- April 19, 2024
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Although two other teams finished ahead of the Lady Bulldogs, it was coach Javier Bevacqua who was awarded the 2015 Florida Association of Basketball Coaches Class 8A Coach of the Year.
“This is definitely the highest honor I’ve ever received,” Bevacqua said. “It’s nice to win local awards, but this is a statewide thing. That’s huge.”
It had been 40 years since Flagler Palm Coast (26-5) won a regional game, and this year they went well beyond that feat. The Lady Bulldogs won their district and regional championship, thereby reaching the Final Four for the first time in school history.
“This is recognition of all the hard work that we put in,” he added. “It was a daily grind for us. I told my staff that “we” got Coach of the Year, and I make sure to always say that because I have an amazing staff that goes through the grind with me every single day.” Most of Bevacqua’s coaching staff has been with him since he became head coach seven years ago, and he holds them in high esteem.
Bevacqua has also been chosen to coach the FABC All-Star game Saturday, Mar. 7, at the Villages Charter School. He will also get to coach senior Armani Walker, who was selected as one of the players to participate in the game.
“To me it’s a huge honor because I get to coach Armani one more game before I let her off to college,” Bevacqua said. “Anytime you can coach Armani, it’s always a pleasure.”
While the season has ended and the Lady Bulldogs have tasted a bit of success, don’t expect Bevacqua to let up on his girls or his coaching staff. They have already gone back to work.
“I try to make everything uncomfortable, for myself and the players,” he said. “Whenever comfort sets in, complacency follows. It’s easy to set yourself up and say, ‘I won Coach of the Year, and we made it to the Final Four,’ but we’ve already started workouts and strength and conditioning. And they hate it, but we have to stay focused.”
Junior Tamara Henshaw, who will take over the star role of the Bulldogs next season, admires her coach’s ethic and sees him as more than just a typical coach.
“Coach B is like family to me,” she said. “He took me in and I just felt like I’ve been with him for years. He’s such a great coach, and I love playing for him. I’ve learned so much from him, and he still pushes us to be our best on the court and in the classroom. He definitely deserved Coach of the Year.”
While Bevacqua credits his staff and his team for the high honor, he acknowledges that none have sacrificed more for him than his family, his wife Alma, son Alessandro and daughter Giada.
“This award is most of all for my family,” he said. “I steal a lot of time away from my wife and my kids to do all of this, and I love them so much, and these are the little rewards that you get back, so I just thank them for allowing me to do this.”
