Lofty Expectations: One of the best seasons in school history has Denham Springs thinking big
by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
It was the latest in a series of bonding moments for a Denham Springs basketball team that’s off to a 22-1 start.
Once the team returned to its locker room following Monday’s 68-60 at Parkview Baptist, coach Kevin Caballero wrapped up his address to the team, writing the following numbers on a whiteboard in the team’s locker room.
He began with 977 and asked how many points junior Jermaine O’Conner had scored that evening to extend the team’s win streak to five games.
The answer was 23 points, including 16 during a decisive second-half comeback, and when Caballo wrote that numeral on the board, it added up to 1,000 career points for O’Conner.
The response was something that rivaled that of a family’s glee for one of its closest members with O’Conner surrounded by teammates offering congratulations through handshakes and embraces.
It depicted a Denham Springs team that may not possess the qualities of a prototypically constructed team, but it exudes other qualities befitting the state’s No. 2 team in the LHSAA’s latest Division I non-select power rankings heading into Saturday’s non-district matchup at No. 3 Central (17-3) at approximately 7:30 p.m.
“That’s special right there,” Caballero said of the team’s reaction to O’Conner’s milestone. “To get a close-knit group, you kind of have to have it. I told the kids you’re building relationships that 45 years down the road you’re still going to have. You don’t realize it yet, but you’re going to have it.”
Much like the snowstorm that hit southern Louisiana this week, Denham Springs is enjoying a historic season. Not since former standout Tasmin Mitchell starred for the Yellow Jackets have they been in such a stratosphere with talk of a state tournament appearance entering the team’s vocabulary.
A banner that hangs above the Grady Hornsby Gymnasium is a daily reminder of the kind of history this year’s Denham Springs team is chasing. The Yellow Jackets haven’t won a state championship since 1956 – or 69 years ago – and last won a district title in 2005 – or 20 years ago.
“Our plans are to go to Lake Charles (site of the state tournament) and a state championship,” Denham Springs point guard JK O’Conner, the team’s lone senior starter and one of six seniors on the team. “We’ve just got to stick together; we’ve got to play together.”
Fellow senior, guard Larry Guerin, said last year’s team which went 27-9 and advanced to the state quarterfinals provided a snapshot of what was possible this season.
This is the program’s fourth straight 20-win season.
“We had a good team last year,” Guerin said. We lost two key pieces (Mason Vorise and Brock Smith). I could tell by the chemistry we have on and off the court, the way we move the ball around and play hard, that this was possible. I expected it.”
Caballero, a college assistant at Louisiana Tech, admits this is the best high school team he’s coached in his 22 seasons. The 65-year-old coach, though, is also aware of the pitfalls along the way in a long season.
A year ago the Yellow Jackets, who won their first games of the season, were the talk of the Division I non-select bracket with a 23-2 record until one of their players was expelled and another became sick, contributing to a 4-5 finish that included a home loss to eventual state runner-up Natchitoches Central (72-58) in the state quarterfinals.
“Last year there were a couple of bad decisions made by players,” Caballero said. “Coming back this year I didn’t know what to expect. I lost two really good players and leaders in Mason Vorise and Brock Smith, and we replaced them with two seniors (JK O’Conner and Guerin). The kids have matured a year, they love playing basketball, they like to practice.
“Did I think we would be 22-1 right now, absolutely not,” Caballero said. “To get there you’ve got to win some close games, and we got off to a good start in Thibodaux (tournament) like we did the previous year. We’ve just kind of steamrolled since then.”
Close-knit team experiencing success
Chemistry is the foundation of any good team – regardless of the sport –and with this year’s Denham Springs team, there’s no shortage of it.
“When you have chemistry, you tend to learn tendencies,” Guerin said. “There may be an example where I know Jeremy (Williams) has a backdoor cut without having to look at him, and I just throw it to him. One of the (Golmond) twins in the Parkview game knew Jeremy was cutting and just threw it to him and got an easy layup. Chemistry plays a big part in that.”
Denham Springs had a veteran makeup to this year’s team with nine upperclassmen joining forces with sophomore Jeremy Williams, who played in all of his team’s games a year ago, along with fellow sophomores Trae Dorsey and Tanner Koerner.
Growing up in the Livingston Parish community afforded many opportunities for these players to forge relationships, either playing together on the same team or against one another and developing respect for their respective games.
This year’s team featured the rarity of having two sets of brothers with JK and Jermaine Williams and a set of twins, juniors Da’Sean and De’Jean Golmond.
“It helps that we have two sets of brothers,” Caballero said.
The O’Conners and Golmonds are related and enjoy a relationship that extends on and off the basketball court.
“I’ve been playing with my brother and the twins for so long, I know where they are on the court,” JK O’Conner said. “When bad things are about to happen, I always know where they are at times.”
Guerin believed that while the team’s on-court communication has been an asset, it can improve.
“We can get better about some on-the-court stuff like communicating a little better,” he said. “We can continue to build chemistry because chemistry’s going to take us all the way there.”
