by scoring 32 points, including a three-point shot with a minute to play, that snuffed out a Vikings comeback.
“That was one of those where you go, ‘Oh no, great shot!’” Adams said with a laugh. “That’s Emmanuel. He refused to lose to Lakeland Christian on his home floor as a senior. It just wasn’t going to happen. That’s the kind of player he is, he can take over a game.”
Francois said he doesn’t try to dominate, preferring that his teammates stay involved.
“But, if it’s a situation where we’re struggling, I’ll try to keep us in the game,” Francois said.
Vargas, a junior, scored a basket and dropped in a pair of free throws in the last 45 seconds, and Robles came up with a huge rebound and put-back to keep the Vikings at bay.
“I wasn’t thinking that we were going to blow it, but we had to put it away,” Vargas said.
The team’s hiccups have been few. One loss came against Class 4A Poinciana in the first week of the season. Two losses were at the First Academy holiday tournament, one of those against the unbeaten hosts while the Tigers were missing a couple of players.
Adams and his players expected success this season. Most returned from last year’s 10-7 squad that made a disappointing exit from the district tournament in the semifinal round at Fort Meade.
“We had a lot of guys coming back from that team, so we thought we could be pretty good,” Francois said.
Should the Tigers win the district championship, there is no telling how far they can go. The Tigers’ gym, which holds about 300 and was mostly filled Friday, sounds like the Amway Arena as the crowd’s cheers and the pep band’s drum section merge to create an energizing din.
“It gets loud in there. Our fans help us a lot,” Vargas said.
The noise and the close quarters can distract any team, said St. Cloud High Coach Tim McMullen.
“It’s just a whole different atmosphere in there. You’ve got that little band box of a gym, and their fans do a great job of making a lot of noise,” McMullen said. “It kind of throws you off a little when you get in there. And, they’ve got some guys who can play. It’s tough.”
The Tigers visit St. Cloud today for a rematch at 6 p.m.
Gateway Coach Bob Baker said Adams’ team is a tough opponent.
“They are, and a lot of it has to do with their home court. But a lot of it is that they have some talented kids,” he said. “It was a game that I feel like we should have won, but that takes nothing away from the New Dimensions kids. They played a great game against us.”
New Dimensions administrators Drs. Tina Cafiero and Jackie Grimm, who founded the school in 1998, are proud of the team, and not only because of its success.
“These are really good kids, and they have a lot of varied interests outside of basketball,” Cafiero said. “Some of them performed in our school play, and some of them are in our dance class. It’s a lot of fun to be around them, and it’s so exciting for all the kids at school that they are playing so well.”
Francois grimaced at the recollection of his Russian folk dance performance at a recent school concert.
“Oh, man, it was embarrassing. All my friends were out there watching me,” he said. “But, I got through it.”
Vargas said the team’s goal is to win the district championship.
“That would be great, and hopefully we can win in the regionals as well,” he said.
Vasquez said the victories over Gateway and St. Cloud boosted the team’s confidence.
“Those are the kinds of teams you see in the playoffs,” he said.
Adams, who earned praise from Cafiero for his effort since coming to the school, isn’t sure how far the Tigers will go, but, like his players, he is enjoying the journey.
“Most of these guys have been here three years and they understand what we expect of them,” he said. “It’s just been a ball coaching them. I can say that I’ve never enjoyed working with a bunch of kids so much in my life.”