AHCP | RCCA Boys Coach Matt Jude | 2-7-25

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, coach, We said to all the coaches there, you know,
Sydney's working the multiple jobs here tonight doing a great job.
Appreciate you staying patient with us and getting you on
the you know, I was just saying, uh, you and
I've kind of talked about the theme of the year
is kind of checking boxes. I feel like, you know,
and you continue to do that a little bit. And
now I know you're coming up on a on a

(00:21):
part of the schedule where you really have some great
tests to kind of maybe see where your program's at.
Is that kind of fair? Is that kind of how
you and the kids are looking at it with some
of these games coming up?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Oh? Yeah, for sure. We're looking looking forward to this week.
It's gonna be a big week for us. You know,
starting off with Tuesday, we're going to a Dina, you know,
to play in that environment. And was out there watching
that game tonight again Westfall, and you know, that's that's
a team that's that's not a one eighties. From the
beginning of the year, they've really they've improved a lot,

(00:52):
and you know, it just seems like they're taking coaching
well and they got a good squad over there. So
that would be the first test up for us, and
you know, we got hunting to and on Thursday, that'd
be the thirteenth, that'll be our Military Appreciation night. That'll
be a you know, good test for us against the
team that's really gotten hot, you know over the second
half of the year and just played some really tough

(01:13):
games and won some good ones as well. And then
we got to Miller's Sport on Friday away on that one,
and then we end the week on Saturday the fifteenth
at OUC for our Senior Night to celebrate our seniors, who,
like you said, they have you know, they've checked so
many boxes this year and we've we've had a lot
of first and our program's really taken a big leap

(01:36):
this year and a lot of that goes to our seniors.
So we're looking forward to a big week, you know,
with four games this week with all the makeups and everything,
and then you know, finishing off the week with a
great night to celebrate our seniors and all the hard
work they put in.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
You know, Coach on my on my notes for the
for the show, I kind of had down seniors here
in a week or two because we saw have a
couple of weeks left of this and we'll give coach
Is a chance at that point to maybe break down
the seniors individually. So I won't ask you to go
into that type of detail tonight, but what I will
ask you about, because it's been a year of checking
box and so forth, I feel like, if this goes

(02:13):
the way you envision and I've really appreciated the way
you've been able to kind of talk me through what
you hope the program can do here in the next
year or two. I got a feeling we're going to
look back two three years from now and we're gonna
say that senior group in twenty five they were really
a foundation piece. Talk to me a little bit about
the group and what they've meant to the program.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah, it's you know, really I can't mention them without
mentioning our juniors. Also as far as exactly what you're
talking about kind of looking back in a few years, Uh,
you know, we our seniors have have I coached him
the first year we've been their sophomore year, you know,
had all three seniors at Samuel Clevenger, Jabe Bevan and
Daniel Garabaudi and you know, so so you know, coach

(02:58):
them since they are sophomores, and then also are junior
class Nathaniel Clevenger and Jameen Beverly when they were freshmen, uh,
and then Isaac Kello coming over this year as a junior.
But you know, I really think a lot of this
falls on those six and just really creating a culture
of not just not just going out and and you know,

(03:18):
having you know, not just going out and playing basketball
and but going out and expecting to win and going
out and trying to lay the foundation for these for
these younger, younger kids. And you really see it in
our freshmen and our sophomore and you know, also just
just being christ Like in everything that they do and
keeping Christ at the center. And you know, while we
want to win, will never forsake winning for for being

(03:40):
christ Like and keeping Him at the forefront. So I
really just you know, from from all six of those guys,
I couldn't appreciate them more. And you know, you hit
it right on the head when he said in a
couple of years, in two, three, four years down the line,
you know, we're going to look back and we're gonna
we're going to talk about you know what that twenty
five and twenty six class did really just you know,

(04:01):
it's attorney attorney moment, not just for our basketball team,
but I believe for our school. We've generated they've generated
a lot of interest in the school. And you know,
I've heard multiple times this year of people just talking
about you know, I never even knew there was a
Christian school in Ross County and just you know, putting
putting RCC on the map. I feel like those six
have a big, you know, a big hand, and that
along with the freshmen and the sophomores who are stepping

(04:23):
up and and uh, you know, playing a big role
for us. But you know, the older guys are just
really doing a great job of laying that foundation of
what we want to do, establishing our culture and uh,
making sure that that the torch isn't going to be
set down after they leave. But they've they've done a
great job of making sure that that that torch is
going to be passed on to the younger guys and
you know, just making sure that they understand what we

(04:45):
do and why we do it.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
Well, that's really well said. And you know, as far
as as far as your boys group, you're we're going
to have a great opportunity in the weeks to come
to break down what should be some really good matchups
for you, some really good tests. But I think the
other part that I wanted to ask you for this
week is the growth of basketball in general there at
the school, you know, on the girls side, some younger levels,
some JV I've heard you mentioned JV basketball. How's the

