By Rubin E. Grant
The Oak Mountain boys basketball team has served notice in the first three weeks of the young season that it is not ready to take a step back under new coach Joel Floyd.
The Eagles went into the Thanksgiving break with a 6-1 record, with the only loss to defending Class 7A champion Enterprise, 59-47, in the first round of the Sneaky Pete’s Rebel Classic at Vestavia Hills last week.
Oak Mountain bounced back from that loss with a 57-54 victory against Faith Academy and a 75-54 victory against Prattville to claim third place in the tournament.
“The guys are playing extremely hard and playing well on offense and defense,” Floyd said. “I am pleased with how we’ve played early in the season.”
Floyd spent the past two years as an assistant coach in boys basketball and volleyball at Spain Park. He helped the Jaguars’ basketball team reach the Final Four the past two seasons and was on the bench when Spain Park captured the 2021 Class 7A state volleyball championship.
Before that, he had been the boys head basketball coach at Pelham for 11 years, leading the Panthers to four Sweet 16 appearances and an Elite Eight appearance in 2017.
He decided to leave Pelham because of his son, Blake, who had played for him at Pelham.
“My son was about to be a senior and I decided it was best to let somebody else be his head coach,” Floyd said.
Floyd had known Jags coach Chris Laatsch for 15 years, saying “He is one best in the business.” So, Blake Floyd transferred to Spain Park and Joel Floyd became Laatsch’s assistant, making it a package deal.
“I got to be more of a dad than anything else,” Floyd said. “I think it was important for both of us. He loved being at Spain Park and he loved playing for coach Laatsch.”
Blake Floyd helped Spain Park reach the 2021 Final Four before graduating. He’s now at North Alabama as a walk-on.
Floyd wasn’t looking to become a head coach again, but when Chris Love retired as Oak Mountain’s head coach in March, Floyd jumped at the chance to replace him.
He was familiar with Oak Mountain athletic director Shane Gillman and Shelby County Schools Superintendent Lewis Brooks, having coached both of his sons at Pelham.
“I was very happy at Spain Park, but this was a perfect opportunity for me at Oak Mountain,” Floyd said. “I live in the area and I knew coach Love. He had done an amazing job, so if I was going to get back in the business of being a head coach, this was it.”
Trying to Capture Success
Oak Mountain had plenty of success the past three seasons, reaching the Final Four in 2020, winning the 2021 Class 7A state championship and advancing to the Elite Eight in 2022.
Floyd inherited a team that had graduated nine seniors, although he was hoping the winning tradition of the past few seasons would rub off.
“We don’t have a whole lot of experience, but we have talent with a lot of potential and guys who work hard,” Floyd said. “We have several guys who play multiple sports.”
The Eagles have seven seniors, including 6-foot-3 senior forward Matthew Heiberger, who was a sophomore on the 2021 state championship team.
The other seniors are guard Devan Moss; forward Bobby Laury; guard Braxton Diorio; guard Eli Love; forward Jack Ronilo, who is heading to Duke as long-snapper in football; and 6-9 center Tre Thomas, who has a 7-foot wingspan.
Heiberger, a talented left-handed pitcher who is headed to Alabama to play baseball, leads the Eagles in scoring (19.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg) in the early going. He scored 25 points in the victory against Prattville.
Thomas, who had 20 points against Prattville, leads the team in blocked shots, averaging nearly four blocks per game.
“Several colleges have called me about him,” Floyd said. “He’s kind of a late bloomer.”
The Eagles also have gotten solid production from sophomore guard Will O’Dell and junior guards Grey Williams and Kevin Jasinski.
“We’re playing all 13 guys when we’re winning,” Floyd said. “Every dead ball we’re subbing in five new players. We’re playing faster than we have in the past and we’re pressing consistently on defense. It’s something I thought fits our personnel.”
Oak Mountain will compete in Class 7A, Area 6 along with Spain Park, Hewitt-Trussville and Chelsea.
“I’m not sure we have a whole lot of expectations,” Floyd said. “It’s going to be a growing experience.”
