(Photo by
Dave Colon. Gainesville's Matt Huber forces Clearwater's Regan O'Rourke outside in last week's 5A state final game.)
The most incredible thing about GHS winning the state title was how easily they did it, with the exception of that fourth quarter against Clearwater. The key, in some ways, was the depth of the Gainesville team. When they weren't simply blowing opponents out of the water (which of course they did with solid fundamentals), they had layer upon layer of ways to win.
They played exemplary defense, mostly that nasty 2-3 ball pressure that either forces shooters to be perfect outside or forces teams to make the perfect pass inside. Since the vast majority of teams GHS played couldn't shoot as well as they could, defense alone was enough to blow the game open.
Shooting -- everybody on the team could shoot, and almost everybody could make free throws. There was almost no way to recover from a big lead against GHS because it wasn't possible to lock out enough shooters. Clearwater came closest with a straight man press that forced turnovers and held the 'Canes to one hurried shot at a time.
Patience, ball movement and unselfishness. Although T.J. Hall and Greg Gantt were the leading scorers down the stretch, they didn't hesitate to look for the open man or the hottest shooter. Hall had only eight points against King in the semifinal, although he had his hand on the ball all game. Gantt was red hot for 33, so Hall was content to defend, rebound and get the ball to number 14.
Free throws -- if everyone on the team can make them, there is no way to lock that team out.
Last but not least, the coach. To watch Coach Beckham work is to see how many levels of game go on simultaneously. There was one point late in the first half against Clearwater when Gainesville had a chance for a backbreaking lead. The 'Canes stole the ball and started a perfect break but the shot, from deep, just didn't fall. Beckham didn't know exactly what the score was but he knew they were near a tipping point, and when the shot bounced away, he fell to his knees on the sideline, his head in his hands. GHS led by 13. Afterward he said he wanted to get to a 20-point lead before the half so they could take it easy.
This emphasis on playing one's own game regardless of the opponent is one of the things that has made it possible for Beckham's teams to play over their heads. It was the same at Bronson, where convincing his players they were the better team meant appearing to dominate a technically equal or better opponent to the point of making them falter in their own game.
It will be interesting to see what GHS looks like next year, after all the seniors that got them here are gone and Beckham has to "rebuild" on the back of juniors T.J. Hall, Frank Gainey, Mychal Means and Thomas Laerke.
