Jacksonville, AL – Jacksonville boys get a surprise visitor with a poignant message after they suffer worst loss of season to 5A No. 1 Ramsay; J’ville girls also fall hard
By Al Muskewitz
It was about 15 minutes after the teams had left the floor and the gym was basically empty. Jacksonville coach Tres Buzan was sitting in a chair behind his desk, his players still in the dressing room. Buzan had long since said his piece to the players, but there was no sign of anyone budging after the coach had left the room.
It wasn’t a good night for the home team, with top-ranked 5A Ramsay handing the 4A No. 4 Golden Eagles their most lopsided loss of the season, 60-39. On the surface, there was nothing unusual about the scene. Buzan usually talks to his team then ducks into his office, leaving the players to their own devices. But this time just felt different.
Was there a players-only meeting underway behind closed doors after a distasteful loss with the biggest games on the year on the horizon? Sort of. Buzan passed a familiar face on his way out of the locker room. Golden Eagles grad and MLB veteran Shed Long was on his way in and he had a message for the troops. “He gave us a talk about pride, just be stronger out there,” senior forward Caden Johnson said. “Really, he told us what our coaches tell us, that’s really all it is, give more fight,” guard Devin Barksdale added.
Buzan didn’t know Long was going to address his team when they passed each other and embraced, but he was glad he did, if only to have the players hear a different voice for the message he had been trying to deliver all season. For their part, the players said Long’s visit and his message were a positive experience even in the throes of their lowest point total of the season. “He gave us a good message,” senior captain and South Alabama signee John Broom said. “He basically talked to us about giving more effort, more fight in the game. He basically said we didn’t really give any fight today and I agree with him. Even the coaches said that. “We thought it was a good thing (he visited) because he’s a professional athlete, so he knows what it takes and what it takes to be successful, so we all took our ears in and just listened to him.” [read more…]
