At midseason, the St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ basketball program has a new head coach 

The St. Thomas Aquinas athletic department and administration made it official Thursday. A midseason coaching change has been made and Julius Sandi will take over as the head coach of the boys’ basketball team after first-year coach Ed Nelson resigned.

“We have complete confidence in his ability to move the program forward,” said athletic director George Smith. “He brings to STA a wealth of basketball experience over a 15-year period and has been an integral part of many successful teams, which enjoyed multiple deep runs into the playoffs and two state championships. He is known in the basketball world not only for his basketball acumen but also for being a great human being.”

According to a Sun-Sentinel report last week, Nelson, who is an STA alum and led the basketball team to its only state championship in 2001, was forced to resign.

According to the story, Nelson was ordered to stop calling up sophomores to the varsity team and to give more playing time to “certain players.”

Nelson, who went on to a successful collegiate career and won a national championship with UConn in 2004, took over the program last spring when longtime coach Steve Strand stepped down.

“It just got too demanding, and it was affecting what I saw as the big picture of moving this program in a positive manner,” Nelson told the Sentinel. “As a coach and a professional athlete, I have to do what’s right by the players and there’s a lot of other players on the team, also. So I took a stand for what was right and what was earned and what I felt, as an alumni and a professional, where the program needed to go. I’d rather leave than be told what I have to do.”

Smith said on Friday: “All I can tell you is that the administration and athletic department here at St. Thomas decided that we needed to go in a different direction.”

The Raiders struggled terribly right out of the gate this season losing their first five games but then won three in row before dropping two more games. They were 3-7 when Nelson resigned and are 0-4 since then — including a 64-53 loss at home to Dillard last Wednesday night.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

▪ Krop 51, North Miami Beach 37: Tyson Civil 20 points, 8 assists; DeShawn Joseph 15 points, 11 rebounds; Elijah Sterling 10 points, 8 rebounds. KR: 9-1.

▪ Riviera Prep. 56, Belen 51: RP – Esteban Lluberes 13 points, 5 rebounds, 8 asists, 4 steals; Osmar Garcia 16 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks; Artur Hoyncak 8 points, 11 rebounds; Lucas Brenner 8 points, 4 rebounds; D.J. Flowers 5 points; Enrique Prez-Miralles 3 points, 3 rebounds; Chris Pelecanos 3 points. RP: 15-3.

▪ North Miami 93, Goleman 52: Vee’lesk Avin 34 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals; Carlos Hart 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals; Ronaldo Vescine 15 points, 10 assists, 4 steals.

▪ Hebrew Academy 66, Posnack 36: HA: Stein 26, Acevedo 12, Otsman 9, Itzkowitz 6, Lurie 5, Levy 4, Rubinov 2. 3-pointers: Acevedo 3, Itzkowitz 2, Lurie. Rebounds: Stein 17. Assists: Rubinov 8. HA: 9-4.

▪ Killian 56, Jackson 50

▪ Riviera Prep 56, Belen 51: Esteban Lluberes 13 points, 5 rebounds, 8 asists, 4 steals; Osmar Garcia 16 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks; Artur hoyncak 8 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block; Lucas Brenner 8 points, 4 rebonds, 1 assist, 1 steal; Enrique Prez-Miralles 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal; Landon Suarez 2 points; DJ Flowers 5 points, 1 rebound; Chris Pelecanos 3 points. Riviera 15-3.

▪ Braddock 78, South Dade 60: BRAD - Pax 21, Santos 19, Torres 16, J. Lopez 15, Perez 5, Guzman 2. SD - Wilson 17, Moore 12, Green 9, Brodie 8, Dean 6, Britos 3, Henry 3, Mallory 2. BRAD 3-pointers - Torres 4, Paz 3, Perez 1, Lopez 1; Reb – Perez 12, Guzman 10, Santos 8; Steals – Paz 3, Ramon 2, Lopez 2 ; Asst – Paz 5, Torres 3. Halftime: BRAD 33-24; Record 7-6.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

▪ Miami Country Day 62, Pinecrest Prep. 16: MCD: Daley 10, Hession 10, Shaw 8, Gonzalez 6, Nelms 6, Godfrey 5, Theodule 5, Corbitt 4, McCormack 3, Delancy 3, Martin 2. PP: Gladding 11, Van Kahle 3, Spyredes 2. Half: MCD 49-10. 3-pointers: Hession 3, Gladding 3, Shaw 2, Theodule, McCormack, Kahle. Rebounds: Nelms 6. Assists: Godfrey 6. Steals: Daley 5. Blocks: Nelms 1, Hession 1.

GIRLS’ SOCCER

▪ Lourdes 4, LaSalle 0: Sophie McMillan, Mia Atrio, Fran DeZendegui and Olivia Izquierdo 1 goal each. Isabel Guisasola 2 assists. GK Mia Alexander shutout. LOU: 8-1-1.

▪ Miami Springs 8, Hialeah Miami Lakes 0: Jasmine Romay, Ashley Romay, Gabi Cimino and Dyemon Woods 2 goals each. Gabi Cimino and Aileen Solar 2 assists each. Jasmine Romay, Ashley Romay, Suli Escoto and Elizabeth Vizcaino 1 assist each. MS:13-1