“Spirit of Excellence – P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E” is the quote that the Treasure Coast High School varsity girls’ basketball team adopted for their season and it, along with their great skill, is proving to serve them well.
The Lady Titans enter the new year with a glittering and historic 13-0 record.
“They were not picked preseason to be an elite team, but they have become one because of their tremendous work ethic every day at practice,” said Robin Potera-Haskins, the team’s head coach.
“This is a group of local young ladies from TCHS who have developed their basketball skills to play with unbelievable intensity and fire that would put a smile on anyone’s face. They are the true example of a team.”
And Coach Robin would know. She has been coaching for 40 years, including 20 at various collegiate levels.
What comes next if the Titans continue to excel? Possibilities include advancing to the district championship, followed by regional and state championship runs.
“No matter what they achieve, they’ve already overachieved,” Coach Robin said.
The girls practice every day except Sunday and holidays. They still have at least 11 games on their regular-season schedule, which resumes after the holiday break. Practice, however, continues.
“This group is very unique to me. This group is special because they have a spirit of excellence,” Coach Robin said. “These young ladies are truly a shining example to represent the Port St. Lucie community.”
The team is made up of five starters and other key players, two assistant coaches and Coach Robin.
Coach Robin has no problem boasting about the girls, including senior and co-captain Reniah Flynn.. “What makes her so special is she loves practice. She comes ready to practice, ready to learn, ready to play. She’s a true leader,” said Coach Robin.
And of co-captain and senior Aaliyah Wilson, Coach Robin said that in all her years of coaching, she is “probably the most improved player of her life.”
As a junior, Wilson asked to go back to the junior varsity squad because she wanted to better develop her skills.
“This year she’s a starter on the team. She does all the little things to be successful,” said Coach Robin, who also credited the parents of the players for instilling in them a work ethic.
Coach Robin calls starter sophomore Kenya Burns “fast break city” for her ability to go for the steal.
According to Coach Robin, Justice Alexis is “a force to be reckoned with on the offense and defense. She’s really valuable to our team.”
Freshman starter and point guard Alyssa’Rai Gordon is known for being “very calm.”
Other big contributors include Dashka Remy, Kimora Williams and Tianna Brown.
The girls themselves also have good things to say about their team and season.
“I liked our mindset as a team. We never went into a game thinking we were going to lose. Whenever we saw a strong team, we didn’t doubt ourselves. We just knew it would be a challenge and that we’d need to lock in and focus more. No matter who we played, we always believed in us,” said Flynn.
Freshman Gordon said, “What I like about the team is how we can be serious and have good times and laugh even with coach. It’s like one big family.”
When asked what she has learned so far this season, sophomore Burns said: “To be coachable and take constructive criticism.”
Sophomore Alexis responded: “The art of resilience. Doing things I don’t feel like doing but still doing them. Playing through three- to four-game weeks and juggling school work is a lot mentally. But learning how to push past that for the bigger picture is something I learned with my coaches and my Lady Titans at my side.”
“All of our kids started at Treasure Coast. These kids mostly started playing basketball at a very low level. It’s not just being athletic you’ve got to be skilled,” said Coach Robin.
“They have truly embraced the concept that is taught by the faculty and administration at TCHS to always have a growth mindset.”
The team’s two assistant coaches are D’Jennyka Mercdat, whom Coach Robin calls a “great role model,” and Mercedes Alexis, whom the coach has known for over 20 years.
“She is an unbelievable communicator,” she said, adding that Alexis played Division 1 basketball and is a mother of four, including Justice Alexis. “She really knows the game of basketball.”
Coach Robin is in her 11th year coaching girls’ basketball at Treasure Coast High School. She also teaches physical education at the school and has a lot of good things to say about the high school she calls home.
After living in many places during her coaching career, she is very content calling St. Lucie County home. She began her coaching career at Austin College in Sherman, Texas; she was inducted into the school’s hall of fame for her success as a coach.
She also coached in other areas of Texas, as well as in Oregon, Montana and at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach.
According to Coach Robin, participating in sports offers productive life skills. “Sports teaches people that when you get knocked down you get up again,” she said.