AFTER TWO NEAR-MISSES, SOLDAN TARGETS NOTHING LESS THAN TITLE PURSUIT
For Justin Tatum and the Soldan boys basketball team, there are no secrets this season.
There is no hiding. There is no flying under the radar. When you've handed out beatdowns like Halloween candy the last two years there is nowhere to go but into the fray.
Tatum makes no bones about team goals. He wants the Tigers to drop 100 on whoever is on the other side of the court. He's also set goals for how long his team can keep an opponent off the scoreboard.
"We want to shut teams out for a quarter," Tatum said.
Sounds preposterous, right? Wrong. The Tigers, who have been to back-to-back Class 4 final fours, and return all but two players from last year's team. They bring back two seniors who've started on the varsity since they were freshmen and another pair of seniors who have been varsity staples since that freshman season.
Yes, Soldan has been building to this year for some time. If we combined large schools and small schools into one rankings, Soldan would be No. 1 overall.
Last winter, Soldan finished 23-7 and won its second straight Public High League title with a 10-0 record. Over the last two seasons, the Tigers are 47-12 overall and 19-0 in the PHL.
They are deep, talented, experienced, motivated and, most important, mature. This winter will be Tatum's first as the Soldan athletics director. And because of an internal personnel matter that he could not discuss, he's also taken over coaching the girls varsity team.
The additional responsibilities could be a recipe for disaster. But Tatum has faith in his players. They have demonstrated they are capable of getting their work in even if he's not around.
"If these guys were sophomores I couldn't do it," Tatum said. "But they get at it. Sometimes I want to tear up. It's been very enjoyable seeing them grow into young men."
Senior guards Paul McRoberts (6-3) and Pete Sanders (5-11) have been starters since their first day in Soldan jerseys. Forward Kawan Griffin (6-0) and guard Aaron Dlamini (6-0) are back for their fourth varsity seasons, too.
McRoberts averaged almost 17 points last season to finish as Soldan's top scorer. Sanders was right behind at 15.2. Forward Randy Holmes (6-4) averaged 11 points and shot 72 percent from the field. He also led the team with 4.8 rebounds per game. Holmes poured in a game-high 23 points in Soldan's opener Tuesday, a 73-57 win over Carnahan.
The Tigers have enough size and speed to make life miserable for any opponent. They'll score plenty of buckets with their intense man-to-man defense. And if they can't run there is enough basketball IQ that their halfcourt sets should be deadly. They are capable of dissecting a defense for open looks and layups. And if they miss, the Tigers have plenty of length and strength to crash the glass.
Beyond its physical and mental makeup, Soldan is carrying a fire inside. After taking home back-to-back third-place trophies, the Tigers have a will and determination to do better. Anything less than a championship would be disappointing.
"Our goal is to get to where we've been to and finish it," Tatum said.
There's no secret in that.
