Preps

Tigers anticipate success

Jesuit, full of nervous energy and confidence, is ready for Wesley Chapel.

By EMILY NIPPS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 8, 2003

TAMPA -- Alan Schonbrun doesn't feel like eating.

The Jesuit guard's appetite has been replaced by twisted, tight knots, and it'll likely stay that way until tonight.

"That's good, not bad," he said. "I'm just real anxious. It's like a nervous energy."

See, he plays better when he is like that. He flourishes in front of big crowds, even if the opposing crowd is bigger. He moves more quickly, shoots more accurately and guards more aggressively when the pressure is thick.

Tonight, Jesuit plays Wesley Chapel in the Class 3A, Region 3 final, and the winner goes to the final four in Lakeland to compete for a state title. Neither team appears to have an edge, other than Wesley Chapel's homecourt advantage. But according to Schonbrun, that's not a legitimate edge.

Joe Donoho can't sleep.

Like Schonbrun, the anticipation of tonight's game has been killing him. After Tuesday's semifinal victory over Arcadia DeSoto County, the next task at hand couldn't get here quick enough.

"It seems like every day goes by so slow," Donoho said.

The Tigers (24-5) more or less know what to expect from the Wildcats (26-3), which is lots of different scorers, light on the turnovers and heavy on the press. The Tigers have played against just about every type of defense, and they think they match up well with Wesley Chapel.

"We'll be so pumped, the press won't wear us down," Donoho said.

"I think their press will actually help us," Schonbrun said. "We should get a lot of baskets against them."

Donoho and Schonbrun play well off of each other. When one has a bad night, the other steps up. The rest of the starters, as well as two or three players from the bench, feed off of their energy. Clayton Yeko is good for three or four blocks per game. Mike Gutowski and Matt Daniels can hold their own on defense and assists.

At this point in the season, though, one gets the feeling that everything is going Jesuit's way.

The Tigers can do no wrong, even if Wesley Chapel throws an unexpected defensive scheme their way. Somehow, someway, the Tigers will make their so-called shortcomings -- such as their relatively small size or their no-frills defense -- work in their favor.

Because if nothing else, they have their nervous energy, which has been eating at them for days but will come to an end tonight. And it had better end only one way as far as the Tigers are concerned.

Said Donoho: "I want to go to Lakeland so bad."

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