Former Gamecock has Richland Northeast hoops back on right path
Jo Jo English wasn’t in much of a celebrating mood Wednesday, even though he had plenty of reason to do so.
The former South Carolina standout and Richland Northeast coach watched his Cavalier team defeat Blue Ridge, 54-36, in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs. It was Richland Northeast’s first playoff win since defeating Southside, 46-43, in 2016 and first time the Cavs hosted a postseason game since 2011 when Jason Powell, the current athletics director at Westwood, was the head coach.
The Cavs will face Lower Richland, English’s alma mater, on Saturday in the second round. But English wasn’t going to get caught up in that or the RNE’s playoff win.
“We got to finish the game better. I’m a stickler for detail and finishing it, playing a perfect game,” said English, who led Sumter to the 2015 Class 4A state championship in 2015. “I am used to playing for championships. We just got to get the kids with those expectations.
“Whenever you don’t have much success and you win a couple games, they think that is the end of the season. This is the real season, and every possession matters. We are trying to get the kids to value every possession and play as hard as you can for as long as you can. There is no telling how far we can go.”
The Cavs have come a long way since English was hired on March 16, 2018. RNE was coming off a one-win season the year before English arrived, and he had just four guys come out for the spring workouts.
Richland Northeast has won 15 games this season, the most since winning 16 in 2012-13. The Cavs have wins over Blythewood, ranked No. 8 in Class 5A, and a 56-53 victory over two-time defending Class 4A champion Ridge View on Feb. 7. The Cavs lost to the Blazers, 60-38, in the first game.
“It is exciting. The culture is changing” said Durand Brown, who tied for a team-high with 13 points against Blue Ridge. “You saw that with the fans here tonight, ROTC. We were feeling and giving it our all.”
Success can be attributed to more dedications in the offseason and a strong young nucleus. RNE has just two seniors, Brown and Jordan Pratt. This year, the Cavs had better participation in spring and summer workouts, getting them in shape for the aggressive defense style English prefers to play. English got rid of three players, one who transferred, before the season. All three were one-time starters and played meaningful minutes for him.
“That sends a message,” Brown said. “He wants maximum effort, maximum team effort. Coach wants to find the best team, not just the best players.”
The Cavs don’t have any big-time college prospects. Brown and Calvin Hall are the only ones who average more than 10 points a game. Still, the Cavs are buying into what their coach is wanting them to do, which should help not only rest of this year but also in the future, which English hopes results in a championship.
“They are still learning. We just got to get them to pay attention to the small things and attention to detail to be successful,” English said. We don’t have the superstar. … It is all about being good people, being respectful and having good attitudes. They have to play a certain way. The harder you work together the more difficult it will be to be defeated.”
This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 10:23 PM with the headline "Former Gamecock has Richland Northeast hoops back on right path."
