The Miramar boys finished 17th at last year's 4A state meet, but 2017 could be different for Coach Chris McComb's squad. We caught up with McComb to get an inside look at his team which has several key losses, but brings in two key point scorers in Jamal Walton and Chad Black. The Patriots are ranked fourth in our 4A pre-season rankings and are looking to land on the podium.
How did your team finish last year at state?
The boys finished 17th.
Who are your top returners?
Terrence Horne, Jr., Taylor Banks, Caleb Okwaraji, Patrick White, Brian Edwards, and Preston Holt.
What are your key losses from last season?
We lost Leroy Campbell, Shemar Jean-Charles, Gregori McCrae, Jonathan Seay and Obinna Nwankwo due to graduation. Yasir Abdullah transferred for football reasons to Carol City.
Do you have any impact freshmen or transfers coming in?
Jamal Walton from Everglades an Chad Black from Carol City.
What has the preseason training been like?
Training has been great both in the turnout in numbers we had and the quality of work. Our focus has been getting stronger in the weight room and working on being consistent.
What meets are you keying in on this year?
We are not keying in on any particular we just are preparing to compete in all meets we show up for.
What are the goals for this year's squad?
Of course our goal is to win state as we set that goal every year and be consistent throughout the whole season.
How would you describe this year's team?
The team is very focused and understands what they need to do. Overall the mindset is that we didn't reach our goal last year and that we have some unfinished business going to tend too. Injuries and not being humble were an issue last year for a couple reasons and that has been addressed going forward into this season.