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New Coach Has AP On The Ball

CHRIS HOFFMAN/Highlands Today

Avon Park sophomore center Cleveland Nobles is expected to make a big impact for the Red Devils this season.

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: November 12, 2007

The sound eminating from an Avon Park boys basketball practice was by no means deafening, but the message was loud and clear.

Red Devil head coach Luther Clemons runs practice with a firm hand, but the first-year coach sees no need to be boisterous with his team.

"I have a different style of coaching," Clemons said. "I don't feel the need to get in a kids face to get my message across. These kids know me and what kind of coach I am."

After three years on the bench under former coach Eric Zwayer, Clemons has seen his current crop of players blossom since they were freshmen. Clemons says the transition from Zwayer, who stepped down in February, should be seamless.

"I really enjoyed coaching with Eric [Zwayer]," Clemons said. "We were always on the same page and had basically the same philosophy about what we're really doing here.

"We're trying to build respectable men that most will be a part of this community for a long time. We are a part of the growing up process for these boys in their step to manhood."

The young Red Devils endured a trying season in '06-'07, ending it by falling to Palmetto 70-65 in the Class 4A-District 10 tournament.

Clemons has been coaching for more than 20 years, beginning as a youth coach in Arcadia, with stops in places like Wauchula and Sebring, where he was an assistant under current head coach Princeton Harris.

An evident excitement was in his voice as he talks about his team, which has the potential to be a force in the district.

Many of the squad were underclassmen last season, and the leadership of junior point guard Virgil Cooper and emergence of sophomore center Cleveland Nobels may give the Red Devil fans something to cheer about coming into this season.

But wins and losses doesn't concern the new AP head coach. The wins and losses are in the outcome of the players and what becomes of their lives way beyond their experiences on the basketball court.
"My basic philosophy in coaching is very simple," Clemons said. "If you have to look up at the scoreboard to see if you've won or lost then something is wrong.

"It should be God, family, academics and then basketball. I want this to be an enriching experience. I'm not into predicting games or how we'll do during the regular season because it doesn't really matter. You can lose every game in the regular season and win out in the tournament and still be crowned district champion."

With the majority of the varsity squad still playing football, Clemons is eager to get those players on the court healthy and ready to play as soon as possible. Expectations for hoisting a district trophy do linger, although in the shadows of this season, which will should see a much-improved Red Devil team that could make some noise come tournament time.

Those expectations are not voiced by the new head coach, who has laid the burden of the season squarely on his strong shoulders.

"Every game we win is on them," Clemons said. "Every game we lose is on me. That is what I told the kids this season."

Avon Park begins its season on Friday when they host the Bill Jarrett Tip Off Classic.

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