One of the hallmarks of Denham Springs’ success thus far has been its ability to share the basketball. The Yellow Jackets average 17 assists a game led by the Golmond twins – Da’Sean (3.9) and Da’Jean (3.2).
Balanced scoring is another way the Yellow Jackets have been difficult for opposing teams trying to solve.
With a rotation of players that can extend seven to eight deep, Denham Springs has had three games where five different players have reached double figures for a team averaging 70 points.
Led by Jermaine O’Conner’s 13.9 points, he’s just one of two double-figure scorers that also includes Jeremy Williams (13.2). But the Jackets’ balance extends to both of the Goldmonds – Da’Jean at 9.6 and Da’Sean at 9.2 – and Dorsey (8.1) provides a scoring punch off the bench followed by JK O’Conner (6.4).
“When a lot of guys are playing, and we’ve had the opportunity to win some games by big margins, the guys on the bench are getting a chance to play, too,” Caballero said. “All those guys playing those minutes builds some closeness there.”
Building a road warrior mentality
Denham Springs has played 65% of its games away from home which can often become a measuring stick for successful teams able to manage such a stretch.
Caballero has taken DSHS to five different tournaments ranging from Thibodaux High, St. Amant, Livingston Parish at Springfield, St. Louis Catholic in St. Louis, and St. Charles Catholic in LaPlace.
Before this year’s team won 22 of their first 23 games, Guerin saw signs of a team building something special.
“I could sense it in summer league,” he said. “We played teams like (Division I select No. 1) Catholic. We lost to them, but the second time around we were hungry and hung in there with them. I could sense we were going to get after everybody we played.”
Nine of the first 10 of Denham Springs’ wins took place in tournament action with the Yellow Jackets able to lift Walker’s stranglehold on the Livingston Parish tournament title.
The Yellow Jackets mowed down their first two opponents in the parish tournament to face No. 2 seed French Settlement in the final. They bolted to a 31-8 first-quarter lead and rolled to a 78-40 victory and returned the parish trophy to campus for the first time in 10 years.
“That may have been the best first quarter I’ve seen in my high school career, and I didn’t do much coaching,” Caballero said. “We went in as No. 1 seed last year and lost to Walker in a bang-bang game (55-51 loss in the title game. It’s another step in the building. The kids were really excited about winning the tournament and it’s something I hadn’t done in nine years. (Walker coach Anthony) Schiro had been keeping us out of that trophy. Denham Springs had won it the year before I got here, and it hadn’t been back until this year.”
The Livingston Parish title was the team’s first objective but is secondary to what remains in play.
“It’s been a while since we won the Livingston Parish tournament which was a goal,” Guerin said. “We’re trying to get to the big goal. It’s our senior year and we’re just trying to go big. It’s been disappointing losing the games we’ve lost in the playoffs these last few years.”
There have been building blocks along the way that have established a high level of confidence that’s continued to expand.
Three games into the season, a 66-40 win over Southside of Youngsville, was part of Denham Springs’ showing in Thibodaux. A week later, in a tournament game at St. Amant, the Yellow Jackets were matched with reigning two-time defending Division I non-select state champion Ponchatoula and passed with flying colors.
Led by five players scoring in double figures – with both Golmonds and Jeremy Williams all scoring 13 – the Yellow Jackets secured a 71-64 victory on Dec. 6.
“Ponchatoula’s always competitive,” Guerin said. “We saw that we can hang with some of the teams that’s going to get to the state championship (game).”
Caballero also acknowledged the boost of confidence his team received from such a game and that carried into the Livingston Parish and St. Louis tournaments. The Yellow Jackets clipped Franklin Parish (No. 4 in Division II non-select) 79-62 and finished play with a 63-56 win over perennial Lake Charles-area standout Washington Marion in the St. Louis event.
It’s been custom during his career for Caballero to keep his teams together during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays and this year was no different with trips to Lake Charles and LaPlace.
“A lot of kids don’t ever get to do that,” he said. “It builds the team; it bonds them together. You eat together in restaurants, stay in a hotel. Some people don’t want to give up their holidays. There’s still a fire that burns in me, and I want them to be exposed to the teams we play in these tournaments.
“We went to West Monroe’s tournament last year and played Carroll and Neville,” he said. “It builds some camaraderie between the team. There’s a lot of me, me, me in this world now of social media, and we try to make it about us.”
Balance, teamwork result in healthy combination
Denham Springs incurred its lone defeat of the season during its holiday break.
In the team’s second tournament game against Vandebilt Catholic on Jan 3, a game played at Riverside Academy, the Terriers took a 35-29 lead at halftime and took a 55-50 margin into the fourth quarter.
The Yellow Jackets were outscored 16-9 and lost, 71-59, to a team that’s now 16-6 and rated No. 10 in the Division II select power ratings.
The team’s true spirit was evident a day later, facing Class 5A Bonnabel on a Saturday, and facing a 28-24 halftime deficit.
The Yellow Jackets answered out of the locker room with a 27-4 third-quarter surge for a 66-48 victory that five players contributed double figures in scoring – topped by Dorsey’s 13 points with Jeremy Williams and Jermaine Williams adding 12.
