By Marshall Tempest
Reporter
Last Thursday night, Feb. 20, the Apopka Blue Darters’ state title hopes ended in the regional finals, but it was still a memorable season for the boys basketball team.
With a 21-8 record, a Class 7A District 3 Championship, and a final FHSAA state ranking of 39, the Blue Darters had a historic year in more than one way.
Apopka boys basketball has a storied history of success
Scott Williams, the head coach of the Apopka boys basketball team, told me that the Blue Darters used to be playoff and state championship bluebloods. But then came a drought.
Williams says that Apopka is currently a perennial playoff team, having made six appearances in 11 years. This year marked a key step forward: Apopka earned the right to host home state tournament games for the first time since the 1960s, won its first district title since 2018, and advanced to its first regional final round of the state championship tournament since the 1960s.
“People say, ‘Hey, name the top seven or eight basketball programs in the Orlando metro area.’ I think we merited being one of those names, and that didn’t take place for 40 years. And so now the job is to keep doing it,” Williams said. “I think we’ve got the right kids, I know we’ve got the right coaches, and we’ve got the right support by our administration in our school. So we’re very blessed to be where we are and very blessed to be coaching the kids we get to coach.”
After the 1960s and 1970s, Apopka was not considered a perennial playoff team in central Florida. Since then, it has been a struggle to regain that standing, but Williams is doing everything he can to restore it to that level of respect.
One of Williams’s most significant pieces of the puzzle in keeping Apopka in the conversation is keeping local talent in Apopka. He said this year might have been crucial in that aspect of enticing basketball players in the city of Apopka to stay and become Blue Darters instead of going off somewhere else to play. Williams said the problem isn’t that there are no elite players or talent in the city of Apopka or that it all disappeared – it’s that many of the elite Apopka payers don’t play for Apopka.
“I hope our success keeps Apopka kids in Apopka,” Williams said. “Why were we more successful this year? For the first time in five years, we didn’t have players being poached. This also coincides with the last time we won a district championship.”
Williams said the group of guys he has now and the group he has had for the last four or five years have actively decided to stay with Apopka. Williams said the team he has now said to him, “Coach, we are where we want to be. We are Apopka through and through, and we want to be special here.”
Williams said that if the team and the school can retain community talent, then a year like this and its success would be typical and expected. He said a huge part of that equation is families who decide to send their kids to other places for what they think are better opportunities. He hopes that this year’s results speak for themselves.
“If we can keep the Apopka guys here year in and year out, we’re going to maintain this level of success versus us fighting to be a wild card team. Our mentality then becomes, ‘We’re going to get in and see if we can win a game,’ versus, ‘If we retain all of our homegrown talent and everyone is willing to work hard now, we should be district champions every year and host playoff games.’”
He said the difference is subtle yet distinct.
“I hope this motivates families to ignore outside influences and avoid distractions from those who say, ‘Come over here. Do it here. You don’t want to be there,’” Williams said. “We believe this is a special place and a special program, and we had a remarkable group of young men who showed that this year. I hope that’s a part of their legacy.”
Looking ahead
Coach Williams understands that the team will not perform at the same level next year as it did this year after losing five seniors and four starters. However, he has faith in the program’s ability to develop players, just as they did with the five seniors departing. He noted that the younger players on the team received plenty of playing time, many repetitions, and, most importantly, gained experience in an elite program competing against other top-tier programs. They also learned what it takes to compete at a state championship level.
Williams praised the younger varsity players and even the junior varsity players who were brought up in the playoffs for their tenacity and dedication during practice and while reviewing film. Their roles as rotation players and as the scout team, where they defend against the starters, have prepared them for the road ahead.
“We have some wonderfully talented young men who I believe are very, very driven to improve and are deeply passionate about the team and our culture. I have no doubt that in the process of maximizing who we were on this journey, they will be fully invested when we get started soon.”
Williams mentioned that the team will take some time off for now but will return to work in a few weeks. He also noted that most of the players have their own off-season routines, including participating in their respective AAU leagues, which helps them improve by exposing them to more elite competition.
“I’m excited about who they’ll become,” Williams said. “I can’t wait to see a new face of leadership, and I believe we have some guys who are ready to take on that mantle and make it their own. With each new season comes new challenges, which is part of the uniqueness of this job I’m blessed to do. You get to start fresh, and every road is completely unpaved, allowing you to create a new path with a new group of guys each year.”
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
Follow The Apopka Chief on Facebook.
Follow The Apopka Chief on X.
Follow The Apopka Chief on Instagram.
