Jacksonville, AL – Jacksonville boys receive a surprising visitor with a moving message after suffering the worst season loss to 5A No. 1 Ramsay and J’ville girls also lose.
Al Muskewitz
The gym was almost empty 15 minutes after the teams left the floor. Tres Buzan, Jacksonville coach, was sitting behind his desk with his players still in their dressing rooms. Buzan had spoken his final words to the players long ago, but no one seemed to be moving after he left the room.
The home team lost badly with 5A Ramsay, the top-ranked player in the country, taking the 4A No. The 4 Golden Eagles suffered their worst loss of the season with a 60-39 defeat. The scene looked nothing outlandish on the surface. Buzan is known for talking to his team, then he goes into his office and leaves the players to their own devices. This time, however, it felt different.
After a disappointing loss, was there a closed-doors meeting of players? It was. Buzan saw a familiar face as he left the locker room. Shed Long, a Golden Eagles grad who is also a MLB veteran, was making his way into the locker room and had a message to share with the troops. Caden Johnson, senior forward, said that he gave them a talk on pride and encouraged us to be more outwardly. Devin Barksdale, guard, said that he had told them what coaches have been telling them, “give more fight.”
Buzan didn’t know Long would address his team as they passed each other. But he was happy he did. The players, for their part, said that Long’s visit was a positive experience, even though they were at their lowest point total of this season. John Broom, a senior captain and South Alabama signee, said that Long gave them a positive message. He basically spoke to us about giving more effort and more fight in the match. He said that we didn’t fight today, and I agree with his assessment. The coaches agreed with him. “We thought it was good that he visited,” even the coaches.
