Change happens fast — just take a look at Elyria Catholic.
After winning only five games last season, the Panthers have completely turned it around. They won six of their first seven games against quality competition.
Their hot start is no accident, either.
“It starts with our chemistry. It’s absolutely through the roof,” Elyria Catholic coach Jason Smith said. “These guys have an absolute hunger to win. I think there was just so much uncertainty last year, and nobody knew what to expect. We were so young, too. It was tough to really get going until the end of the season. We didn’t know what we had. Coming in knowing who we have and what the roles are going to be and being able to tailor the offense around that has been really important for me.”
The players have improved and the chemistry has improved. Even more than that, everyone is much more comfortable — Smith included.
Smith was hired just one month before the first game last season. Elyria Catholic was behind the eight-ball from the get-go because of it. Having a full offseason together has been beneficial to say the least.
Elyria Catholic coach Jason Smith speaks to Jazear Terry during a time out on Dec. 5. (Randy Meyers – for The Morning Journal)
“Last year, getting Coach Smith three weeks before the season started really messed us up. That’s what I think,” Elyria Catholic senior Purvie Smallwood III said. “We weren’t expected to have a good season last year. We wanted to, but it didn’t play out that way. We’ve worked on adversity, which has shown this season. Having our coach behind us and not having a new coach helps a lot.”
In just over one year, Smith has seen his team mature as players and as people. There have been improvements from a basketball standpoint, but what stands out are the relationships being built.
“It’s so great,” Smith said. “The skill set of the guys is one thing, but it’s about the relationships. I came in the day of tryouts, and that was the first time I met most of them. Now with the whole summer being able to build a relationship with these guys and getting to know them on and off the court, building relationships is the key to success in sports. If I’m asking these guys to run through a brick wall for me, there has to be a level of trust and respect from both sides. We’re getting there.”
You don’t have to look far to find examples of Elyria Catholic’s growth. The Panthers lost eight games by single digits last year and have found a way to win tight games instead. In marquee wins over Amherst and Lorain, they’ve made game-winning shots in the final seconds.
Last season threw a lot of adversity at a young team. They’ve responded well.
“This is our second or third year for a lot of us,” Elyria Catholic junior Matisse Williams said. “We’re able to step up now. We might’ve shied away or hid before. Now we’re able to step up in big moments and make good plays that turn around games.”
Ironically enough, this year’s success early on in due in large part to last season. After starting the season with a 1-15 record, Elyria Catholic won four of its final seven games.
Up to that point, the Panthers lacked an identity. Smith and the coaching staff adjusted on the fly and decided to lean on the defense toward the end of the season. Not only did it work, it’s the calling card for the current team, too.
“For me, it started at the end of the season,” Smith said. “When we were going through that streak and coming up on the final five or six games, we really threw the kitchen sink out. We scrapped it, and we’re going to be defense focused. From that point on, even through the summer we’ve seen a complete change. They started to see the concept and playing like this can lead to success. Four of our first seven games, we held teams under 50 points. That’s huge for us.”
At this point last year, Elyria Catholic was 1-7 and was in the midst of what ended up being a 13-game losing streak. Winning six of its first eight games this time around is certainly an upgrade.
There is still a lot of season left, but the Panthers are on an upward trajectory.
“We knew what we had to do to have a good season this year,” Smallwood III said. “We’ve started out great. We still have a long season ahead of us, but we knew what we had to work on.”