- February 15, 2023
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Mainland goes wild as Zay Mincey dunks the ball toward the end of the state semifinal against St. Petersburg. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland cheer and basketball teams lineup for the National Anthem before the state semifinal against St. Petersburg. Photo by Michele Meyers
Forward Narayan Thomas high fives his teammate as the Mainland starters are announced at the 5A state semifinal against St. Petersburg. Photo by Michele Meyers
Angelo Mack (2) goes up for the layup as Kenyon Clarkson Jr. (11) of St. Petersburg goes up to block the shot at the 5A state semifinal game. Photo by Michele Meyers
Nathan Kirk chases down a loose ball during the game against St. Petersburg at the state semifinal at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland outjumps St. Petersburg for the basket at the 5A state semifinal at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Photo by Michele Meyers
Narayan Thomas (3) blocks Sam Ducksworth (4) shot in the 5A state semifinal at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Nathan Kirk battles St. Petersburg's Emir Gainer for a loose ball during the state semifinal In Lakeland. Photo by Michele Meyers
Jerel Moore (10) scrambles under the basket as Zay Mincey (11) waits to assist in the 5A state semifinal game against St. Petersburg. Photo by Michele Meyers
Nathan Kirk forces his way in between the Green Devils at the top of the key in the state semifinal. Photo by Michele Meyers
Nathan Kirk forces his way in between two Green Devils for the basket in the state semifinal. Photo by Michele Meyers
DeAndre Newland (21) goes up to block the ball in the state semifinal game against the St. Petersburg Green Devils. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland cheer team gets the crowd pumped at halftime of the 5A state semifinal game against St. Petersburg. Photo by Michele Meyers
Buccaneer Zay Mincey steals the ball from Green Devil Marquris Curry Jr. during the 5A state semifinal game at the RP Funding Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Zay Mincey takes it to the basket after another steal in the state semifinal against St. Petersburg. Photo by Michele Meyers
Coach Joe Giddens (far right) waits for the call during the state semifinal game against St. Petersburg at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ajai Harrell (24) and Jerel Moore double team St. Petersburg during the state semifinal game in Lakeland. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ajai Harrell takes it to the hoop against Marquris Curry Jr. (1) and Tristan Gross (10) attempt to slow him down in the state semifinal at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
Narayan Thomas passes at the top of the key during the state semifinal game against St. Petersburg. Photo by Michele Meyers
A battle for the ball ensues between Marquris Curry Jr., Zay Mincey (11) and Ryan Long after Jerel Moore (10) attempted a fade away shot. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland goes wild as Zay Mincey dunks the ball toward the end of the state semifinal against St. Petersburg. Photo by Michele Meyers
Early excitement erupts on the bench as Ajai Harrell jumps up yelling and coaches try calm him down before winning the state semifinal against St. Petersburg 43-38. Photo by Michele Meyers
Nathan Kirk (1) adds another free throw to finish with 18 points for the state semifinal game against the St. Petersburg Green devils. Photo by Michele Meyers
Zay Mincey, Clayton Cornett and mainland teammates celebrate winning the state semifinal against St. Petersburg 43-38. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mainland boys basketball team celebrates their 43-38 win in the state semifinal game against St. Petersburg. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mainland boys basketball players were crushed as they grabbed their runners-up medals after falling to No. 1 seed Belen Jesuit of Miami 49-30 in the Class 5A state championship game March 4 in Lakeland.
The Wolverines (28-4) celebrated their first championship in school history. Buccaneers coach Joe Giddens made his players watch them get their trophy and medals after the game.
“I told them to watch and soak it in,” he said. “I told them to watch them get the trophy because I wanted them to see what it feels like. We know how we feel now; we know how we don’t want to feel again.”
The teams were tied at the end of the first quarter at 10-10, but Belen Jesuit outscored Mainland in each of the remaining quarters — 9-2, 13-8 and 17-10. Bucs point guard Nathan Kirk was held to five points while the rest of the players were also pinned to single digits. Javi Rosell led Belen Jesuit with 22 points while teammate Bryce Fitzgerald scored 13.
What I love about this team is that they love each other. At times when something bad happens, they go to their teammate to let them know we got it. — Joe Giddens, Mainland coach
Giddens said his players had never played a team like Belen Jesuit which pressed the entire game and operated differently than other teams they had faced. The Wolverines are coached by Gaston Rodríguez who already had two state championships under his belt with Champagnat Catholic and Coral Reef Senior High.
“At the time, we could not do something that we normally do on the regular,” Giddens said. “Worst time for it to happen and it did. We did not execute like we could have.”
The Buccaneers finished 25-6 after playing a monster schedule against teams ranked in the Florida High School Athletic Association top 20, such as third-ranked Olympia of Orlando, and top ranked teams from Georgia and Virginia.
“The gauntlet schedule is something I’m going to do every year,” Giddens said. “We are going to continue to play those kind of teams to get us ready.”
Mainland advanced to the final with a 43-38 victory over St. Petersburg in the semifinals March 2 in Lakeland.
After taking the District 4-5A title with a 73-52 victory over Menendez, the Bucs cracked a 25-year dry spell by winning the Region 1 final in a nail biter, 35-34 against Columbia, sending them to the state semifinals. Kirk, a freshman, racked up 18 points against St. Pete, while Angelo Mack had nine.
“When we won to go to the final four, I was very emotional,” Giddens said. “My players came to hug me and said, ‘Coach, you all right? We got you.’ To go with them to the final four and enjoy that moment is the best.”
Giddens believes this could be one of his best defensive teams. Their focus and being able to make adjustments on the fly shows their basketball intelligence is extremely high. One of the most positive aspects of this team, Giddens said, is they always look toward the next play and do not dwell on mistakes.
“What I love about this team is that they love each other,” Giddens said. “At times, when something bad happens, they go to their teammate to let them know we got it.”
The team was given time off following the defeat, but Giddens got a text on Monday, March 6, from his guys saying they wanted to get back in the gym. They stayed in the gym until 8:30 at night lifting weights and shooting baskets.
“I think my guys really learned from it,” he said “That right there tells me they really want it. They got a chance to get their feet wet and they want to go back. This says a lot about my coaches and my staff in what we install in those guys.”
This is the first year that Mainland has had its football team and basketball team bring home state runners-up titles the same year. It's also the first year the girls basketball team won a state championship. Giddens knows it has a lot to do with their creed — “Buc Pride Never Dies.”
“Oh man, that’s what I believe,” Giddens said. “When I was in high school, that’s all I knew. When I was a kid, I always wanted to play for Mainland. I wanted to break my uncle’s record at Mainland. It’s just something I always wanted to do.”
