Beach Ball Notebook: St. Edward gets hot, splashes in record 19 treys in win

Eric Flannery said after an opening-round loss that if his team fails to hit 3-pointers, it could get run out of the gym.

Against East Jackson (Ga.) on Tuesday, the St. Edward (Ohio) coach saw the flip side of that. His squad set a single-game Beach Ball Classic record by drilling 19 of them in a 93-71 victory to advance in the consolation bracket.

“It’s our style. We’re going to shoot a lot of 3s,” Flannery said. “When you start three short guys and big guys who are somewhat limited in what they can do, you have to create ways. Even back home in Cleveland, we play big, talented, athletic teams. We can’t score in a half court. Even defensively, we can’t stop them. This is sort of the way we’ve learned to control the tempo somehow. If we can make 30 percent of our shots, we’ve got a chance.”

They had more than a chance against East Jackson.

Thomas Schmock led the way with six 3s, Sean Flannery hit five and Jack Sullivan connected on four. In total, six Eagles made at least one while 14 attempted at least one. The Eagles finished the game 19 of 48 from long-range for a 39.6 percentage. Eight of the makes came in the opening half, and then a quick burst after halftime put St. Edward within reach of the record.

The team total broke a mark that stood since 1990, when Tates Creek (Kent.) made 16. In 2007, Canadian program Eastern Commerce tied the record.

By comparison, the 19 makes Tuesday would have been second-all-time in state history, according to the South Carolina High School League records, if St. Edward was an in-state program. Either way, a whole bunch of makes gave Flannery an extra reason to let them keep launching from deep throughout.

“That’s the most 3s we’ve ever shot in my 20 years,” he said. “That’s obviously the most we’ve ever made. We shot 40, 41, 42 in the first couple games this year. It’s not like we shoot 10 and then we shot 50.”

Coaching carousel

Three coaches were scheduled to return to the Beach Ball Classic with new schools this year, and two made it.

East Jackson coach David Boyd won a Beach Ball title in 2011 with Milton and was scheduled to return with East Jackson (Ga.) this year, but he is missing the tournament after having a heart procedure performed.

Montverde coach Kevin Boyle won the 2008 Beach Ball title with St. Patrick (N.J.), and Mustang (Okla.) coach Terry Long went 2-2 and placed fourth in the 2010 Beach Ball when he was at Frederick A. Douglass (Okla.).

Long won three state titles at Douglass from 2010-12 and added a state title at Mustang last season.

Boyle’s 2008 St. Patrick team included current NBA stars Kyrie Irving and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Boyle and St. Patrick played in four Beach Balls, going 9-4 and also placing third in 2004.

“Coach Boyle is a hell of a coach and I’ve followed him since he was at St. Patrick,” St. Francis (Ga.) coach Drew Catlett said. “I recruited some of his players when I was coaching in college and his kids are always going to be prepared to play at that level. He always has really good athletes and strong, tough kids.”

Boyle is being inducted into the Beach Ball Classic Hall of Fame this year. He’s a four-time national coach of the year and entered the season with a record of 582-130.

“Being inducted in this Hall of Fame is really special,” Boyle said. “You look at the other coaches that were put in, and you’re in there with guys that have had just great, great careers and are really good at leading kids.”

Two-day respite

With Sunday and the dunk and three-point contests falling on the second day of the tournament this year, three teams in the winner’s bracket were left with two days off between games.

Montverde (Fla.) and St. Francis (Ga.) had Sunday and Monday off, and Seton Hall Prep (N.J.) was off Monday and Tuesday after winning its quarterfinal game against Moeller (Ohio) on Sunday afternoon.

Broadway Grand Prix was a popular activity during the down time, as both Seton Hall and St. Francis spent a couple hours racing the go-karts. Seton Hall’s players spent much of Monday night playing video games in their hotel and were allowed to sleep in Tuesday.

Monday was essentially a free day for St. Francis players. Coach Drew Catlett said coaches asked that the players remain within a few blocks of the hotel. Some went to the beach and some did things with parents.

“It’s a little different having two days off between games,” Catlett said. “You want them to have fun and enjoy it, and it not just be all business.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 9:01 PM with the headline "Beach Ball Notebook: St. Edward gets hot, splashes in record 19 treys in win."