- June 29, 2026
Matanzas girls basketball coach Cory Curtis wasn't hired until late September last year, which was only about a month before the start of preseason practice. Feeling that the Pirates never fully recovered from that late start, Curtis wanted to make sure he had a summer program in place this year.
“I wanted to get a jump on the season and give the girls a taste of varsity basketball again,” Curtis said. “But I wanted to do a summer league that wasn’t as fast paced as the Mainland summer league, because I had seven or eight freshmen last season just learning the game of basketball.”
Curtis found that other nearby high school teams were interested in playing in a summer league. So, he organized the Battle of the Roses with Matanzas, St. Augustine, Menendez, First Baptist Christian Academy and St. Joseph Academy playing games throughout June. The league culminated with a double-elimination playoff with Menendez upsetting St. Joseph in the championship game. It was St. Joseph’s only loss during league play.
Matanzas finished 2-6, but the Pirates’ progress was palpable. They lost to St. Joseph 60-5 in their opener. But the second time they faced the Flashes, the score was 40-22.
“I was surprised by the growth of our team,” Curtis said. “I knew we were going to be the underdog going in, but I knew it would be good experience for us.”
The Pirates were 7-16 last season and lost three senior starters. But Paiden Hickman, a freshman who, Curtis said, left the team before Christmas for family reasons, is back. And Le’Nai Ramsay, a rising junior, has transferred from Flagler Palm Coast. Hickman scored 27 points in a win against Atlantic on Dec. 2 last season.
“When she left, the brunt of our scoring was lost,” Curtis said. “But she came back more locked in and looked really good during the summer.”
Another rising sophomore, Ysabella Cruz, has shown maturation, Curtis said.
“Last year, she was so quiet,” Curtis said. “Now she’s very vocal on the court and leading the charge, especially defensively.”
Aurora Purdy, a rising senior, is working as a lifeguard and didn’t play in the summer league, but she’ll be counted on next season to help run the offense, Curtis said.
The second-year coach said he is planning to field a JV team this year with 22 girls showing interest in playing basketball for the Pirates. The Pirates’ summer program will continue in July with the focus on conditioning, he said.
“We’re going to hang our hats on defense this year,” Curtis said. “We’re going to play more man. If you want to make a deep run in the district, you have to play man, and with those type of teams, like Ponte Vedra and First Coast, you go to be in shape. The last couple of practices, we started running a mile, and then we ran bleachers. We know it’s going to be a challenge.”
