Family atmosphere

The Sarasota High girls basketball team is playing catch up.

It’s a situation the Lady Sailors aren’t quite accustomed to, but it’s one that has given them perspective and a reason to hit the court even harder than before.

Rather than spending the summer playing together in a league, the Sarasota players spent the offseason away from the court while their coach, Rob Jutras, was in Houston with his son, Kyle Jutras, a teacher and assistant boys basketball coach at Sarasota, who was battling a rare NUT midline carcinoma.

The Lady Sailors used the time away from the court to bond and rally together over team dinners and trips to the movies while creating a unique sisterhood that transcends basketball.

“We’re not like (any other) team,” senior guard Camille Giardina says. “We’re like a family. We consider ourselves sisters. It’s basically an extension of family.”

Sarasota, which advanced to the Class 7A state semifinals last season, began its offseason conditioning program two weeks after the school year began in the hopes of getting back to where it was in February — the last time the Lady Sailors were all together on the court.

“When we first started, we wanted to do it for coach,” Giardina says. “He wasn’t there, but we knew we had to get the job done and do what was expected of us. His presence was there even though he wasn’t.”

Jutras returned to the court last month for tryouts, following his son’s death Sept. 29. Since then, Jutras has been focused on getting his players back up to speed and focused on building upon the tradition that’s been put in place.

“For the girls, they really missed being on the court,” Jutras says. “They are a big family, and I think they missed being around their family and conducting their family business, which is done on the court. “And, for me, it (created) a sense of normalcy or what the new normal is for me,” Jutras says. “It’s very unusual. We’re (a little) behind and having to play catch up, so it’s been an adjustment period.”

Sarasota, which graduated one senior from last year’s state semifinal team and added four underclassmen, officially opened its season Nov. 11.

The Lady Sailors played three games last week, posting lopsided wins over DeSoto County and Tampa Catholic before narrowly falling to Fort Myers, the team it edged past in last year’s regional final, 47-44 Nov. 14.

Sarasota, which finished 26-5 last season while capturing the Class 7A-District 10 title, returns to the court Nov. 20 at Venice to face a Lady Indians team that also advanced to last year’s regional tournament. The Lady Sailors will open district play Dec. 2 versus Braden River.

“They competed,” Jutras says of Sarasota’s 2-1 start. “That’s all I ask of my teams every night. We don’t really talk about what we did last year or our goals beyond winning a district championship, and I think that helps keep pressure at a minimum.”

Although the Lady Sailors might not necessarily talk about a return trip to the state semifinals or the expectation that comes from finishing last season as one of the top teams in the state, their focus still centers on doing their best every time they step out onto the court.

And, perhaps more than anything, they are playing for one another — their family.

“I feel like we’re always playing for more,” Giardina says. “Inside, we all do it for someone or something that motivates or drives us. We all share a part in the loss, and it definitely bonds us more.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].

Roster
Josie LeBlanc
Imani Jones
Carlisle Linehan
Madison Atha
Zharia Grable
Camille Giardina
Jer’myla Trebbles
DeQuandra Hill
Ja’da Bennett
Madison Pack
Cierra McKinon