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Beasts from the East: Panthers eye playoffs after perfect 10-5A push
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
At this time last year, the Plano East boys basketball team was getting its offseason under way.
Let that sink in for a moment.
The Panthers (27-4, 10-0), who rank No. 3 in Class 5A according to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, failed to make the playoffs in 2011-12.
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It's been a total 180 for the Panthers as one year later, East's reclamation project led to its first district championship since 2007-08 and an unblemished run through 10-5A.
"We're just trying to go out with a bang," said Marcus Mathieu, East senior guard. "This program hasn't done much in a while and we're trying to put this school back on the map."
That bang was an occasional flicker last season, as varsity growing pains cracked East square across the jaw in 2011-12. A season marred by late-game miscues, the Panthers went 2-12 in games decided by two possessions or less.
"A lot of us didn't have much experience on varsity last year," said Jarvis Pugh, East senior guard. "It was a new experience for us, playing against schools like (Flower Mound) Marcus and other schools that had more returners than we did."
Under that same criteria, the Panthers are 7-3 this season.
Part of that is experience, but a revamped mindset doesn't hurt.
"We know our roles," Mathieu said. "[first-year East head coach Jeff Clarkson] came in with a defensive mindset and, as long as we play defense, it doesn't matter if our shot's off because our defense will still give us a chance to win the game."
Defense has been East's calling card this season.
The Panthers' ability to run out lineups with four players over 6-foot-4 has proven a nightmarish proposition for opposing offenses, with East's speed, length and athleticism harassing teams around the rim.
Offensively, the Panthers have a steady balance as evidenced by seven different leading scorers this year, although scoring roles have become more defined as the season has gone on. Among the beneficiaries has been senior Pat Birt, a newcomer to the East after playing last season for an Arlington Grace Prep squad that was among the top teams in the nation. The shifty southpaw's scoring has taken off in recent weeks -- averaging 19.7 points over the last six games.
"I've been more aggressive and playing with more confidence," Birt said. "I'm just glad I have great teammates who let me have that confidence because I've been playing with a lot of these guys since second grade."
Pugh has seen an uptick in offensive production and Mathieu has kept his scoring intact while embracing more of a facilitator role. Seniors Sawyer Kipp, Xavier Smith, Chico Morales and junior Zach Smith add double-digit scoring potential as well.
The ingredients looked nice on paper and the result was the most buzz surrounding a Panthers team since 2007-08.
During the team's Dec. 27-29 run through the prestigious Whataburger Tournament, that vision began to come to fruition following wins over state-ranked opponents in Richland, Duncanville and Richardson Berkner before falling short in the finals to Long Beach Poly, the No. 10 team in the country according to ESPN.
"[Whataburger] really brought us confidence because we hadn't beaten many top teams recently," Mathieu said. "Knocking off great teams like Duncanville and Richland showed we could beat anybody out there."
"Even though we lost," Birt added, "I think that parts of that Cal Poly game were some of the best ball we've played all season and I know we've been a different team since that tournament."
The momentum carried over into 10-5A, where the Panthers became the first team in program history to go undefeated in district. East has won its last eight games by an average margin of 19.8 points.
"It's so tough to go undefeated in district," Clarkson said. "With this district, there are a lot of quality teams and I wouldn't be surprised if several of them won in the first round (of the playoffs). It feels good as a coach and I'm happy for these guys knowing what they've been through."
The players were happy with the accomplishment, but were quick to point out that the real goal is what lies ahead.
That will take form Monday or Tuesday when the Panthers begin their first playoff run since 2008-09. It's been fairly uncharted waters for East, which hasn't won a playoff game since its regional finals run in 2007-08.
"I told them that if you want to leave a banner in the rafters, you need to win district or a playoff game," Clarkson said. "You don't get one if you don't do either of those."
Rest assured, the Panthers want to cover that banner in as much text as possible.
"We want to win state," Birt said. "This is the last time a lot of us will play together and we've been playing together for a long time. We want to end it with smiles on our faces thinking about what we did instead of what we could have done."
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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