1/29/2011 9:35:00 AMCoach Chris Sanders getting results at John Hay

January 29, 2010 9:34 a.m

Tim Rogers / Plain Dealer Reporter

 Some turnarounds take forever. Others take place seemingly overnight. Put the about-face taking place at John Hay in the latter category.

The school didn't have basketball for five years because it was closed for renovations. It reopened last year, and the Hornets played a restricted schedule. Understandably, they finished with a 4-12 record.

Head coach Chris Sanders was not discouraged and began building a program. A former assistant girls coach at East Tech under William Stovall, he encouraged his players to compete in summer ball and demanded a commitment to the program. They had to play by his rules, which included showing up for practice every day, treating the game with respect and agreeing to accept the roles he designed for them. Otherwise, he showed them the door.

The turnaround showed the first signs of being for real in the second game of the season when the Hornets knocked off Senate Athletic League favorite Rhodes, 48-45. After beating Max Hayes on Thursday, the Hornets' record stood at 11-4 overall, 9-2 in league play.

Sanders, 35, said the process hasn't always been a smooth ride. "I told them that this wasn't a democracy," recalled Sanders, who lists John Wooden and Mike Krzyzewski as his coaching idols. "I told them that this was a dictatorship and I'm the king. Sometimes we had to take two steps back in order to leap forward. We started with about 12 kids and now we have nine. But, those nine are the ones who were willing to sacrifice and make the same commitment to the team as we were making to them."

Players such as seniors Xavier Pearson, Josh Trundle, Tyree Goins and sophomores Chris Collins and Malcolm Williams were the ones who chose to follow the game plan. The team got a boost when 6-5 senior Raphael Veira transferred from University School.

Veira, who is drawing attention from Cleveland State, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Cornell, is averaging about 15 points and nine rebounds a game, and Pearson is getting bout 13 points a game. Chaz Rollins, a 6-5 junior, doesn't score much but is averaging 14 rebounds a game. Sophomore Eric Seaberry has done an admirable job at point guard.