Joe Sanchez

BY PRESTON ORRICK

As the new head basketball coach for Indian River State College, Joe Sanchez brings 25 years of collegiate experience. His experience is already improving the team.

Sanchez played basketball in high school and college, and made a commitment to coaching the sport as well as teaching. He started coaching in 1976 in Texas. Since that job, Sanchez has coached numerous men’s and women’s teams.

His profession has taken him from the U.S. Naval Academy to Jensen Beach High School. With over 440 collegiate wins, 448 college head-coaching wins and six teams in the NCAA tournament, Sanchez is in the midst of proving himself at IRSC.

“I’ve just been very fortunate,” Sanchez says. “I’m doing something that I always wanted to do as the coach and teacher.”

Sanchez was hired as head coach on Jan. 3 and had little time to get the team ready for its first game. Since then, Sanchez has kept practices organized and structured.

“I am very pleased with Sanchez so far,’ says athletic director Scott Kimmelman. “He has come in and really instilled some structure and discipline to the guys that we needed.”

Currently, the team, which is 2-4 in the Southern Conference, is playing with just eight men on the roster because of injuries. They compete with teams with as many as 14 players.

“The kids were struggling a little bit there as we were going through the transition,” Kimmelman said. “One player acts as a center and everybody else plays as a guard. Joe’s forcing them to be basketball smart rather than just running up and down the court shooting the ball. That’s a big difference for us.”

In just six weeks, Sanchez has put his brand of play on the team.

“I like to press and up-tempo,” Sanchez says, “The team’s goal is to play their best during the season, so they can be ready for the conference tournament. “We’re working hard to pull a couple of surprises down the stretch.”

The basketball team has gone through many coaches before Sanchez in the past year, but the players are already seeing a difference in Sanchez’s coaching style.

“Sanchez is doing a lot of extra stuff that a coach doesn’t have to,” says freshman Eric Eversley, “He’s showing that he really cares about the team.”

Different offensive and defensive schemes are being used, and the players have noticed, says Quamian Foreman, who has been with the team for two years.

“He’s real touchy on the game during practice, and constantly analyzing how we play,” he says.

From what Sanchez has displayed so far during practice and games, starter Luke Walters, is optimistic.

“We have our setbacks, but I think overall we’re getting better every day,” says Walters, who has been on the team for two years.

Sanchez also believes the future of his team will be solid.

The young team only lost by two points to second-place team in the conference, and played very aggressively in a recent game against the conference leader. “Anything that we can accomplish now will be positive down the road,” says Sanchez.

“Joe Sanchez is going to gain some great respect here in the state,” Kimmelman says. “The college knows it’s going to get a good product out of Indian River again.”

Tags: athletics, basketball, coach, College, head, indian, river, Sports, state

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