High expectations await Jags
Chris Laatsch cautions against evaluating the progress of a program merely on the team’s win-loss record. Schedules are not created equally and many factors come into play in a given season.
But there’s no denying the immense progress the Jaguars made from year one to year two under Laatsch, as they improved from seven wins in 2018-19 to a 20-win team last winter.
“The buy-in, the belief and the effort and them understanding what we’re trying to do, I was pleased with the atmosphere with our program,” Laatsch said.
Last season, Spain Park advanced past the area tournament and won its Class 7A Northwest Regional semifinal game. The Jags even gave eventual state runner-up and area rival Mountain Brook all it could handle in the regional final.
“Records are not a good test of the quality of a team, but I do think what I can judge is the atmosphere, buy-in, work ethic, passion and camaraderie of our kids and those things are definitely in place,” Laatsch said.
Spain Park graduated four seniors from last year’s squad, but returns all five starters (including two others who could be considered starters). The program has ascended in two years to one with expectations of being one of the top teams in the state this season.
Josh Harrington is back and a player Laatsch called the Jags’ most valuable player a season ago.
“He’s tiny but he’s mighty,” Laatsch said. “He just makes plays. If there was a play that needed to be made last year, he just always seemed to make it.”
Cam Crawford is garnering the most recruiting attention on Spain Park’s roster, as the guard’s explosive athleticism and skill give opposing teams nightmares. Junior forward Colin Turner is also back, adding muscle to his 6-foot-8 frame in the offseason to be an even better player.
J.R. Lambert can do a little bit of everything on the floor for the Jags. He had a big game against Mountain Brook in the regional final last year. Braden Diclemente is also a returning starter. Laatsch lauded his shooting touch and said he has also worked to improve every aspect of his game.
Blake Hay and Blake Floyd give the Jags two other players with plenty of experience as well. Hay started at the beginning of last season before suffering an injury, but he is back and healthy. Floyd moved to Spain Park for his senior year, moving over from Pelham, where his dad Joel served as the head coach. Joel Floyd is now an assistant on the Spain Park staff.
“To have a chance to work alongside of him, I’m learning from him every day. He’s going to be a tremendous asset to our program,” Laatsch said.
Jax Hovanec is a utility player capable of playing four of the five positions on the floor. Also on the roster are Deacon George, Dawson DeFalco, Jayson Webb, Pierson Cole and Zach Gray.
There are no secrets with a team coached by Laatsch. His teams will play a strong, fundamentally-based game on the offensive side and keep teams off balance on defense by featuring multiple looks.
Laatsch also has no shortage of confidence in his current team.
“Our goal is a state championship,” he said. “There’s a lot of really good teams. There’s a lot of teams with a lot of people back, but our team has a lot of people back, too.”