Hornets have flown under radar this year
HOOKS, Texas — Despite a remarkable 32-5 record, Hooks’ boys basketball team has been flying under the radar this season.
The Hornets went 11-1 in clinching the outright District 14-3A championship. They’ve won more than 30 games for the second straight season (they were 30-7 last year).
They fought their way all the way into the Final Four and Class 3A state tournament in San Antonio’s Alamodome. They’ll face highly ranked Hitchcock (29-7) in a state semifinal matchup at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. If they win that game, the Hornets will play for the coveted state championship at 10 a.m. Saturday.
So, what’s so special about this year’s version of the Hooks Hornets? What’s been their secret to being a season-long underdog and still coming out on top in five playoff games?
“It’s really a lot of things, really,” said Hooks coach Michael Jackson. “Three or four things probably stick out most in my mind.”
Toughness ranks as one of the top things about this year’s Hornets, said the coach who has guided Hooks’ teams that last four years.
“They’re really tough,” Jackson said. “They’ll fight you throughout the game, whether they are up or down, they play extremely hard and it’s mental and physical toughness.”
No. 2 is the team’s competitiveness, he said. “They guys were all born with competitiveness inside them,” Jackson said. “They like to compete and it’s a great trait to have, especially if you want to have a state championship team. They’ll get after you, and they don’t let up until the final buzzer sounds.”
Third, the Hornets like to win. “They don’t just want to be out there on the floor, they want to win. And win every game, not just playoff games, but every game they play,” Jackson said. “Nobody likes losing, but this team expects to win every time they step onto the basketball court. And they really hate losing.”
Lastly, the Hornets are unselfish and play team ball, their coach said.
“These guys aren’t trying to be superstars, they’ll pass the ball to the open man when someone else is open,” Jackson said. “They’re not after the personal rewards and amazing stats. They play as a team and they win as a team.
“They are supportive and root for each other. That’s the other reason this team is so special.”
Now that Hooks is in the Final Four, maybe the Hornets can get some statewide respect. They were unranked in the Texas Basketball Coaches Association, which ends its poll before the playoff
begin. The other three semifinalist teams, including the Childress Bobcats (27-7) and the Lytle Pirates (34-6), are ranked in the Top 10.
“We’re finally getting some recognition in the MaxPreps poll, which is updated about twice a week, I think,” Jackson said. “We’re No. 19 in the latest MaxPreps poll I saw.”
Jackson said he believes MaxPreps uses computers to analyze things like strength of schedule, records and other any pertinent information.
“I believe MaxPreps has Hitchcock No. 10, Lytle No. 12 and Childress in the top 5,” Jackson said.
The TABC ranked Hitchcock at No. 2 behind defending state champion Dallas Madison, Childress No. 5 and Lyrtle No. 7.
“We don’t care if we’re ranked or not,” Jackson said. “We’re glad to have made it this far and we hope to win two more games. That would be a dream ending to an almost magical season.”
Hooks is led in scoring by Jatavious Johnson, who averages 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2 steals. Keyshawn Walls is close behind with averages of 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals, followed by Landon Hamilton (11.0 points, 6.3 rebounds), Carveion Johnson (8.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 steals), and Nate Campbell (7.0 points, 3.8 rebounds).
Jackson said he believes the Hornets match up pretty closely to Hitchcock.
“Hitchcock’s got four or five guys. who are 6-4 or 6-5, so we look fairly similar in size,” Jackson said. “They reached the state tournament last year, so they’ll have the state tournament experience where we don’t.”
The Hornets’ starting five includes 6-2 Campbell, 6-3 Jatavious Johnson, 6-1 Wells, 6-5 Hamilton and 5-9 point guard Carveion Johnson. Coming off the bench are 6-1 Rod Bailey and 5-10 Carter Harris.
Hitchcock (31-6) lost to San Antonio Cole, 53-49, in last year’s semifinals. Cole then lost to Dallas Madison, 53-51, in the championship game.
Hooks has won several close games, including two in the playoffs that required some last-second heroics, and also has won game by comfortable margins.
“Being able to win the close games as well as the others has been a big plus for this year’s team,” Jackson said. “This team is versatile and doesn’t lose its composure under pressure. They know what it takes to win and they go out there, play their game, and bring home a victory.”