GALVESTON — Travis Ceccacci knows expectations are high for Tornado basketball.
It means pressure and the potential for letdown or failure. It also means a large fan base and plenty of support.
The senior wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s great,” Ceccacci said. “You have to learn how to deal with the expectations, but it’s certainly better than the alternative of not playing somewhere with a tradition. I mean you’ve got great fan support and a winning culture.”
At Ball High, with a winning basketball tradition, there are always high expectations. With back-to-back District 24-5A championships, those expectations have soared.
It may not be fair to a team returning just four players in a district where all eight teams legitimately can compete for a playoff spot.
“That’s what you get for playing basketball here,” Marcus Ruiz said. “You get a lot of support and get to be part of a great tradition. It’s pretty fun.”
The Tors lost eight players from a year ago, including District MVP Israel Ruiz and All-District selection Darrell Warner. That’s a lot of new players without varsity experience.
Ball has spent most of the offseason trying to find a set rotation and working those new faces in. Coach Jerard Temple said it could take some time to adjust.
But he also knows his eight new varsity members have practiced the Tors system — offense and defense — since they were freshman.
“Everyone understands what’s going on,” Temple said. “It’s just a matter of getting to game speed and strength on the varsity level.”
The Tors, though, have some experience on the floor — least to start games. Ball returns three starters, Mike Evans, Terran Petteway and Marcus Ruiz.
Evans was a second team All-County selection a year ago. He can do everything on the court. Petteway provides another scoring option from the outside.
But Ball is a team that doesn’t depend on any one player. It’s a team system that pressures opponents full court for 32 minutes. On offense, the Tors get everyone involved by distributing the ball to everyone.
It makes all those new faces that important to continuing a tradition and getting another district championship.
“It’s a matter of just fitting everyone in,” Temple said. “I like our players and they get the system. If we grind it and play hard, I like our chances.”
