Forest Hill’s turnaround season opens eyes
Falcons (9-1) have matched last season’s win total under second-year coach Watson.
WEST PALM BEACH — It’s been more than a decade since the Forest Hill boys basketball team finished a season with a winning record.
The Falcons went 16-11 in the 2005-06 season, and haven’t come close to match- ing that performance ... until now.
Under second-year coach Tony Watson, Forest Hill is flourishing.
The Falcons finished 9-15 last year and already have matched that win total heading into the second half of the season.
Forest Hill is 9-1 entering the Forest Hill Holiday Classic, which begins today and runs through Saturday. The Falcons play Atlantic Christian Academy at 7:30 p.m. in the finale of a four-game opening-day set.
Watson, whose team started 9-0 before falling to Wellington at the Palm Beach Shoot Out last week, attributes much of his team’s early success to maturity and experience.
The Falcons lost eight seniors from last year’s team, but returned a trio of senior starters — guard Phillip Lyttle and wings Shawn Kelly and Tristan Stephens — who have taken on leadership roles. Senior wing Jalen Jackson and senior guard Mehki Millender also have contributed.
“The biggest thing as an experienced coach is to come in and build a foundation for that program,” said Watson, a
Falcons
longtime coach who spent six seasons at Palm Beach Gardens and three seasons as an assistant with the Palm Beach Atlantic men’s team.
“My first year coming in, we had some juniors that had some good talent that we had to improve and make that into a team. Last year, that was our time to jell and grow as a program. Now, those juniors have become seniors, and having that experience with a new coach, new program and new system, we’re starting to reap the benefits.”
Forest Hill made big strides last year, more than doubling its win total from the previous season. But the Falcons missed the postseason in competitive District 13-8A, which sent one team — Palm Beach Lakes — to the state semifinals last year.
The Rams return this season for another potential playoff run, as does Dwyer, last year’s district runner-up which is 13-0 and coming off a tournament championship at the Holiday Bas- system is starting to proketball Classic. duce some results. That’s
Watson hopes Forest Hill why we’re playing well at will be in the mix for a disthe moment.” trict championship, though Their efforts haven’t gone challenges lie ahead. unnoticed. Attendance at
“Our district is very Forest Hill games has grown tough,” he said. “We have tremendously. to rely on each other. More “Winning solves a lot of importantly, we have to trust problems,” Watson said. the system. Right now, our “With our fans, we’re now able to have a red-out, a white-out, a black-out. The students are starting to come out, and we’re starting to put people in the stands. The buzz is out now for Forest Hill basketball, and our job is to keep the buzz coming.”
By Adam Lichtenstein
The Florida High School Athletic Association’s Football Advisory Committee, made up of coaches from around the state, endorsed several changes to the rule- book as agenda items at their meeting in Gainesville on Wednesday.
The adopted items are: more points for losses based on the classification of the winning team, bonus points for playing teams in higher classifications, an expanded playoff bracket for small schools (Classes 1-4A) and expanded playoff rosters.
Currently, four teams in the state’s four regions make the Class 1-4A playoffs. Under the proposed rule change, six teams would qualify.
The rule changes still need approval from the Athletic Directors Advisory Commit- tee and the FHSAA board of directors. No Palm Beach County coaches are on the committee.
“I definitely like that more teams are getting into the playoffs in 1A-4A,” Oxbridge
Academy coach Brendan
Kent said in a text message. “I’m not sure how the increased point totals will make much of a differ- ence, but I guess we will wait and see.”
Small schools stand to benwe can’t play a lower-level efit the most from the proteam and get a bonus point, posed changes, with an easourselves,” Abel said. “So if ier shot to get into the playit’s going to be points dished offs — and top seeds, like out for wins and losses, that’s Oxbridge in 2017, earning fine, but it has to be even a bye — and bonus points across the board, I believe.” for playing teams in higher Abel did say he likes the classifications. expanded playoff rosters,
“I like more points for playthough. ing up a class,” King’s Acad“There’s other kids that emy coach Keith Allen said in I’ve always wanted to bring a text message, adding that up every year to travel with most of the Lions’ opponents us — from the JV squad or in the South Florida Confer- freshman squad,” he said. ence are Class 4A. “But I’ve never had the
Some big-school coaches opportunity to because I was may have issues with it, limited in roster space. Now though. Class 8A teams canI’ll be able to bring them up, not earn bonus points — there give them a look, give them are no higher classifications. an opportunity to experi
“It’s good for the lower ence varsity football and get teams to play bigger teams, them prepared and ready to but as far as getting points, go for next year.”
I don’t think they should be allowed to get points because
‘I ... like that more teams are getting into the playoffs in 1A-4A.’
Oxbridge Academy coach