After months of training, running drills, and practicing shots, the Milton High School boys basketball players got to stretch their legs against opponents from outside their school at the Santa Rosa Shootout held at Pace High School. The Panthers proved dominant during the game, though the Jay Royals kept them sweating. The final score was 51 to 28, Milton over Jay.
Milton’s Head Coach Hank Hullett said Jay is a smaller classification than Milton, “not as large a student population to pull from. They play hard. They do the right things and they were taught well.” He said what it came down to is in the end was numbers. “(Jay) has seven or eight guys. That’s going to be tough to win any game.”
For Milton, Hullett pointed to two players to watch, Josaih Pool, a two-guard, and returning senior, Junior Ramos, a point guard.
Hullett said Pool is doing “a great job in a leadership role. He came through with four threes for us. He’s a real leader on the floor as well. He gets energy going, gets the guys going. For us what it means to be a leader is somebody positive, somebody who brings energy to a game, or practice or to the team in general.”
Ramos, Hullett said, played last year on varsity and he expects big things from him in leadership, “as far as bringing a defensive mentality.”
Readers may wish to note Hullett’s opposing coach with Jay, Jacob Jordan, is a former teammate of the Milton coach back when they both played at MiltonHigh School. Hullett said two assistants of his and the Navarre coach, Taf Bentley played with him, as well. “There are a lot of former Milton players out there coaching because of Rutlege and Shore,” Hullett said, referring to Athletic Director Murry Rutledge and former coach, now Principal Tim Short.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Panther boys basketball opens season with win