Indians start anew

With a new coach and a new team, the Chipola Indians head into the 2009-10 season with similar goals.

Gone are former stars Casey Mitchell, Gary Flowers and Torye Pelham.

Gone is former coach Greg Heiar and his 164 wins and five Panhandle Conference titles.

Still, the Indians have their sights set on another big season.

“The talent is there for something special to come together,” first-year coach Jake Headrick said. “It’s just a matter of these guys getting healthy and playing together. The talent is there.”

The talent needs to get well, however, with several Indians nursing injuries and set to miss the team’s season-opening games Friday and Saturday in the Milton H. Johnson Classic.

Freshman forward Steadman Short is still nursing an ankle injury that kept him out much of the preseason.

Wing player Delwan Graham will also miss the start of the season with an injury, as will guards John Taylor, Rodderick Lanon and Sam Grooms, who will miss 4-6 weeks with a stress fracture in his foot.

The injuries have been tough, but Headrick said he has been happy with how his team has fought through the adversity.

“I think that with this team, the thing that excites me is that they’ve been able to play and beat some of the best teams in the country (in the preseason) with a very limited roster,” the coach said. “We had a good preseason. At the same time, we’ve never had everybody healthy on the floor at one time.

“That has been the frustrating part because deep down, as a team and as a staff, we know how talented this team is, but we haven’t had them all at one time yet.”

Headrick said he believes when the team does come together, it will be among the most talented groups the Indians have put together.

“We have a lot of guys who compliment each other very well,” the coach said. “This team is so versatile. Aaron Davis can play four positions, Kevin Powell can play three, John Taylor can play three…there are just so many lineups you can go with. That allows you to hold these kids more accountable on the floor.

“This is a production business, a production game. The guys know that when you’re on the floor, you’ve got to produce. As a staff, we have a lot of confidence in these guys.”

On top of the injured Indians, Chipola will also add another piece to the puzzle later this year in freshman Keith DeWitt.

The 6-foot-10-inch former Missouri signee will be eligible to play for the Indians after the Christmas break, with his first game likely to come Dec. 28 against Georgia Perimeter in Panama City.

Headrick said the multi-talented forward could combine with Short to give the Indians a lethal 1-2 punch on the interior.

“Those are two of the better players in the country,” the coach said. “When you look at those two guys, you think about size and athleticism. Both kids are extremely long, and can really run and jump. The next thing is that both can really shoot the basketball to 18 feet, which is unusual for guys that size.

“We’re going to give them freedom to make plays. Each one is able to make plays inside and outside. Those two guys, when they play as hard as they can play, they don’t have many weaknesses.”

The Indians will also possess a great deal of talent on the perimeter with the likes of Taylor, Grooms, Graham and Dexter Ellington.

However, Headrick said the undisputed leader of the Chipola backcourt is 6-foot-2-inch sophomore Lashay Page, who redshirted last season.

“Lashay Page has been a kid who has brought it every day,” the coach said. “I think he learned from being around Casey Mitchell and seeing how hard he worked on a daily basis to be a great player.

“Every day, our freshmen see how hard (Page) works and that’s great for the team.”

Headrick compared Page favorably with Mitchell — the 2009 NJCAA National Player of the Year — particularly when it comes to his shooting stroke.

“Lashay has such a high confidence level shooting the basketball,” the coach said. “He’s capable of scoring in a lot of different ways.

“He’s not as big as Casey, but he’s better defensively. He can really shoot the basketball, and he wants to be the leader of this team.”

It’s a talented, if not healthy, roster for a first-year head coach to inherit.

Headrick, who was an assistant at Chipola for two years before taking the job after Heiar’s departure to Southern Miss, said that he can’t wait for the season to get started.

“It’s exciting for me. My whole life this is what I’ve worked for. This is my dream,” the coach said. “Aside from the injuries, everything has been fine. The guys on the floor work hard every day, which is all you can ask is for. 

“If that carries over to the floor, then some special things can happen for us.”

The Indians are ranked No. 13 in the NJCAA preseason poll, with expectations lowered from last year when Chipola spent most of the season at No. 1 in the state and national polls.

Tallahassee is the preseason favorite to win the Panhandle Conference, and is ranked No. 3 nationally.

While he said he understands why the Indians are ranked lower this year, Headrick said he believes his team can surprise people.

“The thing about it is nobody has really done anything to earn their position either way,” the coach said. “We’ve beaten teams already this year (in the preseason) that are ranked ahead of us.

“I wish personally the ranking was a little bit higher, but I hope the guys have that mentality to be hungry to prove that Chipola is still Chipola.”