Riverside Elementary School fourth-grader Jordan Herman claims to have been playing basketball since he was 2, and now the Coral Springs 9-year-old has his first Coral Springs Basketball Club finals championship of his still young career.
Herman scored 14 points and was 4-for-4 from the free throw line to lead the Royal Blue Warriors to a 23-19 victory over the Orange Hurricanes in the Coral Springs Basketball Club Summer League Trainee 4 championship game at the Coral Springs Gymnasium. It was one of six title games played.
“Basketball is the most important thing of my life,” said Herman, who has played 25 seasons in the club. The league plays an average of four seasons annually. “(Basketball) is everything I do, every single day.
“I have won championships before, but never won a finals game,” Jordan said. “It was very big for me. It was very important.”
He said teamwork is the most important aspect of the sport.
“It is not a one-man show,” he said. “You have to pass the ball and you get to make friends.”
The Royal Blue Warriors (11-2) finished the league play in second place and won three playoff games to win the title. The Orange Hurricanes (11-2) won the regular season and came up short in the eight-team league.
Kiefer Lagrone scored 12 points to lead the Orange Hurricanes in a losing effort, while teammate Preston Menocal chipped in with six points.
“I like that I have the option to pass the ball and do other things,” said Preston, 8, of Coral Springs, who is a third-grader at Eagle Ridge Elementary School. He scored 10 points for the Green Machine just two months earlier when the team captured the spring league championship. It was his first championship in the two years he has played in the recreational league.
“The other thing I like most about basketball is that your friends are always there for you whether you do bad or if you do good,” he said.
The Coral Springs Basketball Club concluded its 10-game season that ran from June through August. There were 58 teams in the summer season, ranging from age 6 to high school. It totaled just over 450 players. One player from each division also was given a sportsmanship award.
The fall season will begin early September and will run through November. That league will feature girls and boys age 6 and older through high school along with men 18 and older.
In other division finals:
Intermediate Girls Division: The Red Scorpions defeated the Blue Thunder, 14-4, in a defensive battle. Reagan Mash scored seven points to pace the Scorpions.
High School Boys Division: The Black Knights topped the Green Cash Money, 67-57, as Jordan Young poured in 31 points. Cash Money was led by Ahmed Theodule’s 21 points.
Intermediate Boys Division: The Red Storm defeated the Purple Ballers, 35-29, as Anthony Fahey dropped in a game-high 16 points, while Shamari Peets scored 15 points.
Junior Varsity Girls: The Ice Breakers edged the Flying Eagles, 27-24, behind a game-high 15 points from Elizabeth Schnell. The Eagles were led by Kayla Greyvenstein’s 10 points.
Junior Varsity Boys: The Red Rockets defeated the Orange Crush, 38-24, behind 15 points from Alex Brotton. T.J. Jean-Pierre led a balanced scoring effort for the Crush with 8 points.
