The revival of Northwestern boys’ basketball among the top stories ahead of regionals

From Norland High school’s 11th consecutive district title to the first such championship in Braddock’s history, last week brought several interesting story lines to the ranks of Miami boys’ basketball.

And with the start of regional play set for Thursday, one of those good plots is brewing at Miami Northwestern, where fourth-year coach Ken Stringer has captured the Bulls’ first district title in 13 years.

Stringer recalls arriving at Northwestern in the fall of 2016. He said he was “intrigued” by the talent at the school, even though the athletes mainly came out for football and track.

“For a month before tryouts, I got on the loudspeaker several times per week, getting the word out about basketball,” Stringer said. “But when the tryouts came, all I saw were a bunch of guys that were 4-foot-2.”

To no one’s surprise, Stringer’s first Bulls team went 1-19.

“It was brutal,” he said.

Things got better, however, and part of that was because the kids at Northwestern noticed that Stringer was pretty good at basketball. He also cared.

Stringer was a starting forward on the 2000-2001 Missouri State team — coached by Steve Alford — that rode upsets over Wisconsin and Tennessee all the way to a Sweet 16 date with powerhouse Duke.

Upon arriving at Northwestern, Stringer kept the gym open from early to late, and he often played pickup basketball alongside the kids.

Pretty soon, the word got out, and the number of kids who tried out from basketball went from 35 in his first season to 105 just 12 months later.

“I believe I gained their respect,” Stringer said. “I let the kids know that if they wanted to get better, they can find me in the gym every day. I don’t let anybody outwork me.”

The Bulls, who beat Belen 51-40 to win the district title last Friday, embody Stringer’s spirit, pressuring full court and taking time and space away from offensive players.

Northwestern, which is on a five-game win streak to improve to 13-11, is much better now than the Bulls team that lost by 24 points on Dec. 3 to Belen.

Starting one senior, two juniors, one sophomore and one freshman, Northwestern exacted its revenge on Friday.

That lone Bulls senior is 5-8 point guard Antwanne Thompson, who leads the team in scoring (18.5). But the player to watch long-term may be 6-1 freshman P.J. Paulk, who is averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds.

“P.J.,” Stringer said, “has Division I guard written all over him.”

Here’s a look at the regional matchups involving Miami boys’ basketball teams, with the higher seed hosting each game on Thursday:

CLASS 7A

▪ Games: No. 8 Krop at No. 1 Miramar; No. 7 Columbus at No. 2 Western; No. 6 Coral Park at No. 3 Miami High; No. 5 Coral Gables at No. 4 Braddock.

▪ Outlook: Krop (16-4) has a strong record but was relegated to the eighth seed because of its weak schedule, at least by reputation. Miramar (19-6) will be a heavy favorite, led by 6-3 senior guard Brent Davis, a Citadel recruit averaging 16.0 points.

Columbus (15-11) and Western (16-7) are two hard-working teams. Columbus is led by dynamic 6-5 freshman Scottie Middleton, who is averaging 15.2 points.

Miami High (13-9) is on a season-best five-game winning streak and went 2-0 against Coral Park (18-7). These two teams played what so far is the game of the season on Dec. 17, with Justin Neely scoring a school-record 60 points to lead Miami High to a 104-99 double-overtime win. Then, in the district tournament, Miami High upset Coral Gables in the semifinals and Columbus in the title game.

Coral Park is led by guard Ga’Khari Lacount, a Lynn University recruit who is averaging 32.2 points.

CLASS 6A

▪ Games: No. 8 Doral at No. 1 Mater Academy; No. 7 North Miami at No. 2 Dillard; No. 5 South Miami at No. 4 McArthur;

▪ Outlook: Doral and Mater split two games in the regular season. But the season-ending injury suffered by Doral star senior guard Devin Carter — a major-college recruit who was averaging 29.1 points — gives Mater a significant advantage. Mater’s 6-7 sophomore forward Malik Reneau, who is averaging 27 points and 13 rebounds, may be in the Player of the Year in Miami. He had 40 points and 15 rebounds in the district final win over South Miami.

North Miami was the top seed in District 15. But because of district-semifinal loss to Hollywood Hills, North Miami now hits the road to face tradition-rich Dillard, a program with seven state titles in the past quarter-century. Star guard Carlos Hart, who missed North Miami’s previous game due to an ankle injury, should be ready to go on Thursday.

South Miami, which has advanced to the state semifinals in four of the past six years and won the GMAC title earlier this month, is the top at-large team in this region. The Cobras (21-5) are led by 6-10 shot-blocker Brandon Sanders and speedy 5-10 point guard Arturo Dean, who is averaging 26.8 points and 6.0 assists. This could be a tough draw for McArthur (15-14).

CLASS 5A

▪ Games: No. 7 Belen at No. 2 Okeechobee; No. 6 Boyd Anderson at No. 3 Norland; No. 5 Pembroke Pines Charter at No. 4 Northwestern.

▪ Outlook: Belen (17-10) has cooled off since a 9-1 start. Okeechobee is 24-1 in its past 25 games, with the only loss coming in overtime.

Norland (18-9) has won six state titles under coach Lawton Williams, who preaches – and gets – hard-nosed defense. The Vikings this season own wins over North Miami, Coral Gables and Miramar, among others. Boyd Anderson (16-11) is led by dynamic senior guard Martin Mercedes.

CLASS 4A

▪ Games: No. 8 Mater Lakes at No. 1 University; No. 7 Hallandale at No. 2 Gulliver; No. 5 Stranahan at No. 4 Monsignor Pace.

▪ Outlook: Mater Lakes (16-11) lost twice to University (18-6) by a combined total of 49 points.

Gulliver (21-6) has won five in a row and nine of 10, thanks to talents such as 6-7 wing Tony Sanders and 5-11 point guard Gabe Taylor. Sanders, who is considering college scholarship offers from South Carolina, Dayton, Georgia and Notre Dame, is averaging 22 points and seven rebounds. Taylor, a Rice recruit for football, is averaging 21 points and five assists.

Pace (12-15) is the lowest-ranked district champ in this region, but the Spartans have a big-time scorer in 6-2 senior Marcus Frazier and two bruisers in the frontcourt (6-6, 230-pound Shemar Stewart and 6-5, 215-pound Shykieim Gloster).

Frazier is Pace’s all-time leader with more than 2,000 career points, including 44 in a 71-61 district-final win over Miami Springs. Stewart, only a sophomore, has SEC offers for football as a defensive end. Gloster, a senior, signed with FIU, also as a defensive end.

Meanwhile, Stranahan won a 6A state title last year and is now 19-9.

CLASS 3A

▪ Games: No. 8 Palmer at No. 1 Chaminade; No. 7 Divine Savior at No. 2 Riviera Prep; No. 6 Ransom Everglades at No. 3 Westminster Christian; No. 5 Florida Christian at No. 4 Miami Country Day.

▪ Outlook: Last month, Miami Country Day (14-12) lost by four points to Florida Christian (19-6). But MCD was missing its second-best player in that game, 6-5 freshman Jasai Miles, who is now back from a foot injury. He is averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds. MCD also has 5-9 junior point guard Jordan Cooke, averaging 23.0 points. He had 31 points in the district-final win over Divine Savior.