BAKER — Janavor Weatherspoon has only been on the job as Baker School's boys basketball coach since August, which hasn’t given him a lot of time with his team.
But Weatherspoon is optimistic about the days ahead.
“I think we’ve got a bright future,” he said. “We are getting comfortable with each other. We are playing as a team.
“We are looking out for each other. It’s just a process.”
The Gators opened the preseason with a loss to Paxton and then bounced back with a win over Pensacola Christian Academy.
Weatherspoon attributed the loss to Paxton at least in part to first-game jitters with a new coach in a new system.
“The first game we played Paxton, we hadn’t played anybody in the preseason and Paxton is one of the top teams in the area,” he said. “I think the guys were a little upset that we got beat by Paxton bad. They were a little nervous and we hadn’t played in a while.
“I told them they had been working hard and they had been carrying 50-pound sandbags outside, working on our defense. I told them to believe in what we are doing and to go out there and do it. I think, as the season goes along and we get our guys from football, we are going to be pretty good. But it’s going to take some time.”
Weatherspoon is happy with what he has seen from the Gator guards.
“I think our guard play is pretty solid for this league,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of kids that can shoot the ball. We’ve got Austin Walters, Brooks Taylor, Terrell Reed, Matt Samuolis, Gabe Nelson.
“Those are some of the guards that I think are good spot up shooters, so that’s why I like to run a lot of set plays. We have to use our set plays to our advantage. We’ve got a lot of set shooters right now.”
As the football players round into basketball shape, Weatherspoon will design some inside plays for them as well.
“I think some of those guys can play in the post so we will make some set plays in the post too,” he said. “When you have a team, you have to have some role players. You have to have some toughness.
“You have to have some team leaders. When those guys come from football they are used to winning and they will bring that same attitude to basketball. That’s why I’m really looking forward to having the football guys.”
The Gators will run a variety of defenses that will depend on what the opposing offense is trying to do, Weatherspoon said.
Baker's offense will run set plays, but that doesn’t mean the Gators won’t get up and down the floor.
“I like to execute and play to the strengths I have on my team and stay away from the weaknesses,” Weatherspoon said. “I love to run a lot of set plays.
“We will push it up the floor, but if we don’t have anything we will go to our set plays. We’ve got a lot of stuff. It depends on how the night is going and how the kids are playing.”
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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Boys basketball preview: Gator coach says team has 'bright future'