Bishop Loughlin coach Ed Gonzalez is ready to win now with a young group led by three special sophomores. (Philip Hall)
In August, Bishop Loughlin was being billed as a CHSAA Class AA intersectional title contender with veterans like Joel Angus, Tyliek Kimbrough and Travis Charles leading a talented group of youngsters.
Since then, those three have jumped ship. Angus and Kimbrough transferred to Boys & Girls and Charles is at Lincoln.
Loughlin coach Ed Gonzalez and the players who have stayed don’t want expectations to be lessened, though.
“My kids want to win now,” Gonzalez said. “They’re a young team that’s hungry, resilient and they want to make some noise. They’re up for the challenge.”
The Lions will be leaning heavily on a very talented trio of sophomores: Khadeen Carrington, Elisha Boone and Devin Wilson. There will be five other 10th graders on the roster and just two seniors, Jordan Gonzalez and Kevin Ravenell, who Gonzalez will be looking toward for leadership.
The coach is adamant that this team is not just a team for the future, but one for the present. Carrington, a 6-foot-2 guard, and Boone, a long, 6-foot-3 guard, are two of the best 2014 players in the city and Wilson, who is also 6-foot-3, is not far behind. All three are extremely athletic. And the best part, Gonzalez said, is how well they listen.
“I love this team,” said the third-year head man, who will take his team to the Big Apple vs. Big Peach event this weekend in Atlanta. “They’re very receptive. They’re learning. They know what they’re facing in front of them.”
Mike Williams will also see a lot of minutes. He’s 6-foot-1, but Gonzalez says “his heart is 6-8 or 6-9.” Rice transfer Shywaan Spencer and Jordan Nanton, who is up from the JV, are expected to make an impact. With 6-foot-7 post Anthony Vernon out with a knee injury until the playoffs, Gonzalez joked that he has 14 guards.
“We’re small, but we’re gonna create matchup problems for a lot of people,” he said. “We can shoot the ball pretty well.”
Loughlin will play an up-tempo style to take advantage of its speed and quickness. Gonzalez envisions the Lions being strong defensively, able to get up and down the floor in transition. It’s also a squad, he admits, that is still learning. He’s calling the team’s schedule “24 scrimmages” in preparation for the playoffs.
“They’re tough New York guards and when you got New York guards, you’re OK,” Gonzalez said. “My job is making them come together, and if they do it’s going to be very interesting.”
The coach said this might be his favorite group, almost rivaling the team that went to the CHSAA Class AA city championship game in 2009-10 led by Jayvaughn Pinkston, who is now at Villanova. The most important thing about these players is they want to be in the building, he said. They didn’t take part in the surprising exodus.
“They’re loyal,” Gonzalez said. “They love Loughlin. And they believe they can win and that they’re gonna win and they play like they’re gonna win all the time.”