New coach brings change in culture during 1st spring

John Biezuns waited along the side of the practice field at Bayshore High School, between the locker room his players would exit and the sideline where they’d wind up to line up for some pre-practice conditioning.

About half of his 55 players are out on the field before he sets up in his temporary position. About half of the rest stop for a brief chat or acknowledgment as they make their way to practice. Spring practice was more than three weeks old, and culture change Biezuns sought from the first session during the last week of April was still intact.

“New coaches, new expectations. I’m pretty hard on them,” Biezuns said. “The kids are working. That’s the big thing. There’s not any standing around.”

Under a graying sky Tuesday in Bradenton, Biezuns watched his team with an unmistakable yet cautious optimism. Not long before, the Bayshore head coach had written a message for his team on a whiteboard in the locker room he hoped would define the coming week and Friday’s spring classic against Port Charlotte: “Anything can happen.”

Biezuns partly knew what he was in for when he took the head coaching job with the Bruins this spring while still maintaining a distance from BHS’ reputation not every candidate could. Last year was the coach’s first in Florida — he previously had success as a head coach in Minnesota then as an assistant in Georgia — and that was across the state at Port St. Lucie. He didn’t care Bayshore hasn’t made the playoffs since 2005 or even won more than two games in a season since 2012.

He lamented about only hovering around 60, even though it’s nearly double last year. He worries about the Bruins’ running game, even though no one in Manatee County ever expects them to seriously contend for the postseason. He considers Friday’s game against the Pirates in Port Charlotte to be winnable, even though PCHS is coming off a season with a playoff victory.

When athletic director Chris Brady went on the search for a new head coach during the offseason, he wanted a candidate who wasn’t going to settle for just playing competitive games. He wanted a coach who wasn’t afraid to set the lofty goals of district championships and playoff runs.

“He’s generated a lot of interest in terms of numbers. That’s going to be the biggest thing that jumps out to me right now. Regardless of what happens, having 60-plus kids out there in May is great for us.”

Just a few days from his first time on the sideline during a game for BHS, Biezuns’ attitude has been infectious. He set out to establish his own identity for the team and increase interest in the program, and that much has already been accomplished. Bayshore has found the depth it’s lacked, plus the sort of athletes who weren’t present on the roster in 2015.

It’s most visible at the Bruins’ end spots, where BHS has its most menacing athletes. Rising senior Chris Harris gives Bayshore a 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end. Fellow rising senior Collin Deaquair gives the Bruins a 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive end. Neither played for the team last year. Deaquair embodies the culture aspect, as well.

Biezuns suggested Deaquair move to offensive line. He’ll be BHS’ left tackle Friday at Port Charlotte High School.

“I like what we’ve got,” Biezuns said. “We’re just playing one side of the ball right now.”

Biezuns first took to the sideline in an informal sense Friday during an intrasquad scrimmage at Balvanz Stadium. The coach wanted his players to be on the field by 2:45 p.m., a hard deadline he didn’t expect would be tough to follow.

But, inevitably, a handful of stragglers were late to Balvanz, expecting to get out on the field anyway. Biezuns pointed them to the bleachers.

“What do you mean,” they responded.

“You’re not playing,” Biezuns said.

“Overall, I like what I have,” Biezuns said Tuesday. “I’m not joking around.”

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 12:32 AM with the headline "New coach brings change in culture during 1st spring."