Heritage, Aquinas and Somerset Prep coaches are Broward girls hoops Coaches of the Year
A state championship dynasty resumed.
Another endured.
And a rising contender moved a little closer to picking up where it left off five years ago.
Under coach Oliver Berens, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas overcame some hiccups during the regular season to win its fourth consecutive state title and become only the fourth Broward County school to do so.
Greg Farias, meanwhile, led Plantation American Heritage back to the top a year after its run of five consecutive state titles was snapped.
And over at North Lauderdale Somerset Prep, George Adams’ squad took a big step towards returning to the status it enjoyed when it won back-to-back state titles in 2018 and 2019.
As a result, Berens, Farias and Adams are this year’s Miami Herald Broward County girls basketball Coaches of the Year.
Berens and Farias split honors for Classes 7A-5A while Adams earned his award for Classes 4A-2A.
Berens directed Aquinas to the title and a 23-9 record that included some tough losses to some of the state’s best teams. But it prepared the Raiders for a run that culminated in a 70-35 rout of Valrico Bloomingdale in the Class 6A state final.
Farias and the Patriots set a goal of redemption the moment they walked off the court in Lakeland one year earlier.
And Heritage achieved it with a payback win over Daytona Beach Mainland in the Class 5A state final. In addition to winning their sixth state title in the past seven seasons, the Patriots have made it to state eight consecutive seasons and American Heritage’s sixth state title ties it for the second-most among Broward County girls’ basketball programs with South Broward and behind only Dillard, which has 10 championships. The Patriots also became the first Broward program to win six championships in a seven-year span and only the second ever in state history, joining Miami Country Day.
Adams guided Somerset Prep to a 20-8 season and an appearance in the Class 3A regional finals. The Hurricanes beat some of the best teams in the state and overcame a six-game losing streak late in the season that followed a 13-0 start.
The goal will be to reload in the hopes of challenging nine-time state champion Miami Country Day, which Somerset Prep defeated early in the season before losing a rematch in the regional final.
