In his two seasons as the Head Coach at Woodlawn High, Brad Voight has focused on building the foundation of the program. Coach Voight has stressed to his players that this includes excelling both on and off the court.
“We believe we are starting to set a very solid and sustainable foundation both on the court and in the classroom,” said Voight. “We will return three players who were recognized with All-District Honors. Our returning student-athletes have also done a great job in the classroom and are right at the 3.0 team GPA that was set as a goal before the season!”
Rickie Collins and Kyle Jones were each named to the District 5-5A All-District First Team for the 2020-2021 season. Collins, who was also named to the 2019-2020 team, looks to be in the mix for the District MVP next season. Collins averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds per game, and his shot blocking ability around the basket paid huge dividends for the Panthers this season.
Clayton Adams and Bryan Sledge were named to the District 5-5A Honorable Mention team. Sledge, who is a senior, average 11 points and 7 rebounds per game. His play on both ends of the court will be missed.
“Kyle Jones and Clayton Adams both return with Rickie, and both should have much improved seasons next year,” added Voight. “We will look to Clayton and Kyle to score more next year to make up for the loss of our seniors.”
The 2020-2021 season was marked by quarantines and streaks for the Panthers. After they opened their season with a win over St. Thomas Aquinas, Woodlawn was quickly placed on quarantine due to contact tracing and missed their next four games.
The Panthers returned to action to win their next five games, before suffering their first defeat of the season. Another five game win streak in early January, marked by a big win over Jehovah-Jireh, had Woodlawn poised to make a run at the district championship.
However, Covid-19 forced the Panthers to sit through another quarantine. When they were finally able to return to the court in early February, the team went 1-2 before being shut down again for two weeks leading into the playoffs.
Despite the roller coaster season, Woodlawn finished the season with a 17-7 record and were named the #20 seed in the LHSAA Class 5A State Tournament. The Panthers traveled to Gonzales to face the #13 seeded East Ascension Spartans, and fell in a close contest. Despite the season ending before the team wished, there were many bright spots to the season.
“We fill that we have that foundation built now,” concluded Voight. “We have kids working hard in the classroom and on the court. We have kids who expect to make the playoffs each year. We have kids that are looking forward to summer league. It’s an exciting time to be a Panther.”
Teams interested in joining the Woodlawn High Summer League should email Coach Voight at [email protected].
