Flagler Palm Coast boys basketball endures unexpected changes
PALM COAST — This season was not supposed to be a rebuilding year for Flagler Palm Coast boys basketball.
Six of head coach Derrick Williams' top players last year transferred elsewhere including Matanzas' Karl Knighten Jr. and Troy Smith, who went to Mainland. He also lost a promising athlete to gun violence.
His lone varsity returner is junior Caumarion Lang — who now has to lead a young group of freshmen and sophomores.
“Every game is an adventure with them,” Williams said. “They play hard they, compete, do what I ask them to do and get the most out of their ability”
The Bulldogs are 6-12 with some strong wins over Madison County (7-4) and a tough Pine Ridge team (5-10).
Flagler Palm Coast’s schedule has been daunting this year. They’ve played some of the toughest teams in Jacksonville and St. Johns, Volusia and Flagler counties including St. Augustine (9-5) twice, Spruce Creek (8-5), Westside (10-6) and Orange Park (12-6). Its first game was against Georgia's Lowndes (9-8).
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In their wins this season, their youth didn’t show, Williams said. They executed the game plan well, played with a different intensity than their opponents and were focused.
“We played really physical, hit our shots and no one played outside of their role,” sharpshooting junior Matt Rodriguez said.
The ‘Dogs don’t have a lot of size so if they aren’t able to hit shots, they struggle. They’ve scored as much as 70 points as low as 22 points.
Their season low was against Orange Park, which had some size and knock-down shooters. The young ‘Dogs struggled to overcome the Raiders’ offensive flurry. Flagler Palm Coast’s guys who can create their own shots, struggled getting to their spots.
As the Raiders’ lead grew, Williams turned his focus on making sure his guys were executing the offense correctly and defending on every possession. Williams always wants his team to play with effort, pride, discipline and focus, he said.
“This group has an opportunity to surprise some people late,” Williams said. “Their effort is unreal. I have a hard time getting upset with them because they are playing so hard.”
If Flagler Palm Coast keeps playing hard, it may have a chance to compete for a district title in a 7A District 1 group where only one team, Sandalwood, has a record over .500.
The Dogs’ will have their opportunities to show they’ve grown the second half of the season as districts and the Five Star tournament loom. Lang, who has become an extension of Williams on the floor, would like to see continued growth from his teammates, he said. Their progress could mean a district title or another run at Five Star.
Last year, the ‘Dogs made it to the championship game after knocking off top teams Atlantic and Pine Ridge.
The Five Star tournament is Jan. 21-27.
“Everyone is probably going to look at us as an easy win,” Rodriguez said of the tournament. “We want to come, make a big impact, shock everybody who thinks we’re going to lose in the first round and go all the way.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school basketball: Flagler Palm Coast battles through rebuilding year
