By Rubin E. Grant
For the second straight year, somebody forgot to tell the Spain Park boys basketball team they should be in rebuilding mode.
Two years ago, the Jaguars won 27 games and reached the Class 7A semifinals, then lost a few key players to graduation, including swingman Cam Crawford, the 2021 OTM Player of the Year who is now a sophomore at Indiana State.
But instead of rebuilding, the Jags reloaded, won 27 games and reached the Class 7A semifinals again in 2022.
They lost a few key players off that team, including 6-9 forward-center Colin Turner, the 2022 OTM Player of the Year who is now a freshman at North Georgia.
But once again, the Jags have pushed aside any notion of rebuilding. They entered this week with a 19-4 record and in first place in Class 7A, Area 6 with a 3-1 mark.
Spain Park opened the season 10-0, including wins against Hoover (54-50) and Vestavia Hills (55-54), the top two ranked teams currently in Class 7A; against James Clemens (76-33), the 2022 Class 7A runners-up; and against Jacksonville (69-55), the 2022 Class 4A state champion.
Those victories boosted the Jag’ confidence.
“When we started the season with wins against a lot of good teams, the guys saw how good we could be,” Spain Park coach Chris Laatsch said. “They started thinking that maybe we could get back to Birmingham.”
Birmingham refers to the site of the State Finals at the BJCC Legacy Arena.
But Laatsch, who is closing in on 100 victories in his five seasons at Spain Park, isn’t looking that far ahead.
“Our goal is to reach our potential and establish a high standard in each practice and game,” Laatsch said. “We’ve been playing great and it’s a testament to the guys for working hard and doing the things they are supposed to do to be successful.”
Dance With the One Who Brung You
Spain Park has been getting solid play from seniors Zach Gray and Sam Wright, two returning starters.
Gray, a 6-7 guard, is averaging 18.0 points per game while shooting 40% from three-point range and 83% from the free-throw line. He has signed with Lee University, a NCAA Division II school in Tennessee.
Wright, a 6-9 forward-center, is averaging 17.5 points while shooting 58% from the field and having nine rebounds. He also has a 4.45 grade-point average and scored 29 on the ACT. He has received offers from colleges such as Navy, Dartmouth, Bucknell and Colgate.
“Both of them played key roles in our success last year and this year,” Laatsch said. “They are great kids and super coachable.”
Junior guard Chase James also returned as a starter and is averaging 10.0 points and shooting 45% on three-pointers. “He also does a great job of handling the ball,” Laatsch said.
Senior guards Hunter Herritt and Evan Houser, junior guard Korbin Long, 6-7 sophomore forward Jared Smith and 6-6 junior T.J. Lamar have been key contributors.
“We’ve got good depth and good size, guys who can shoot it and drive it,” Laatsch said.
With a win Tuesday at home against Chelsea and Friday on the road at Hewitt-Trussville, the Jags could clinch the regular season area championship.
