Coral Park’s rise in boys’ basketball mirrors the improvement made by their top scorer

Ga’Khari Lacount said he was “bad” just a couple of years ago, and the same thing — and worse — could be said about the Coral Park Rams basketball program for decades.

But Coral Park — whose most famous alumni include former MLB star Jose Canseco, rapper Pitbull and actor Steven Bauer — started to change its basketball image last season when young coach Alex Ordoqui was hired away from Palmetto, where he had served as an assistant. Ordoqui, now 31, is in just his second season as a head coach.

“We’ve made basketball a year-round program at Coral Park,” Ordoqui said. “Before this, the kids here weren’t used to practicing every day. The culture was bad. But they’ve worked like crazy the past two years.”

Lacount, a 6-1 senior guard, is a big part of that Rams culture change. He is averaging 33.1 points, which leads all Miami-Dade prep players. In November, he signed scholarship papers to play NCAA Division II ball next season for Lynn University in Boca Raton.

However, as a freshman at Homestead High, Lacount said he pretty much stunk, although there were extenuating circumstances.

“Practices [at Homestead] were rare,” Lacount said.

Everything changed for Lacount when he met Ordoqui, a travel-team coach at the time.

“Back then, Ga’Khari couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn,” Ordoqui said of Lacount’s lack of shooting skills. “But he willed himself into becoming a player.”

Lacount played JV ball as a sophomore at Palmetto under Ordoqui but really made strides as a Coral Park junior, averaging 24.5 points as a second-team all-county selection.

Coral Park has made a similar rise. In the three years prior to Ordoqui’s arrival, the Rams had a combined record of 5-52. Last season, Coral Park went 12-12, beating Columbus for the first time in 14 years.

Columbus just happens to be the alma mater of Ordoqui and assistant coach Alexander Gomez, who has put in a lot of work with Lacount.

“That was an important game for our coaches,” Coral Park 6-5 senior forward Jason Don said of the win over Columbus. “And if it’s important to our coaches, it’s important to us, too.”

This season, the Rams had another milestone victory Dec. 3, beating Coral Gables for the first time since 2006. The Rams beat Gables again this past Thursday.

The Rams have a strong senior class that includes Lacount, Don, 6-0 guard Andy Lopez and 5-11 guard Eddie Ramirez, who is a transfer from neighborhood rival Southwest.

Coral Park also boasts a rising standout in 6-3 junior wing David Pazo, who is a terrific shooter. Albert Henriquez, a 5-11 junior guard, is another player to watch.

Don, who played his first two seasons at Coral Reef, said he didn’t have any concerns joining the Rams in 2018-2019.

“I knew [Ordoqui] could build a winning team,” Don said. “We surprised a lot of people last season at 12-12. This year, we’re turning even more heads [12-4 record with six regular-season games remaining].”

Lacount, who scored a school-record 45 points last season against SLAM, is at the top of every opponent’s scouting report.

Not that Lacount has been stopped.

“I’ve never seen someone become such a gym rat,” Don said of Lacount. “I played against him freshman year when he was at Homestead, and he’s 100 percent better now.

“He shoots lights out. He’s a great facilitator, and he handles pressure amazing.”

Lacount said he has gotten smarter in terms of his on-court decision-making.

“If you put the work in, it will pay off eventually,” Lacount said. “I’m proud of where I came from and to where I am now and to where Coral Park is as a program.

“I didn’t even know where Coral Park was until I got here. Now, I think we’re kind of putting Coral Park on the map.”