Friday Night Fever: Inside the Huddle - Clinton basketball
By: Michael Spellman
Updated: December 1, 2012
Mike
WHETHER IT'S PLAYERS GRADUATING OR
COACHES MOVING ON, TURN-OVER IS A PART OF HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS. BUT FOR ONE AREA SCHOOL A NEW COACH IS ACTUALLY
A SIGN OF STABILITY AND THE PLAYERS HOPE, A SIGN OF GOOD THINGS TO COME.
Mike
WHEN
THE CLINTON WARRIORS CHOSE JIM SODJA TO LEAD THE BOYS BASKETBALL PROGRAM THEY
EXPECTED THE ONE TIME WESTMORELAND COACH TO BRING FIRE, TO BRING INTENSITY AND
TO BRING WINNING BASKETBALL BACK TO CLINTON. AND COACH SODJA EXPECTS HIS BRAND OF UP-TEMPO
BASKETBALL TO TRANSLATE TO WINS.
COACH SODJA
THAT
HIGH INTENSITY, A LOT OF OUR WORKOUTS ARE SET THAT WAY. THEY HAVE TO BE ABLE TO MOVE AT A PACE FOR
FOUR QUARTERS OF BASKETBALL, THAT WERE NOT TIRED IN THE FOURTH QUARTER AND
WE'RE NOT PUTTING OURSELVES IN A POSITION TO LOSE A GAME BECAUSE WE'RE NOT IN
GOOD ENOUGH SHAPE.
Mike
COACH
SODJA IS HELPED BY HIS PEDIGREE. THE
FACT THAT HE HAS RUN A SUCCESFULL BASKETBALL PROGRAM IN THE PAST, HAS HIS
PLAYERS EAGER TO BUY-IN TO HIS MESSAGE.
P.J. ZIEMBA
IT'S
REALLY AN HONOR, CONSIDERING WE'VE OBVIOUSLY HAD A ROUGH PATCH OF COACHES, FOUR
COACHES IN FOUR YEARS. WE FINALLY HAVE
SOMEONE WITH SUCCESS TO COME IN HERE AND TEACH US HIGH INTENSITY AND STUFF LIKE
THAT. WE'RE LOVING IT.
Mike
THAT
HIGH INTENSITY OFFENSE IS NOT THE ONLY THING COACH SODJA IS TEACHING HIS NEW
SQUAD. THE WARRIORS ALSO SEEM TO BE
PICKING UP THE PASSION AND INTENSITY COACH SODJA BRINGS TO PRACTICE EVERYDAY.
MIKE HAYDUK
WE'RE
VERY EXCITED FOR THIS SEASON, RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT 17 GAMES ON OUR SCHEDULE AND
WE'RE GOING TO PREPARE.
Mike
EXCITEMENT
HAS RETURNED TO THE ENGINE THAT IS CLINTON BASKETBALL, AND ONE ONLY HAS TO LOOK
DOWN THE BENCH TO FIND THE SPARK PLUG FUELING THIS NEW FOUND ENTHUSIASM.
SODJA
I'M
VERY EXCITED, I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
I HAVE A SPECIAL BOND TO CLINTON AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO REALLY GOING
OUT THERE AND PLAYING GAMES AND WINNING FOR THE DISTRICT.