Dorsey had three of the team’s eight 3-pointers in the come-from-behind win.
“That was a huge win,” Caballero said. “It’s a Saturday and you’re wondering how we’re going to do. They punched us pretty good in the face and they’re up at halftime. We outscored them in the third quarter and it was a big win. The kids responded. That’s one of those confidence builders.”
Denham Springs remained on the road where it showed its mettle in a 55-51 win over Plaquemine on Jan. 7.
The Jackets, who forced 22 turnovers, fended off a determined Green Devil squad, twice rallying from a one-point deficit in the final minute of play for a 55-51 win.
Two days later, on its home floor, Denham Springs had to weather another kind of storm.
With Jermaine O’Conner, the team’s leading scorer, on the bench with two fouls and zero points, the Jackets trailed 23-21 at halftime until O’Conner developed a hot hand. He scored all 19 of his points in the second half, and Da’Jean Golmond drained a pair of 3s and scored 11 points in a 60-55 triumph.
“We have to keep our composure throughout the game,” said JK O’Conner, who added eight points, six assists, four steals and didn’t turn the ball over against McKinley. “If it isn’t the end of the fourth quarter the game is never over. We just keep fighting, just keep going.”
Such games have given Caballero an indication of the team’s grit.
“Winning builds that because you never feel like you’re out of it,” he said. “We also talk about toughness. Usually, the toughest guys are going to win. McKinley is extremely tough. That’s a good game for us to gear ourselves.”
Denham Spring was presented with another such challenge in its most recent game.
The Jackets, playing before a hearty road crowd at Parkview Baptist, fell behind 36-29 at halftime when Jermaine O’Conner came alive in the second half with 16 of his team’s points. De’Jean Golmond added 14, including a team-high three 3-pointers, and Jeremy Williams 13.
The team is 8-0 this season in games determined by 10 points or less.
“In tight, close games, everybody’s pumped,” Guerin said. “If there’s a charge taken, everybody’s off the bench. If there’s a big three, we’re up celebrating. Somebody’s diving on the floor trying to get a loose ball, we’re clapping for him and celebrating him. There’s a sense you’re doing it for the next guy.”
Cutting the opposition down to size
Denham Springs’ lineup may not appear to be imposing until you have to face it.
The Yellow Jackets’ starters – the two O’Conner brothers, the Golmond twins, and Williams – average 6-feet tall. The team’s tallest player – 6-3 senior forward – Christian Pourciau is a reserve averaging 3.2 points and shooting 67%.
“Due to the lack of our size we need to use the whole floor,” Caballero said. “The flip side of playing a team with big kids such as McKinley and Franklin Parish, they also have to guard you. Our kids are getting out in transition, they’re playing together and sharing the basketball, and it makes it tough to guard. Would we like a 6-8, 6-9 guy? Of course, we would, but we’re going to make do with what we’ve got and try to play to our strengths and see how that works out. It’s worked out well so far.”
The team’s balanced scoring, with seven points separating Jermaine O’Conner (13.9) from his brother JK (6.4) is a testament to one of their strengths.
The Jackets shoot 51% collectively and 31% from 3-point range (4.5 made per game) with Jeremy Williams topping the team from beyond the arc at 37%. JK O’Conner and Dorsey are each shooting 32% with Jermaine O’Conner and Da’Sean Golmond at 31% and Da’Sean Golmond at 30%.
De’Sean Golmond leads the Jackets with 34 3-pointers and Dorsey adds 23.
“In high school, the 3-pointer’s a tremendous advantage, especially in high school,” Caballero said. “One thing we do well is get to the rim, especially in transition. If you start showing hard and leaving a kid standing behind the 3-point line, we’ve got a couple of guys that can make them. We’ve made some big ones this year that helped us in games where we were behind and in games we were up.
“You may not have the size; you may not have the finesse,” Caballero said. “Usually at the end, if you’re mentally and physically tough, you’re usually going to give yourself an opportunity to win.”
Denham Springs has nearly 600 more steals than its opponents, averaging 14.7 per game, and is led by Jermaine O’Conner (65), Da’Jean Golmond (56), and Dorsey (55) that trigger a defense that allows 47 points a game.
“We know if we can get everybody going and once everybody gets going, we can all go,” JK O’Conner said. “It’s like a train. Once one person starts, it’s there. I knew everybody in the locker room would come to work every day and we would stick together. We’re locked in with each other.”
Denham Springs has flourished on the defensive end where the Jackets have limited seven opponents to 40 points or less. They’ve limited their opposition to 39% shooting, including 28% from behind the arc, and have enjoyed a plus-1 rebound differential.
Jermaine O’Conner has stood tall with a 4.7 rebound average and a team-high 12 blocks, while both Jeremy Williams and JK O’Conner (3.95) follow, and Williams has taken a team-best 14 charges.
“We’re really quick all over the court and everybody gets after it,” Guerin said. “Everybody’s hungry. We’re trying to get to Lake Charles.”
Featured Image Courtesy of Johnny Lombardi of Denham Springs TV