Last Man Standing

+Landrum wins in high school coaching debut 

Sarasota Christian first-year boys basketball coach Kevin Landrum watched his team beat Tampa Universal Academy 89-85 in 6OT in its season opener Nov. 19. 

Landrum assumed the head coaching position at Sarasota Christian this year. He coached previously at Polk State College in Winter Haven. 

Landrum played basketball for University of Wisconsin-Platteville before a pair of concussions forced him off the court. 

Landrum decided to get into coaching, following in the footsteps of his father, Todd Landrum, as a way to stay in the game. Todd Landrum, who coached at Ohio State University and the University of Wisconsin, among other stops, is now an assistant coach for the Blazers. 

“We’re the same type of coach, but we have our own philosophies,” Kevin Landrum said. “The things I like to do, I got from him. I’ve worked with a variety of coaches, and you take certain things from each one and mold it all together."

SARASOTA — Brandon Bontrager never had a reason to leave Sarasota Christian.

The senior guard had been playing basketball for the Blazers since the sixth grade, so the thought of donning anything other than the school's uniform this winter never crossed his mind — even when all his teammates from last year’s Class 2A Final Four squad left for other schools, and his former coach, Kevin Fields, assumed the head coaching position at Sarasota High. 

“I didn’t really pay much attention to it,” Bontrager said. “I didn’t want to leave, and once I found out coach (Kevin) Landrum was coming, it put everything together and gave me a lot of motivation.” 

Bontrager is essentially the only player left from Sarasota Christian’s varsity squad, which advanced to the state semifinals in each of the past two seasons. Leading scorer Blake Morrow is now at Victory Rock. Emmanuel Lambright and Matteo Whelton both transferred to Cardinal Mooney and Brion Whitley plays for Riverview. 

Of the 14 players now on the Blazers roster, Bontrager had only previously played with three of them — and that was back in eighth grade while playing JV. 

It’s been an adjustment for Bontrager, who has spent the past two months learning a different system while getting acquainted with his teammates on the floor.

“Before, we could practically read each others' minds because we had been playing together for four years,” Bontrager said. “I’m more or less playing with an entirely different group, so we’re not playing as in tune with one another, but we’re getting a lot better at it. We’re going to have a good few years in the future.”  

But for Bontrager, who has had four different coaches each of the past four seasons, change is nothing new. He is one of four seniors who will see ample playing time for the Blazers this season, but he’s the only one with extensive varsity experience. 

“A lot of people think they’ll just be able to roll over us,” Bontrager said. “It gives us a lot of motivation coming out. I just want people to know that we are here to play ball.” 

Bontrager recognizes there are expectations that come from having made back-to-back trips to Lakeland for the Final Four. But for Bontrager, this season is more about coming together as a team and getting his teammates confident and motivated to be a good team. 

If Sarasota Christian can finish in the top two in the district and advance to the regional tournament, Bontrager will have accomplished his goal for the season. 

“This year, we really have nothing to lose,” Bontrager said. “I just want us to come out and play ball and win some games. 

“It’s a different sense,” Bontrager said. “Last year, we were basically forced to win otherwise people would start asking questions. Now we’re just taking it one game at a time.” 

Bontrager led Sarasota Christian to an 89-85 6OT victory against Tampa’s Universal Academy in its season opener Nov. 19. He then dropped a team-high 30 points in the Blazers 84-81 loss to Shorecrest Prep Nov. 20. 

“Brandon has done anything and everything I’ve asked him to do,” Landrum said. “He’s a hard worker. He’s not just going to talk. He’s going to show them what to expect.

“Everyone came in with a clean slate,” Landrum said. “People aren’t going to necessarily know them all by name, but they’re going to see how valuable they are for us.” 

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].