Manatee boys basketball routs Bell Creek Academy for best start of decade

For a moment Friday, Bob Lauster saw the system that he hopes can bring Manatee to respectability work as intended.

Alex Petival was patient to start the second half standing at the top left of the Hurricanes’ 2-2-1 press. He funneled the Riverview Bell Creek Academy ballhandler down the left sideline until he crossed midcourt, and then a teammate pounced. The Manatee guards trapped and Petival poked the ball away. His patience had paid off and he saw Shane Hooks streaking down the court. The guard tossed the ball into the open floor where Hooks had a step on his defender. He snared the ball and leapt toward the rim, taking a bump and dropping the ball in off the backboard for an and-one.

The turnaround Manatee hopes is for real right now hinges on the two elements which made this particularly play, early in the second half of a 57-22 romp of Bell Creek Academy, work. The Hurricanes (3-0) can make up for their deficiencies with relentless pressure and overwhelming athleticism.

“The big part of high school games are based upon turnovers: How many you have and how many you force,” Lauster said. “So that’s obviously something that we try to take advantage of.”

The first-year head coach already has the Canes in a better place than it’s been at any point this decade. Manatee hadn’t won more than two games in a single season since 2009-10 until the Hurricanes claimed their third victory of the year Friday in The Mildred Emmelhainz Gymnasium at Manatee High School.

Last season, the Canes didn’t win a single game. The 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons were also winless campaigns. A last-minute resignation by former head coach Troy Bellamy in November 2014 thrust an already struggling Hurricanes program into upheaval it has yet to fully stabilize. Lauster’s arrival in June began to change that.

Lauster was introduced to players on June 16. Less than 10 days later he took the Canes to a team camp at Eckerd College, a Division II school in St. Petersburg. For the first time in recent history, Manatee had a comprehensive offseason program.

“The kids needed structure and we needed skill work,” Lauster said. “We really hit skill work and structure this summer, trying to get them to understand what we’re trying to do.”

The offensive system is still a work in progress. Petival finished Friday’s game in Bradenton with 10 points and fellow guard Shane Hooks led the way with 15. Most of those, though, were the product of the Hurricanes’ press and plays like the one that opened the second half.

The Canes forced eight turnovers in the first quarter alone to build an 18-4 lead. After slipping into a 4-0 hole, Manatee reeled off 22 straight points to put the Panthers (2-1) out of reach quickly. The press wasn’t always technically sound — the guards frequently jumped to the trap too early — but athletes like the 6-foot-5, 170-pound Hooks can cover up some mistakes against smaller programs.

“Our mindset is defense first,” Petival said. “Our defense is going to get us our points. The scoring will come later, but if we stop them from scoring it gives us a chance to score more. We’re a defensive team, I would say.”

A bit of respectability has already returned for the Hurricanes, who haven’t started 3-0 in more than a decade. The Canes already have a win against Southeast, a Class 5A region semifinalist last year, on their resume. The 35-point margin of victory Friday was the largest since a 40-point win against Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian on New Year’s Eve of 2014.

Lauster said players are already receiving plaudits from classmates and teachers around school for the strong start, although the schedule gets much tougher Tuesday when Manatee hosts Lakewood Ranch. A foundation is finally in place for the Hurricanes, though, no matter how they fare against competition like the Mustangs.

“We went out really hard this summer in June and July, trying to install part of the system and then we’re just continuing to add each day to the system,” Lauster said. “Winning helps buy in. We’re still learning a lot.”

This story was originally published December 2, 2016 at 10:40 PM with the headline "Manatee boys basketball routs Bell Creek Academy for best start of decade."