Tigers basketball focus on journey
TORI J. NORRIS/THE GREENVILLE STANDARD
With a new face as the coach for the Greenville Tigers basketball team comes a new atmosphere with the Tigers season.
Coach Stu Stuedeman was hired to be the head coach for the Greenville Tigers basketball team during the summer. Stuedeman has a lengthy coaching resume including being a student assistant at the University of Alabama and Assistant coach at Spring Hill college, Chipola Junior College, Vestavia Hills High School and most recently Mountain Brook High School.
“I am coming to Greenville, because after spending several years as an assistant coach at different schools and having so much success at Mountain Brook, I felt like it was time to take the next step and become a Head Coach,” said Stuedeman. “I am extremely thankful for Coach Josh McLendon, Greenville’s Athletic Director, for giving me this opportunity and believing in the passion and vision I have for the game of basketball and coaching.”
This year’s Tigers varsity team is composed of six juniors and eight seniors. The junior varsity roster has eighteen boys, two juniors, six sophomores and ten freshmen.
Steudeman will not be handling these teams by himself. He will be assisted by Marcus Mickles, who will serve as the junior varsity head coach. Mickles, Lavarus Peagler, Woodrow Briggs, Andy Brown and Jonathan Grace will all be assistants for the varsity team.
“All these guys are young and talented coaches,” said Steudeman. “They each bring something different to the table and will be very helpful to us this season.”
When Stuedeman accepted the job this summer, he began summer practice immediately. Once school started back, the team focused on strength and conditioning along with the skill work we are allowed to do during each week.
“Since official practice started on Oct. 17, we have been practicing six days a week to get ready for the upcoming season,” said Steudeman.
“I expect the same thing of this team that I have expected from every team I have been a part of,” said Steudeman. “We are going to be the hardest working team in the state; we are going to be the most unselfish team in the state; we are going to be the most fearless team in the state. Those are my expectations and I feel like if we do that we will be successful.”
Greenville’s area schedule is tough as they have Charles Henderson and Brewbaker Tech as area opponents. “Brewbaker Tech always has good players and Coach Shines does an execellent job and has done it very well for a long time,” said Steudeman. “Charles Henderson will be athletic and I am hearing great things about Coach Tuck. So area play will be tough, but that is what makes it fun!”
Steudeman doesn’t set many goals. “I am not a big goal setter,” said Steudeman. “I believe in a process oriented mindset where the journey, the each and every day grind, is more important than the destination. When you set goals, sometimes you focus so much on the destination that you forget the importance of doing what you need to do every day to reach the goals. That is why we focus on being the hardest working team, the most unselfish team and the most fearless team, because we can control that.”
Greenville’s first game will be November 21. They will be hosting Wetumpka. Junior varsity tip-off is scheduled for 4:30, followed by the girls’ varsity at 6:30 and the boys’ varsity at 7 pm.
