TAMPA, Fla. — Like a tiger waiting to pounce on its prey, Jesuit High basketball players waited on their coach and then let him have it.
Because to the victor go the water baths.
And earlier this season, that victor was Jesuit head coach Neal Goldman. Prior to getting doused in water by his players, he’d just accomplished a rare feat in the coaching world. When Jesuit defeated Carrollwood Day School on Dec. 2, it marked the 700th victory in Goldman’s 37-year career.
“I’m so lucky I get great kids to coach every year,” Goldman said. “They’re high character guys. They’re fun to coach.”
For nearly four decades, Goldman has — as it says in the school's motto — led the "men for others" at Jesuit.
This week, the Tigers will try to win their 16th district title under Goldman’s guidance. Along with that hardware, there have been three Final Four appearances and a state championship in 2013. Goldman is quick to credit others, and also the benefits of being at the same school for so long.
“They work so hard for me, and that’s why I’ve been able to stay at one place for all these years,” he said.
Goldman is a Jesuit institution. And so is flicker ball — a sport that’s part football, part basketball, part dodge ball, and part free-for-all.
It’s a great game for a physical education class: There’s cardio, strategy, engagement, and as a bonus, if you are a Jesuit Tiger, Goldman is the one leading the way. Goldman is the lone PE teacher at Jesuit, so pretty much every student that graduates from Jesuit, one of Tampa’s oldest Catholic schools, has to go through him.
Just like his PE classes, when Goldman is courtside, he’s teaching more than hoops. While the players might not fully grasp it now, Goldman said they are learning life lessons — ones taught by a coach who has spent the bulk of his life being a "man for others" at Jesuit.
“The whole community is behind me and I’ve learned so much and grown from just being in that spot for all these years,” Goldman said.