Q&A With Boys' Basketball Head Coach Mike Floyd
With practice starting on Saturday, fourth-year head coach Mike Floyd took a few moments to discuss the current state of his program.
Q: What kind of effect does winning a district title and advancing to regionals for the first time since 2011 have on your program in 2021-22?
A: It was a great way to end our year after the ups and downs of the regular season and it is obviously exciting for our guys and the school. It has given our guy’s confidence heading into this season, but we also have been talking about how this is a new year and team and will need to take it one practice, workout, or rep at a time in order to build on what we accomplished last year.
Q: What are your team goals in 2021-22?
A: We want to win a TRAC Championship and compete for a state title.
Q: Where do you think leadership on this year's team will come from?
A: We will get leadership from a number of places, I think. We will obviously look to our three returning seniors (Micah Thames, Sam Lee and Josh Lee) to provide a lot of the leadership. I think Chico Johnson and Mike Greenlee have also established themselves as the more vocal leaders. Other guys will help in that area as well from a large junior class.
Q: You have one of the most athletic players in the state returning in junior Chico Johnson. What do you expect out of him in 2021-22?
A: We expect Chico to continue to grow and develop as a player and person just as we expect that from all our players. He obviously has gained the attention of a lot of colleges, and he deserves it, but he also understands that this is a team game, and we will need everyone to compete day in and day out in order to accomplish our goals. He has more experience than most others on our roster so he will need to help our less experienced players and new players understand how and why we do certain things.
Q: Senior Micah Thames is in his third year in the CCHS program. What do you expect out of him in 2021-22?
A: Micah has grown a lot as a player since he transferred to us as a sophomore. He has become more confident and surer of himself, and it really showed during the tournament last season. We are expecting him to provide a lot of leadership. He knows how we do things and what the expectations are from the coaching staff. He needs to be a coach on the floor for us to help keep our guys focused and together.
Q: Sophomore Isaiah Brenneman showed glimpses of being a viable offensive threat last season. What do you expect out of him in 2021-22?
A: We expect him to continue to improve and continue to help us win games in a lot of different ways. One night it may be scoring and another night it may be shutting down a player on the other team. With him and sophomore Griffin Pike, we have a couple of guys that provide versatility in who they can guard and what they can do offensively.
Q: Senior twin brothers Sam & Josh Lee & juniors Brian Bishop and Keller Komives return in 2021-22 with varsity experience. What role do you see this group playing this season?
A: Sam and Josh had great finishes to the year. They improved so much as basketball players once we had our hands on them full time. They are important pieces for us in that they provide much needed size. They are tough and athletic and finish well around the basket. We are excited to see them grow even more during their last year. Bucky and Keller are two other players that made timely shots and provided toughness for us last season. We expect them to bring that same type of intensity and competitiveness to our group this season.
There are also a number of others that have played well during stretches this summer. Guys like junior Winston Delp, junior Noah Langford, junior KJ Johnson and freshman Makhi Leach will give us more depth at the guard position and make our roster situation very competitive.
Q: Juniors Michael Greenlee Jr. & Ja’Vaughn Jones missed time last season due to injury. How is their rehabilitation progressing and what are your expectations for them in 2021-22? Michael transferred from St. John's and had to sit out after the 11th game last season.
A: Michael has been great this summer and he is excited to be eligible all season this year. There was no one more invested in our tournament run than him. We couldn't get the trophy from him after the District Championship because he was so excited, and he wasn't even able to play. That's how great of a teammate he is and how much he cares about it. He had a great summer with us, and his AAU team and we are looking forward to having him a full season.
Ja'Vaughn has been progressing well. He is ahead of the original schedule that the doctors gave him, but we are still going to be cautious with him and make sure we ease him back into things. He was at all our summer stuff despite not being able to play so we know how excited he is to get back on the court. He is an extremely hard worker who has excelled since coming to Central Catholic. We are proud of the work he has put into his rehab, becoming a better player, and in the classroom.
