GREENE COUNTY
Attending a boys’ basketball game in the Nathanael Greene Academy gym can remind one of Hoosiers. However, most of the players have never seen the 1986 movie, although they closely emulate the characters from the American sports drama.
The Patriots aren’t slated to win a state title this year, but they are working hard under head coach Kevin Furtado, who is trying to establish a new hoops culture at NGA.
He returns to Lake Country to where his coaching career began - Nathanael Greene Academy but this time, he is tasked with rebuilding the program after a few down years.
“We’re trying to build a program and getting it going,” Furtado said. “We’re not playing great right now. We’re trying to build, but I think we will be better down the road.”
NGA is currently 0-5 with losses to a few tough programs, including GHSA’s Gordon Lee and GIAA’s Briarwood Academy. The Patriots compete in the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools (GAPPS), which is the smallest organization in the Peach State. So, it’s safe to say that they’re playing “out of their league.”
However, Furtado has seen some positives since taking over at the helm earlier this school year.
“We’re trying to instill some good habits and learn to play together as a team. It’s been a work in progress but they’re taking some strides,” Furtado said, “We’re coming along and we’ve had some tough games. I’m excited about the potential here.”
Nathanael Greene Academy has less than 20 boys enrolled in the high school, although about a dozen of them came out for basketball. A good majority played eight-man football this fall, so they didn’t come out for the hoops team until late October.
Furtado will look to a senior like Isaac Jordan to help lead the way this season.
“Last year was my first season playing basketball here,” Jordan said. “We had a good amount of players last year, but every year you lose people, but we’re growing.”
Jordan highlighted that he’s also seen some positives and pointed out the Patriots’ strong suits.
“I think we’re good at finishing in the paint, so like layups and stuff. I think we’re a lot better at that (type of stuff) than shooting,” Jordan said. “Coach (Furtado) is helping us.”
Nathan Shuman has been with the program at NGA since seventh grade. The junior is excited to be out there playing with his teammates and helping rebuild Patriots’ basketball.
“I was there when Ethan (Yearwood) and all of them (other guys) were here,” Shuman said. “They had a great season and made it to the final eight of the playoffs.”
Yearwood was a staple of the program before he passed away last October, which was just a month before the start of his senior season. He had already surpassed the 1,000-point mark and was hoping to lead the Patriots back to the playoffs in his final year.
Sadly, Yearwood didn’t get to do that, although he left a mark on the program that won’t be forgotten. This year’s team is trying to carry on his legacy this season on the court. They hope to be the building blocks for the future of NGA boys’ basketball.
Shuman explained that Yearwood was an “inspiration” to the team and also to the community.
“He was so kind and helpful to everybody. He would just lift up the joy in any room he walked in,” Shuman said. “So, everybody is trying to feel motivated to try and be like Ethan. Both on and off the court. We try to play aggressively, be nice to each other and support each other. We’re trying to help each other in areas that we lack.”
Shuman explained the addition of Furtado has been helpful in terms of learning the game.
“He’s honestly done a great job. He’s been teaching us some important things that we lack as a team,” Shuman said. “He’s focusing on what we lack, so it’s helping us build a foundation for us to improve over the (next several) years. It’s building a culture.”
NGA sophomore Gavin McKinley is one of the youngest members of the Patriots’ squad. He has been at the school since eighth grade and is glad Furtado is the head coach.
McKinley explained that Furtado preaches how to be disciplined as a basketball player.
“He’s working with us mainly on that,” McKinley said. “He’s spent a good bit (of time) on that, and also the stuff we need to grow and be better as a basketball team.”
Furtado took the job at NGA just over two months ago and quickly assembled the team. He has since been working with the players on the fundamentals of the game and how to function as a team. Plus, Furtado has been teaching accountability to his guys.
The Patriots that came out for this year’s team have responded well to his coaching. They also know they’re the centerpiece of the bigger vision he has for the program.
McKinley is hoping more players come out in the future, so they can help the rebuild.
“We just need people,” McKinley said. “We just need more people to help us out in general.”
Furtado tied it all back to attendance and enrollment at NGA. He hopes that by building back the program, more students will want to attend the school and join the team. Furtado uses the Hoosiers movie as a reference for this year’s team bonding.
“I’ve definitely got to show them that movie, especially because we have about 18 boys in the high school, and I think 11 of them play basketball,” Furtado said. “So, we’re maxing out on all of the boys here and Gavin mentioned a good point. We’ve got to get more kids here (at NGA) because that’s a lot of pressure on these young men here.
A lot of them play football, basketball and baseball. Plus, all the other stuff they do. They do everything, so they’ve got to carry the school pretty much. That’s a lot of responsibility and it would be nice for them to have more kids. So, the school is trying to get more kids and attract more people to Nat (Nathanael) Greene Academy.”
Furtado looks at players like Jordan, Shuman and McKinley to lead the Patriots this year. He thinks they have the skills to help “Row the Boat” and keep the progress going. Furtado hopes that these three can help NGA get a few wins this year, too.
According to Furtado, his players have been gaining ground since mid-October.
“The score doesn’t indicate the kind of improvement they’ve made. You know what I am saying?” Furtado said. “We’re going to start seeing the dividends here soon.”
Another reason Furtado wanted this job was to honor his former friend, coach Brock Miller, who recently passed away due to complications of Parkinson’s Disease.
He acknowledged Miller’s success at NGA when he coached the Patriots in the late 1990s.
“He was just an influence in the community and at Carson Middle School here in the county,” Furtado said. “His wife is my principal over at the primary school and he’s had an impact on a lot of athletes and students here in the area. He passed away recently, and the theory (for us) this year is to play for something bigger than ourselves. He had a lot of courage and he fought through (his disease), so I want these guys to do the same. These guys are going to have to do a lot of the same things he did to be a competitive team, and we feel like it was really important to recognize him.”