Men’s Basketball Team Overhauls Its Roster
After his top two players—Jamichael Stillwell and Tyriek Weeks— transferred and both his assistant coaches left the program, Sharks Head Coach Jorge Fernandez knew he had a major rebuild on his hands.
So the veteran coach, who won a state title at Doral Academy Preparatory School in 2018 and served assistant coaching stints at the University of Miami and Marshall University, went to work.
To replace Stillwell—now at Butler Community College in Kansas—and Weeks, who transferred to Rider University in New Jersey, and their combined 28.2 points and 15.8 rebounds per game production, the veteran coach cast a wide net, recruiting players from Greece, France, Morocco, Egypt, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Maryland, Georgia, Illinois and Virginia to replenish a roster that had no returning players.
After nine games this season, the results have been mixed—the Sharks are 5-4—but Fernandez remains optimistic.
“There’s no secret formula to it,” Fernandez said. “Having competitive practices along with a competitive schedule will help us to see what the season will look like.”
To fortify his squad, Fernandez added a substantial amount of size. Among the recruits on the frontline: Alaaeddine Boutayeb, who stands at a towering 7’ 2.” He was born in Morocco, but was raised in France. He is joined by a pair of 6’ 8” forwards in Hassan Belkhaddar from France and Nikolaos Gerokostas from Greece.
Fernandez filled the backcourt with mostly transfers including point guards John Latimer, who averaged 9.6 points at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. last year, and Esteban Lluberes, who averaged 4.1 points at Lynn University in Boca Raton last season.
Other key additions include guards Ibrahim Zahran, who played at Frank Phillips College in Borger, Texas; Shane Lancaster, who transferred from Niagara University in New York; Jakobe Strozier, who previously played at Clark Atlanta University; and freshman Caleb Hannah from Chicago.
Latimer is leading the Sharks in scoring (15.8 points) and assists (five) and is second on the team with 4.9 rebounds per game. Lluberes and Zahran are both averaging 11.4 points. Boutayeb is the top rebounder with 5.3 per game.
The early results have given the Sharks hope that they can improve on last year’s squad, which finished with a 17-14 record and qualified for the State Tournament for the first time in seven years.
“We are family on and off the court since we all are at our home away from home,” Latimer said. “We have improved by being more vocal with each other on the court and holding each other accountable.”
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