BRADENTON — Shawn Campbell came equipped with a promise.
Prior to signing on as Manatee’s new boys basketball coach, Campbell guaranteed his Hurricanes would run.
The coach has kept his promise and the players are catching on. Monday night, Manatee opened 2009 by zipping past visiting Palmetto 70-52.
The Canes take a 7-4 record into tonight’s Class 5A-District 12 game at Venice, a winning mark built on Campbell’s clamoring for a high-octane game.
Manatee sped from the opening tip, streaking to a 12-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. Point guard Ace Sanders ran the offense, slinging the ball inside to guys such as Brice Smith (14 points, nine the first quarter) and Zach Beeker (12 points), doing just want Campbell wanted.
“These guys are loving it. I about killed them at the start, but they see it’s worth it,” he said. “I run their living guts out at practice...We want to go up-tempo every game.”
Manatee attempted only one 3-pointer during its 21-point second quarter, when it took a 46-21 lead into the break, choosing to attack Palmetto from the inside. It worked — driven by Sanders’ ability to find the open man, the Canes shot better than 64 percent during the first half, getting points from seven different players.
“Our goal is to push them until they get tired,” said Sanders, who finished with eight points. “We’ve got to come out and jump on them from the start...Make them get out of their rhythm so they can’t set anything up.”
Palmetto (11-3) didn’t crack the scoreboard until Donald Campbell netted a layup more than three minutes into the game. The Tigers trailed 12-0 at that point and never threatened, committing six first-quarter turnovers. They also got outrebounded 22-13 during the first half.
But coach Wilmore Fowler took responsibility for the performance, blaming himself for giving Palmetto some time off following last week’s Smoothie King Classic at Bradenton Christian, where the Tigers finished second out of eight teams.
“I gave them a couple of days off, and I lost that game,” Fowler said. “We didn’t have any intensity, any aggresiveness.
“It’s on me. I told the guys that — ‘Even though I wasn’t on the court, and you all should have hustled more, I blame myself because I gave you all too much time off.’”
Reggie Baity had 13 points for Palmetto, which went 0 for 8 from the 3-point arc during the first half.
Manatee tries to improve on its district mark (4-0) tonight in Venice, where Campbell would love to see the same output.
And of course, the same amount of speed.
“It’s going to better — that’s what’s so scary. We’re only as half as good as we can be,” Campbell said. “If these guys can see that vision, and work a little harder and play a little more together, we’re going to be even better because we’re just so athletic.”
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