Joseph Hayes, The Times Herald
It has been another memorable prep basketball season.
With the end of the year in sight, several local boys and girls basketball teams have realistic opportunities to claim district, regional and even state championships.
But before the postseason arrives, let's take a moment to feature some of the people who largely go unnoticed in the success of their teams — the coaches — with a list of the best coaches our area has to offer this season.
Boys
1. Tedaro France II, New Haven: France II is simply the best. It's pretty simple. Just look at the record (16-0), look at last year's Class B state championship and the way New Haven has built a brand and a statewide following. They are handling teams by an average of 33 points per game this year while fans drool over junior Romeo Weems. Meanwhile, France II has brought a family feel to the program and has excelled in his preparation off the court and adjustments on it. All things considered, France II is likely the best overall coach in the Blue Water Area.
2. Mike McAndrews, Cardinal Mooney: The veteran coach seems to be getting better with age. He has coached the program through highs and lows and has won consistently year after year. His effort this season, however, might be his finest to date. He has led a talented Cardinals team to an undefeated league season for the first time in school history, while dominating teams that used to give his team problems. His fiery and competitive approach to the game, mixed with his immense knowledge, has put Cardinal Mooney in position to compete for a state championship.
3. Shawn Sharrow, St. Clair: The veteran Saints coach always has his team ready to play. It doesn't matter what situation they face on the court. Sharrow is able to adjust on the fly and get the Saints into the right look. Over the course of the last four years, it has been easy to see Sharrow is also great at developing talent. He has transformed senior Ben Davidson into one of the program's all-time great players and has compensated for his team's lack of size. The Saints will be a tough team to face the rest of the way.
4. Josh Presnell, Richmond: Presnell has brought a completely different style of play to the Blue Water Area Conference and he is enjoying success because of it. Despite losing two of his top players from last year, Richmond is still out front in the BWAC entering the final stretch of the season. That's a credit to Presnell and the type of program he has built. The future appears to be very bright at Richmond.
Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Hayes11.
It has been another memorable prep basketball season.
With the end of the year in sight, several local boys and girls basketball teams have realistic opportunities to claim district, regional and even state championships.
But before the postseason arrives, let's take a moment to feature some of the people who largely go unnoticed in the success of their teams — the coaches — with a list of the best coaches our area has to offer this season.
Boys
1. Tedaro France II, New Haven: France II is simply the best. It's pretty simple. Just look at the record (16-0), look at last year's Class B state championship and the way New Haven has built a brand and a statewide following. They are handling teams by an average of 33 points per game this year while fans drool over junior Romeo Weems. Meanwhile, France II has brought a family feel to the program and has excelled in his preparation off the court and adjustments on it. All things considered, France II is likely the best overall coach in the Blue Water Area.
2. Mike McAndrews, Cardinal Mooney: The veteran coach seems to be getting better with age. He has coached the program through highs and lows and has won consistently year after year. His effort this season, however, might be his finest to date. He has led a talented Cardinals team to an undefeated league season for the first time in school history, while dominating teams that used to give his team problems. His fiery and competitive approach to the game, mixed with his immense knowledge, has put Cardinal Mooney in position to compete for a state championship.
3. Shawn Sharrow, St. Clair: The veteran Saints coach always has his team ready to play. It doesn't matter what situation they face on the court. Sharrow is able to adjust on the fly and get the Saints into the right look. Over the course of the last four years, it has been easy to see Sharrow is also great at developing talent. He has transformed senior Ben Davidson into one of the program's all-time great players and has compensated for his team's lack of size. The Saints will be a tough team to face the rest of the way.
4. Josh Presnell, Richmond: Presnell has brought a completely different style of play to the Blue Water Area Conference and he is enjoying success because of it. Despite losing two of his top players from last year, Richmond is still out front in the BWAC entering the final stretch of the season. That's a credit to Presnell and the type of program he has built. The future appears to be very bright at Richmond.
Contact Joseph Hayes at (810) 989-6268 or at jahayes@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Joseph_Hayes11.
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