Kermit head basketball coach Joe Moreno and his team have always felt they owned their own destiny.
Even as the Yellowjackets got off to a 2-15 start to the season, losing eight of those games by at least 25 points, players have held their heads high and firmly adhered to the principles drilled in them on a daily basis.
“We always tell the kids as long as you continue to be positive, do the work and bring the intangibles, things will find a way of working themselves out,” Moreno told Texas Scorecard. “The guys have shown they believe that and now the tide is starting to turn for them just a little bit.”
The change has shown itself in the form of the Yellowjackets winning their last two games and three of their first four in 3A Region 1 District 3 play.
“We’re starting to get an understanding of what we need to be doing on the floor to be competitive,” Moreno said of his young team comprised of three sophomores and a freshman. “The last few games, we’ve come out and let the game dictate itself. We don’t count on just one guy to carry us every time we suit up to play.”
Speedy sophomore point guard Jordan McNew has led the charge, averaging 17 points for Kermit, which also gets double-digit contributions from seniors Jaden Awbrey (11 points) and J.T. Cook (10).
“We scheduled big to start the year and played in several high-level tournaments as part of our strategy,” Moreno added. “All of that has gone a long way in preparing us to play at the level we are right now. All the early losing hurt us a lot, but our young guys have grown up as we’ve gone along.”
