Brandon High Basketball Begins with a Bang

The Brandon High boys basketball team opened its 2011 season with a bang Tuesday night, Nov. 29, beating host Armwood 61-53.

The Eagles got a standout performance from senior guard Charles Johnson, who had 26 points and was 4-of-5 from behind the three-point stripe.

"This is a big season for him as far as being a leader," said second-year head coach Jamie Turner.

Johnson was second on the team in scoring last season, and his production will be a key to Brandon's success this year as it looks to improve on its 10-14 record from last season.

"(Johnson) is the complete package: execution, defense, scoring," said Turner.

Johnson also had 29 assists, a team-leading 82 defensive rebounds and 26 steals last season. The Eagles are well-suited to improve on their 2010-11 mark. Seniors Jamar Crew and Jordan Stultz round out the starting guards.

"The three of them (Johnson, Crew, Stultz) have been together for a couple years now, and they buy into the system," said Turner.

Turner is a former Eagles basketball athlete who graduated in 2003. In his second year as head coach, he hopes that some of the things he's been developing are coming to fruition.

"They know what to expect from each other, they know what to expect from me," said Turner.

The Eagles are pretty set in the post, as well.

Sophomore Roderick Davis measures in at 6-foot-7 and according to Turner "is a presence in the lane that can move." Davis had five blocks in Tuesday's win over Armwood.

The Eagles move up from Class 6A-District 8 into Class 7A-District 8 this season. The new district also consists of East Bay, Plant City, Tampa Bay Tech, Riverview and Hillsborough. While it's expected that Riverview will run away with the district, it's not a meat-grinder like the old one.

"There were a lot of Division I recruits in that old district, although all the teams in the new district are solid," said Turner. "Our goal is a district title this year; none of our kids have ever got to experience that."

BRANDON HIGH GIRLS

The Brandon High girls team is helmed by second-year head coach TJ Bottiggi. The Lady Eagles are undoubtedly in more of a rebuilding phase than the boys team; however, what they lack in veteran savvy, they compensate for with youth and hustle.

They still have a long way to go.

The Armwood High girls shellacked them 66-14 on Tuesday, pushing Brandon down to 0-3 to start the year. Injuries are hampering the Lady Eagles as they try to right the ship.

"Injuries are a major issue for us right now," said Bottiggi.

Freshman Marjorie Rivera is trying to hold the starting point guard spot down, but a knee injury is holding her back. Senior shooting guard and team captain Cortnei McClain is also hampered by injury.

Coming off a 5-14 season leaves nowhere to go but up. Bottiggi hopes that the team's youth and a stronger turnout will help rebuild Brandon into a district power.

"Last year we had eight girls come out for the team," said Bottiggi. "This year we had 35 try out."