'Raz'zle Dazzle: How North Oconee boys basketball changed its fate in five seasons
The North Oconee boys' basketball team was mired in mediocrity before Rick Rasmussen took over five seasons ago. It wasn't something you would expect out of a school of that caliber − the Titans produce several state champion-level teams a year in across the seasons.
"When he first got here, basketball wasn't really taken seriously," Titan senior point guard Justin Payne said.
Rasmussen remembers getting the call for the job almost like it was yesterday.
He spent 21 years at Newton High School, his last 14 as the Rams' head coach, where he led them to several region titles and collected over 300 career wins. The time for something new had begun, but it wasn't until North Oconee called that Rasmussen was sure what that change would be.
To him, the thought of starting from scratch wasn't as scary as it could've been. It was actually the driving factor, the challenge that peaked his interest, an attraction that made him say, 'I'm in.'
On the plus side, his family had moved back to the Athens-area a few years prior to his job change, making the commute to Covington in his final years with the Rams into a hassle; he said it was roughly 40 minutes round trip.
"The challenge was exciting," he said. "This is a great academic school and we are really good at all sports, but (this) was a program that was not. So they recruited me pretty hard. When I interviewed, they were like, 'you know what, we'd really love to have you come and turn the program around.' I think it was just an attractive opportunity and it's been nothing but a blessing. It's been great."
In just five seasons, Rasmussen has worked his magic and done what he does best: created winners.
When he started in 2019, the Titans were coming off a 6-23 season − for perspective, the year before that, they'd gone 1-23. He earned his 400th career win in a 25-point win over Walnut Grove on Jan. 12.
In just his first year at the helm, he doubled their number of victories and led them to a second-round appearance in the GHSA state tournament with a 12-17 record. Parents, students, administration and fans began to buy in.
"It's a process and you've got to stick to your guns. You've got to establish a cultural change," Rasmussen said. "We had to get kids that were on fire to play basketball, ones that would commit their time to it. One of the things that I've discussed with other coaches on campus is, the kids will be committed, they'll come, and they'll put their time in, but then what are you actually doing when you're there? Are you really bought in? We had to get (that)."
The Titan boys are on the hunt for their first region title as the 28th overall ranked team in the state (across eight classifications). Last year they came in third in Region 8-4A. The year before that they were runner-up to Jefferson. Now they eye that first region title.
"We haven't gotten over that hump, but I think this year we can," Payne said.
North Oconee is 23-3 overall, ranked third in Sandy Spiel's final regular season rankings and on a 14-game win streak. It finished the regular season as Region 8-4A champions with a 13-1 record, and they defeated East Forsyth in the region tournament quarterfinals 72-53 Tuesday and will face North Hall Thursday in the semifinals.
"I definitely think that, out of every year, this is our year to win if anything, because we've got a great group of guys that work hard," Titan senior center Evan Montgomery added. "Getting so close and almost tasting it. This is finally the year that, if we keep our head down, keep working and don't take anything lightly, we can win."
Sara Tidwell covers Athens-area high school sports and University of Georgia athletics for The Athens Banner-Herald. Contact her at stidwell@gannett.com and follow her @saramtidwell on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: How North Oconee basketball turned the tables, transformed in 5 years
