2025 basketball state champs St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders ready to prove 1st state title since 2001 was no fluke

The St Thomas Aquinas basketball gang is on a mission to prove that winning the state championships last season their first since was no fluke Led by head coach Julius Sandi the Raiders enter the season as a preseason top club in the country That s the part that we got to prove stated the coach I think it s something that the players that are in the project now are going to have an opportunity to let everybody know we re for real This season the Raiders have four or five starters returning Just knowing we have all that chemistry and we have all that power coming back from last year it s just it s a great feeling to be honest declared guard Drake Sandi I love having a target on my back or all of us on our back and that we just have to like fight through and they re going to come at us harder so we got to play harder now commented guard Kellson Sandi And much like the Miami Heat they plan to turn up the tempo with a new fast-paced offensive style It s at our benefit to play fast we have to play fast we have to push the tempo use that to our advantage and I just think it s authentically crazy that the Heat is playing that way explained Julius But even with all that firepower defense remains their foundation The Raiders noted locking in on defense will be the key to another deep postseason run and maybe another shot at the state title If you don t play defense here you re not going to play and that s the current that s not just for high school for college and wherever you want to go after disclosed guard Clarence Westbrook Jr You have to play defense if you want to be triumphant I ve inevitably taught them man for them to believe that at the end of the day when that offense that ball is not going through the net you ve got to be consistent defensively disclosed Julius You can never have a day off defensively The Raiders will be back on the basketball court against S t Andrews Monday night