Pre-Season Preview: Spain Park Jaguars
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Team: Spain Park High School (Hoover AL) Classification: 7A Head Coach: Chris Laatsch Instagram ID: @Sphsboysbskball Twitter ID: @SPHSBoysBskball 2020-2021 Highlight: Spain Park made it to the 7A Final Four. With 3 seconds left in double OT, they turned the…
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Continue ReadingTeam: Spain Park High School (Hoover AL)
Classification: 7A
Head Coach: Chris Laatsch
Instagram ID: @Sphsboysbskball
Twitter ID: @SPHSBoysBskball
2020-2021 Highlight: Spain Park made it to the 7A Final Four. With 3 seconds left in double OT, they turned the ball over, then failed to block out on the last second shot attempt and loss at the buzzer as a player tipped in the miss shot.
Key Returning Players:
Colin Turner Colin Turner 6'9" | NA lbs | PF Spain Park | 2022 State #NA Nation AL (6’9/Post/2022)
Key Characteristics:
-Score inside and out
-Great Rebounder
-Shot blocker/Rim protector
-Can attack off the dribble
-Really skilled with his back to the basket
-One of the best back to the basket players in the state.
-Offers:
North Georgia
Zach Gray Zach Gray 6'7" | PF Spain Park | 2023 State AL (6’5/Wing/2023)
Key Characteristics:
-Excellent shooter from behind the arc
-Has a knack to score
-Athletic wing with hops
-Has a nice overall game
Josh Harrington (5’9/Point Guard/2022)
Key Characteristics:
-Brings a lot of toughness and grit
-True floor general that runs the show.
-The engine that makes the Jags go.
-Fierce competitor
-Can knock down the trey
-Defends extremely well
-Excellent culture guy
Coach Laatsch is a coach you can sit down for hours and talk basketball with as he is a wealth of knowledge. He is a coach that is consistently looking for ways to be a better coach. When I was talking with him, he brought up a quote that he heard from Rick Pitino at a coaches clinic, and he quoted Coach Pitino’s saying, “You ever heard of the old adage, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it? Well, I don’t believe in that. If it ain’t broke, break it and fix it back better.” Coach Laatsch has taken that statement and applied it to his coaching career, and he takes that mindset and analyzes every aspect of his coaching, as he is constantly trying to get better.
The Jaguars are faced with a tough challenge heading into the 2021-2022 season, as they lost 8 seniors off of last year’s Final Four team. Despite losing that many foundational pieces to the program, Coach believes that he has the parts to make another run at it. If that is the case, it will not be an easy path because the Jags are coming out of the gate playing some of the powerhouse programs in the state. The Jags will be tested early as the following games are ones you do not want to miss:
Nov. 11 vs Grissom (Location: Ramsay High School)
Nov. 19 at Oak Mountain
December 3 at Hoover
Coach Laatsch is excited about this upcoming season and believes that if his team can hold true to their identity, which includes playing multiple styles of defense, pushing tempo in transition, and shooting a high percentage from three, they will have an opportunity to accomplish their goal.
There is no question of whether or not the Jags have the pieces to make it back to the Final Four; the question is, can they overcome the production that they lost from the eight graduating seniors.