Durant Lady Cougar Basketball Team

By Victoria Shawgo

If you were to describe the Durant Lady Cougar basketball team in one word, it would be ‘relentless.’ It graces the back of their practice jerseys, but more importantly, it defines their mission as a team.

“We kind of took that on as our ideology and our mantra,” shared Coach Al Mitchell. “Relentless. We don’t give up, and we won’t quit until we get what we’re here for.”

Coach Mitchell and his wife, Constance, have been coaching at Durant since 2013. Over the course of the past decade, they have led the team to secure the first two district championships in the school’s history. Both are teachers at the school, with Mr. Mitchell teaching ESE/Biology and Mrs. Mitchell leading the AVID program. Together, they offer their players a dynamic and balanced coaching staff.

“We work very well together because my weaknesses are her strengths, and my strengths are her weaknesses,” explained Coach Al. “So we complement each other very well.”

Under their leadership, the Lady Cougars finished last season 20-6. They had three 1000-point scorers (Sophia Flair, Ki’Ajanae Gordon, and Maggie Lauber) and three seniors who were offered college scholarships (Ki’Ajanae Gordon, Maggie Lauber, and Miani Mejia). The entire starting five was made up of seniors.

After graduating the starting five, the team spent the summer retooling and preparing for the challenges of the upcoming season. This took shape in the form of an intensive six-week Summer Session. During this time, the girls worked with Ernest Anderson (a professional trainer from First Law Fit) and Tamara Hanson (a former player and Exercise Therapist at Egoscue Tampa) to push themselves physically.

“They do a lot of the stuff that the football teams do,” Coach Al explained. “They push the sleds and pull the tires. They do it all.”

Following their workout, the girls spent the next two hours refining their basketball skills.

“Our goal is to be competitive and to go as far as we can,” remarked Coach Al. “We’d love to win District. We’re working towards being competitive on that level.”

In addition to the physical training, the girls were challenged to adhere to a tailored nutritional plan ensuring they were eating an optimal diet. They were provided an app in which to record their food, and each morning began by going over their eating choices. In this way, the girls were held accountable to their coaches and each other. Together, they strive to be relentless as a team, and their coaches apply this on and off the court.

“If you see one of your teammates slacking,” Coach Al emphasized, “you can ask them, ‘are you being relentless right now?’”

“Kids don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” added Coach Constance. “I love building relationships with our athletes inside and outside the classroom.”

After a short break, the girls will start conditioning in mid-September, and team tryouts will be held the last week of October. From there, the Lady Cougars will approach the season with a relentless spirit, hoping to bring home their third district championship.