(05:11):
junior high doing? Talk Talk to me just about the
sport of basketball at the school and how you feel
like it's been something that's really helped, uh, kind of
kind of grow overall. Maybe the girls program junior high
so forth.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yeah, our our girls program off star with our Virtuy
girls program, and they were a team that kind of
the opposite of us as far as you know, we
brought back a lot of guys and then you know,
we added a lot of guys to our program, and
they were kind of the opposite. They lost a few
and then you know, had had a couple decide not
to play, and uh, they lost their point guard and

(05:44):
you know, they lost one of their better defenders from
last year, and they were kind of in a rebuilding year.
But you know, they they have the pieces to win,
you know, to win, and over the last couple of weeks,
I've really saw a big growth in them. You know,
they only have eight players on their team, but they
play hard and they don't quit until the end. And
you know, they they they've really done a great job

(06:06):
of just improving week by week over the course of
the season. And I told the girls coach at the
ginning of the year, this team's gonna be different by
the end of the year, and I really believe that's
the truth. You know, they've gotten better every single time
they stuff in the court, and they just full off
a big win the other night against Sugar Creek Christian
who that would have been on Saturday. Sugar Creek beat

(06:27):
them by about twenty the last time they played, and
you know, they turned around and they beat them by twelve.
I believe it was down at Sugar Creek. So you know,
they're getting a lot better. And then as far as
our JV Boys program, we got a we got a
really great group of freshmen and sophomores that just love
playing together. They love the game of basketball, and you
can tell every time they step on the court. You know,

(06:48):
we've got a couple of big wins this year. You know,
we beat we beat Welson, who's a pretty good JV
team in the area, by I believe it was maybe
two or three down at Welston. You know, we we've
played We beat Fair for Christian at home by one
on a game winning shot by Isaac Peacher. And you know,
from the beginning to the end of the year, they

(07:08):
have just done a one eighty as far as you know,
just playing together and really looking to involve everybody, and
you know, it's just been a really great year for them.
And then our junior high boys program, they've got a
lot of kids that came out. They had thirteen thirteen
seventh and eighth graders and they've gotten a lot better.
I believe they finished the years somewhere around like seven

(07:30):
and four or seven and five. They didn't get a
chance to play too many games, you know, with all
the cancelations and all that stuff. But you know, they've
played really well and they've played together. They've improved a lot.
They were a group that really didn't get all the
love that they deserved and didn't get all the coaching
they deserve as far as you know the basketball fundamentals.

(07:52):
But you know, Mike Elliot's done a great job with
that group and really instilling the fundamentals for them. And
then our junior high girls program they coached by my
sister Julian Jude, and she's done a great job with them.
They they struggled all year and they pulled off a
win the other night against the Menyon Academy for their
first win of the year. And you know, they're they're
really young and not very experienced, but you know, they

(08:14):
just keep working at it. And then our bidy programs
have really taken a step forward this year. Our fifth
grade girls is a really good girls group. They've they've
they've had some nice wins this year against some bigger
schools competed with Circleville, you know, and our our certain
fourth grade girls are just you know, they're they're getting
better every day and they're working hard. And when you

(08:34):
look at our boys program and the biddy you know,
we played a lot of local schools and our sixth graders,
I believe the only team they lost to was Westball.
You know, they had a great year this year, got
a lot better and really improved and we got a
lot of young guys in that group that are gonna
in the next couple of years are gonna come up
and make some contributions at the high school level, which
I'm really excited about. And then our fifth graders had

(08:56):
the same thing you had, had a good year, had
some really good players. And fourth graders went from not
winning the game in third grade to coming out and
I believe they won every game but maybe maybe two
or three, you know, so almost a complete one eighty.
And our third grade boys, you know, they they they
were competing with teams in the air. They lost by
Huntington on last maybe last fifteen second shots something like that,

(09:20):
lost by one to Huntington. And you know, it's just
the whole the whole program that is taking a big
step up. You know, they've worked really hard, and I
can just see from third grade all the way up
to seniors. You know, people are buying in and believing
in the program. And you know, before it was always
you know, where are you going to go when you
get to high school? You know, all these kids talking

(09:40):
about leaving our CCI, and now I hear these kids
talking about you know, they can't wait to get to
high school. They can't wait to play on Ouc's court.
You know, they can't wait to put on the uniform
to be an Eagle, and you know, I think I
just speak to the culture of how the school shifted,
and I once again I just want to, you know,
point to our girls program and the culture they've created
over there, and they've been successful for many number of

(10:01):
years here and then you know the culture that those six,
the six older guys set that like talked about before,
and you know, just changing the culture of the school.
It's no longer you know, it's no longer where are
you're going, but you know they're talking about when they
get into high school and they're playing for our CCA
and the things they're going to do then. So you know,
I'm just going to be more proud of where everybody's

(10:24):
contributed and just how many people have poured into the
program and really put a lot of effort into it,
and it just means so much and I can't wait
to see what the future holds for our CCA.

Speaker 1 (10:35):
Well, coach, I thought that was well said. That's why
I wanted to give you a chance to highlight, you know,
all of what's going on there in terms of the
growth in the winter sports, particularly basketball and so forth.
And look forward to talking to you again next week.
I got a lot of big games coming up. The
best of luck, look forward to following them, and we'll
talk about it next Friday Night.

Speaker 2 (10:56):
Thanks Sane. I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (10:57):
Thank you.