LECANTO, FL - Pride means something different at Lecanto High.

When you walk in the gym, there is a sense of purpose that goes beyond basketball.

“It’s all about doing it for your community,” said senior captain Preston Koller. “You want to show your community off. I love this town. It’s a small town, but it’s a great town.”

The boys’ basketball team has been working to give their community something to cheer about. Just a few years ago the Panthers went 3-22. Then a rebuild thanks to their head coach Frank Vilardi.

“We want to play fast, we press, we shoot a lot of perimeter shots,” said Vilrdi. “We want to play fast and keep things simple.”

Vilardi was a longtime assistant at Lecanto, before spending time as the JV coach at Crystal River. Coming back to be the head coach of the Panthers was something he couldn’t pass up.

“This is where I want to be; there is where I love,” said Vilardi. “I graduated from here, my wife graduated from here, both my sons graduated from here.”

Those deep roots helped lay the foundation in restoring the basketball program.  This year they are off to one of their best starts in program history. But the journey to this point was anything but easy.

“At first there was guys not getting along and the chemistry wasn’t there,” said junior forward Nick Post. “But as time went on we got used to each other, we got used to our skills.”

The junior class has pushed the program to a new level. Their bond was formed freshman year.

“We won a lot our JV year. Then our sophomore year we started to get the hang of things,” said junior shooting guard Josh Berrios. “To see our junior year be up this far, we’re doing really good, it’s a nice feeling.”

“We knew we would get to this point, but it took a lot of hard work to get to this point,” said Koller. “They never stopped. Even when we struggled last year they pushed through, came back to practice every day, worked hard and it is showing.”

The Panthers’ biggest reason for success, though, isn’t skill. It’s their devotion to each other.

“This is like a family,” said senior forward DJ Smith. “This is the closest I ever had to a family. My freshman year I went to, like, three different schools. I have stayed in this school for two years and I like it.”

This year commitment to each other has come in the form of sacrifice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Missing some event that they would traditionally go to with their peers because they’re concerned about the season,” Vilardi said.

It shows our determination to play basketball, our love and our passion for it,” Post said. “I really think it comes forward.”

The Panthers don’t think about anything beyond the present day. Whether it’s a practice or a game the goal is to get better and continue to show that Lecanto basketball is up for any challenge.

“Respect all and fear none,” said Berrios. “That’s what our coach tells us and we really stick to that.”