His assistants were telling him to sit down and relax, but Camden coach Cetshwayo Byrd still wasn't sure about his team.
"I kept thinking that any minute, the wheels were going to fall off," Byrd said.
It never happened. Camden played good basketball from opening tip to final buzzer and stunned Shawnee by a 75-44 score on Saturday afternoon.
It was just one game in the long season for both teams, but it was a sure sign of Camden's potential.
"We've got something cooking," Byrd said. "They're finally starting to get some of the things we've been teaching them."
Camden (3-5) got big games from senior forward Ajwan Leaming and sophomore guard Tavaris Headen in the victory over Shawnee, the defending South Jersey Group 4 champion which entered play with an 8-1 record. Leaming scored 23, and Headen added 20.
The Panthers gained some valuable experience in a showcase tournament over the holiday break at Cherry Hill East. They lost to Cherry Hill East in double overtime, beat Gloucester Catholic in four overtimes, and dropped a 49-46 decision to Williamstown in a game in which they held a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Byrd believes the imposing victory over Shawnee should be a confidence boost for a team that could be a big factor in the South Jersey Group 3 tournament in March.
"We've been trying to tell these kids they can play with anybody, as long as they play the way they're capable of playing," Byrd said.
Hot Vikings. No. 2 Eastern is averaging a South Jersey-best 74 points per game. The Vikings (7-0) have not scored fewer than 67 in a game.
Senior guard Mike Wilson (19.7) and junior forward Devon Bell (18.4) have scored in double figures in every game for Eastern.
Cougars roar. The sizzling play by No. 4 Cherry Hill East (9-0) is a continuation of a surge that began in January 2011.
The Cougars are 30-2 in their last 32 games. They had a 20-game winning streak before losing to Paul VI in the regular-season finale, won their tournament opener, and then lost to eventual sectional champion Shawnee in the South Jersey Group 4 quarterfinals last March.
Dangerous Bulldogs. Don't leave Bridgeton out of the conversation about the Cape United and South Jersey Group 2 title races.
The Bulldogs (5-3) have won four of five and have received a big lift from the return from injury of senior guard Dontae Stubbs. He collected 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals in a 51-42 victory over Group 4 power Rancocas Valley on Friday.
