Preps

'As Zaronn goes, we go'

So says Brandon coach Mark Hermann of Zaronn Cann, who is recovering from a major knee injury.

By THOMAS SIMONETTI
Published November 30, 2004

BRANDON - The Brandon boys basketball team has built up a long enough streak the past few years that star forward Zaronn Cann and company are talking smack to their school's wrestling team.

"We argue about it every day," said Cann, a senior who signed with South Florida this month. "We're trying to catch up to them."

While the comparison is far-fetched, given the wrestling team's 395 consecutive dual-meet wins, the basketball team hasn't lost to a Hillsborough County team in more than two years (41 games).

For most of last season, the Eagles won without Cann, who averaged 18 points and nine rebounds a game before a season-ending knee injury. Cann tore the ACL, MCL, and meniscus early in the season in a Janury game against Plant.

With Cann out, the Eagles still went 25-4, losing to Lake Region 69-47 in the region semifinals.

Eagles coach Mark Hermann, Cann, and the rest of the team want more this time around. How far this Eagles team can go hinges on whether Cann fully recovers.

"It's all going to be based on Zaronn," Hermann said. "As Zaronn goes, we go. The other guys are good and they can get us to the playoffs but how far we go into the playoffs is going to be based on Zaronn - whether or not he can carry us and take over a game like he used to."

Hermann doesn't know when and if Cann will be in top form. The coach has to keep his top player out of practice some days even when he wants to play and hasn't dealt with that serious of an injury.

"I've never had a situation like this," Hermann said. "I've never had a season like last season where, dang, we're ranked No. 1 in the state and he goes down. Unbelievable. Going into a season I've never had a situation like this."

Hermann said the rest of the team got more experience with Cann's absence. Junior guard Korri Ennis and senior guard Aubrey Brown have picked up more of the scoring load and should play well again, Hermann said.

"We return quite a bit of experience," Hermann said. "You win 25 games (last year) and we return pretty much the nucleus of that team so we should be pretty good. It's all based on whether or not Zaronn comes back 100 percent. If he comes back 100 percent then we're going to be pretty good come playoff time. He's a little bit behind schedule right now. We really need him to come along in February and he knows that."

Cann came to school in August around 290 pounds, about 40 more than he would like to be. But with diet increased physical activity Cann is down to 270.

"He's not 100 percent," Hermann said. "It'll probably be January before he's 100 percent. He put on probably 40 pounds so he needs to lose probably 20 or 30 pounds to get to a good playing weight to be able to dominate the game the way he did before he got hurt."

Cann doesn't want Brandon's county streak to end on his watch, especially not his senior season. If it did, he might not be able to face off with those cocky wrestlers.

Is Brandon's streak in danger this season with the uncertainty surrounding Cann?

"No," Cann said. "This year I guess we're just going to have to be undefeated. The other teams will have to wait until next year."

[Last modified November 30, 2004, 00:26:10]