The Warrior "7"

Last night we (the Sunshine Warriors) defeated Edgewater Baptist to complete our 11 game regular season. We finished the year with a 4 and 7 record. I am greatly encouraged from the way we finished the year! In one of our last regular season games we nearly defeated the undefeated first place team, Breakthrough Urban Ministries. We lost that game by a mere two points, and could have easily won the contest. That proved to me and to the team that we can compete with (and beat)anybody if we play together. Although our team may lack size and depth, we make up for it with heart. When we are at our best we play with a lot of intensity!

We finished the season with 7 players. Let me introduce them to you...
Baby T "Beat You To The Spot" Nimely - Baby T is one of the best on-ball defenders that I have coached. He loves to "lock up" the other teams point guard, and to apply relentless pressure. He then brings that same intensity to the offensive end, and penetrates with full force. Baby T will be a junior at Mt. Carmel High School this fall.

Cornell "All The Way To The Cup" Brandon - Cornell has a "nack" for finding his way all of the way to the whole. Sometimes he dribble coast to coast. Sometimes he catches it on the wing, and penetrates. He somehow slices through and/or by the defense and gets a lay up. Cornell graduated this year from Fenger High School, and will be heading to college in the fall.

Eric "I'm A Football Player" Nimely - Eric is quick to point out to teammates that he is a football player that is playing basketball to stay in shape. Eric brings that football mentality to the court. He crashes the boards, dives on the floor, and does the little things. He even made a couple of "and-ones" this season. Eric will be a junior at Team Englewood High School this fall.

Pierre "And-One" Carr - I think Pierre has the Miracle League record for converting the most "and-one" three-point plays. He can penetrate past, through, and around just about any defender. Once he arrives at the basket, he intentionally positions his body to draw contact. He utilize the officials like few players that I have seen. Pierre was our leading scorer this season. He will be a junior at South Shore High School this fall.

Trevell "I Need More Touches" Martin - After one of our first games, Trevell told me and his teammates that we would be better off if he just "got more touches." As the season progressed I believed him. Trevell is a streaker shooter with 3-point range, and an ever-improving mid-range jumper. He models his game after his idol, Tracy McGrady, and he continues to develop his game each summer. Trevell will be a junior at Team Englewood High
School this fall.

Terrell "Big Baby" Martin - Terrell's appearance and game favors the Boston Celtic's Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Terrell has a wide body, that creates space within the lane. He continues to develop as a good rebounder and as a defensive presence in the paint. He also has a soft touch for a big guy around the basket. Terrell will be a junior at Team Englewood High School this fall.

Wendell "Slash" Ambrose - Wendell was a new addition to our team this season. He did a great job handling the ball and playing calm even when the game got crazy. Wendell is at his best when he slashes to the hole. He does this through the use of a crafty jump stop, and through a cross-over dribble. If he continues to develop his jump shot, he will be dangerous. Wendell will be a junior at Team Englewood High School this fall.

Update, Update...
On Saturday we competed in the end of the year tournament. We entered the double-elimination tournament as the 5 seed. Our first round opponent was South Shore United Methodist. We lost a close contest to them, and during the second half we lost Pierre Carr for the rest of the tournament. After dropping into the loser's bracket, we earned back to back victories against Edgewater Baptist and the World Overcomer's. (In other words we lost to "the Methdodists" but were able to defeat "the Baptists" and "the Pentecostals." :)) Our final game of the day was a rematch against South Shore. Unfortunately, we ran out of gas (and lost another player to injury - Trevell Martin). We played hard all day long though, and I was proud of how hard we played in spite of our limited roster.

I continue to pray that the seeds that were planted this season will continue to grow, and that eternal fruit would abide in the lives of the young men. I am reminded of Isaiah 55 of the "lasting effect" of God's Word (Isaiah 55:11). Our final tournament devotional was a powerful gospel presentation shared by long-time youth pastor Danny Lopez. I am praying that these young men will seek and serve Christ in their youth!