There have been several big changes made within the Plant City Vipers organization, but the one thing that remains the same is its vision for the future.
As always, it’s about doing as much for the kids as possible.
The small travel ball organization just got a little bigger in 2015, making some personnel changes. It will be adding a competitive junior varsity team before its season begins at the end of the month. On the board of directors, Jennifer Rhoads now serves as the team president. Lili Armatrout now serves as the treasurer. Amador Reyes has also been brought onto the board.
As for the teams, both have new coaches with plenty of local experience.
“We started over,” Vipers Vice President Reggie Rivers says. “The coaches that we had, we decided to make the change and start over from scratch. We know Wade (Rogers) from way back, and knew that he would be excellent as a coach. Then, we got a recommendation for Terry (“T.J.”) Thompson Jr., and we’ve also got his father, Terry Thompson Sr., over there.”
TIGERS TO VIPERS
Rogers, who has coached in rec leagues around the area for most of the past decade, started the Plant City Tigers team with his wife, Robin, last year.
“I started the Tigers to try to keep the local, Plant City, high school kids together,” he says. “Basically, the only option was to go to Brandon or go to Lakeland to really get any structure, so it was the recommendation of parents and coaches, all together, to try and keep the kids together as best as possible.”
The team competed in four tournaments at the 10th-grade level, winning two, and Rogers says that the experience was a good one.
However, it was also a daunting task for the Rogers to run a travel ball team by themselves — especially in an area where the Vipers were also active.
With that in mind, Rogers and the Vipers made what appeared to be the most logical move where everyone could win.
“We decided to pool our resources,” Rogers says. “It made a lot of sense. We were fighting for the same turf, and it didn’t make any sense. Me and my wife did it last year, on our own, first time doing travel ball. We tried to do it all. It was fun, but tiring.”
Last year’s Tigers will play on the varsity team. Wishing to help younger ballers transition from middle school to high school, Rogers volunteered to coach the JV team, a squad full of new players.
“It’s all brand-new kids to me, and to the Vipers,” he says.
UPPERCLASSMEN
On the varsity side, Thompson Jr. is moving up after coaching at Marshall Middle School this year.
He’s coached on the AAU level before, and spent several years with the Plant City Panthers seventh and eighth-grade teams. Thompson Jr. is a fairly recent UCF graduate who plans to become a social studies teacher in the near future.
Although he does coach at Marshall Middle, Thompson Jr. opted to work with the high schoolers this year.
“I’d rather help the kids in high school — to help them get better,” he says. “Get the kids more fundamentally sound.”
Thompson was specifically recommended to the Vipers program, which recruited him at a team function in 2014. He’ll be coaching the Vipers with his father, who will be the team’s assistant coach this year.
“This is my first time coaching with my dad,” Thompson Jr. says. “I’ve been coached by him before, but never with him. It’s different. I’m still getting used to it. He does most of the motivational stuff.”
THE FUTURE
Rivers says that the Vipers are not done growing yet, though more big moves will take plenty of time and planning. As a part of the team vision, he says that the board hopes to one day field a girls team.
But, for now, everyone seems to be pleased with the way things have turned out, especially on the coaching end.
“Our vision is large, and they bought into the vision,” Rivers says. “We’re very happy with the coaches that we have.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
ABOUT THE VIPERS
The Plant City Vipers program fields two travel basketball teams, both of which compete under the Youth Basketball of America organization’s umbrella. The varsity team also plays against United States Specialty Sports Association competition.
Both teams are going to begin their seasons, which will consist of four to five tournaments, Friday, March 27.
The non-profit program is also currently seeking sponsors for the 2015 season. Anyone interested may contact the team via email at vbpaplantcity@aol.com, or call team president Jennifer Rhoads at (813) 335-3797. Anyone who wishes to make a donation to the program can do so by visiting www.gofundme.com/m0cej8, or by sending a check (made out to Plant City Vipers) to Plant City Vipers Inc., 3320 Carson Oaks Ln., Plant City, FL 33565.