Jonesboro, Arkansas – To commemorate 15 years since taking home the state championship, the Westside 2010 boys’ team is returning to town for a reunion.
The squad led by coach Mark Whitmire finished the season with a 32-3 record and the school’s first state championship since 1990. The team was unique, Whitmire remarked.
It was a lot of pleasure, Whitmire remarked, “because I knew we had a chance to really do something special with this group and they met every challenge, every year, and every game.”
Westside alumni Jeremiah Nortier and Will Nichols, who were once players, said they recall the practices more than the games.
“I consider the procedures. People usually think of the games, but in reality, it was the many hours of practice that allowed us to bond and get to know one another,” Nichols said.
“Those young men from that team gave it their all to win,” Whitmire added.
Whitmire stated, “Those young men just did everything they could every day to give them that chance because they had a lot of good work ethic and that’s where they wanted to be.”
We liked to almost fight and were tough. That was more enjoyable than simply grinding and being tough to score points, Nortier remarked.
Fifteen years later, they return to the Warrior Dome to commemorate that occasion and the difference they made.
“The hard work we did was just as important as the talent.” Nichols stated, “It was the guys knowing who was going to be where on the court, knowing that they were going to play defense and go get the ball no matter what.” “We didn’t have to worry about whether or not everyone would contribute.”
“Before I came here and before that run for the state championship, Westside was always known for basketball, but that really made us famous,” Whitmire said. “That’s what they’re trying to do, all the guys who played under that saw that and heard those stories.”
“I try to take what that team did in 2010 and instill that in my teams today,” coach Whitmire said.
“The collaborative element of it. Whitmire stated, “You can have excellent players on your team, but you never get as far as they want to go if you don’t have a team element where they care about one another.”
According to Nortier, “Every day is a drop in the bucket, but our time here on Earth is going to pass, so it has to be done with purpose.”
Prior to Friday, February 7’s senior high boys game, the 2010 squad was honored.
