Bro. Neal’s Chat with Coach Biehl #1, 2023

January 13, 2023

Chat with Coach Biehl #1

by Brother Neal Golden, S.C. (CJ ’57)

“The Brother Martin basketball team sports a 16-6 record as they prepare for their third district game tonight (Friday) against Rummel in the Conlin Gym. Then they play Curtis Saturday night at home. Both varsity games are scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Reviewing the season so far, Coach Chris Biehl said, “We got off to a pretty good start. We had just seven varsity players, four of whom had never scored a varsity point. Those seven boys played incredibly well together.”

The three with varsity experience are senior DJ Fowler and juniors Eli Pichon and Parker Dinsdale.

“We started with our own tournament, in which we went 2-1, losing to De La Salle by one point. Then we traveled to Gulfport and played Ocean Springs (MS). It was a significant game because they were very athletic, very talented. The game went to overtime, and we won 61-55.

“Next was the 16-team Sophie B. Wright Tournament of Champions, one of the premiere tournaments in the city. We beat Slidell easily (81-65). Then we beat Martin Luther King by 15 points. That turned out to be a really significant win because King has a bunch of really good wins. They beat St. Aug. twice. We played Salmen in the semifinals. They are a physically imposing team that beat De La Salle in the finals of our tournament. Our kids came out and played their best game of the season, beating them 71-46. Wright beat us in the championship game 75-48.

“We traveled to HL Bourgeois in Houma and defended our title in their tournament. We beat Terrebonne, which is 14-3 on the season. We were cruising along at 11-1, playing well.

“That week was exam week, which makes every coach cringe because you don’t play games. Our four football players joined us: Jordan West, Troy Santa Marina, Ray Lotten, and Chase Chesser. They were banged up so we sat them out most of the week. We didn’t play well against Bonnabel and lost 67-52. It was exam week, so I wasn’t overly concerned.

“After that, we went to the Walker Tournament (at Walker High east of Baton Rouge) where we were matched up with three defending state champions. We played the 2A champ University High. We were up by 16 with six minutes to go, but we managed to lose the game 57-55. That’s one I let get away.

“Then we played the 3A champions, Madison Prep. They beat us bad (70-45) and made us look silly. They’re long and athletic. We’re a short, guard-oriented team. They exposed a lot of our weaknesses.
“On the trip back home, we talked on the bus. The next day we went back and played the defending 5A champions, Zachary. We played incredibly well and got what felt like a signature win, 50-48. I thought playing defending champions three straight days would help us in the long run.”

Next came the Northwest Florida Shootout at Fort Walton FL. “It’s one of the best known national tournaments in the U.S. Our first opponent was Cookeville (TN), which had several Division I-type players. When we went down 19-4, I feared we were overmatched. I didn’t yell; I talked calmly. Slowly but surely the tide changed, and we beat them soundly 73-57.

“The next day we played Christian Brothers of Memphis, the defending state champions. They’re very big across the board. We physically got beat. They pounded us on the boards, and we lost 63-45. It was a learning experience.

“We finished with Dacula (GA). Their record was a terrible 4-10. But I told our guys, ‘This team is a national team. They’re not playing small schools. They’re playing the best teams.’ We played miserably and were down 12 with four minutes to play and were lucky to be that close. We went on a tear and ended up tying it after never having the lead in regulation. We won in overtime 62-61. It was a perfect end to our trip to Florida.”

After a few days off, the Crusaders started district play against St. Augustine. The Purple Knights left the Conlin Gym with a 74-61 victory. “They played very well. We want to force teams to beat us. They didn’t do anything we didn’t think they’d do. They were the aggressor most of the game.”

Two days later, the Crusaders traveled to Phoenix at the southern end of St. Bernard Parish. “They’re a class C school with no football team. They have an excellent basketball program. They made the semifinals last year. One player on their team was averaging 31 points per game. He could go to any Catholic League school and be the best player.

“We challenged our guys after the loss to St. Aug. We held him to four points in the first half. He fell in the second half and left the game after playing only two minutes. After he went out, we went to a 1-3-1 zone. They couldn’t get the ball in the hole, and we won 64-19.”

This past Tuesday night, Martin traveled to Algiers to play the Karr Cougars. “In our first seven possessions, we had five turnovers and two airballs. It felt like the St. Aug. game all over again. We were going around defenders and not being aggressive. We trailed 14-2 at the end of the first quarter. The break gave us another opportunity to talk to our guys. We changed up some things offensively and went to a different type of defense. We started making plays and were able to turn the tide. We got it up to a nine-point lead in a low-scoring game, but they came back. Troy Santa Marina hit a huge shot with about 45 seconds to go. It came down to the final shot, a three-pointer that they missed to seal the game for us, 41-40.

“We’re still working on the football players. Since they returned, we’ve played 10 games but had only six practices” (because of tournament games back-to-back). “Two of them have been injured.

“We’re turning the ball over at an exceptionally high rate. We play four guards a lot so it’s inexplicable that we turn the ball over at the clip we do. Early in the year, we embraced being pressed, and the teams that pressed us paid the price. Now when we’re pressed, we’re not at our best.

“We have to improve team chemistry and ball protection to get back to where we were. Our rebounding is OK, but we’re not big.”

Whom do you consider the district favorites?

“This is the most even group I’ve ever seen. My only prediction is that the district champion will have three losses. I don’t see anybody running through this league. We dropped our first game, but this district is the most wide open I’ve ever seen.”

As in football this year, Division I has many more schools than in past years which will increase the number of teams in the playoffs. “I’m praying it stays that way. The principals are meeting in a couple of weeks. I hope they won’t change anything.”

The team needs the Conlin Crazies the next two nights to cheer the Crimson Knights to victory.“