A school by any other sport

Sacred Heart is not a basketball school.
The Trojans have long put together championship teams in football and baseball, but basketball has long been more of a bridge sport than one that annually produces banners to be hung in the gym rafters.
JP Bouillion is trying his best to change that.
Bouillion has guided the Trojans to the postseason twice in three seasons at the helm, including in 2019 when Sacred Heart hosted its first playoff game in 22 years.
No. 11 Sacred Heart (12-12) plays at No. 6 Central Catholic (18-4) in the opening round of the Division IV playoffs on Tuesday.
“It’s pretty special to see them enjoy playing the game,” Bouillion said. “It’s more enjoyable to see their growth as leaders within the framework of the team and also within the school itself.”
Bouillion added, “The players put the necessary work and effort into turning things around here.”
Sacred Heart did earn playoff berths in the two years prior to Bouillion’s arrival for the 2018-19 season. Prior to that, the Trojans had not earned a playoff berth since the turn of the century.
Neither one of those teams were seeded as high as the 2019 and 2021 Trojan teams. The 2018 team was the No. 20 seed and the 2017 team was the No. 23 seed.
“It’s the highest playoff seeding for Sacred Heart since the power ratings were put into place nearly two decades ago,” Bouillion said. “To be only in year three, I am really proud of what this team has accomplished.”
The highest seed in a generation this year especially means more considering the disappointing 2020 season which was marred by injuries and saw the Trojans miss the postseason.
“It is great for this program to be part of the playoffs again,” Bouillion said. “After making the playoffs in my first year, it was truly disappointing we were unable to build on that last season. The team has been motivated to make a return to the playoffs.”
It is one thing to make the playoffs and something different to win a game.
Sacred Heart lost 45-42 to St. Frederick in 2019 and were routed by St. John in 2018 (75-31) and St. Thomas Aquinas in 2017 (62-24).
Sacred Heart’s opponent this year is Central Catholic in Morgan City, who is coached by Ree Case -- a man Bouillion is very familiar with.
“I’ve known Rae as long as I’ve been in coaching,” Bouillion said. “He’s a really good coach and always has his teams playing hard.”
“His team this year is lightning quick, especially at the point guard position,” Bouillion added. “The point guard loves to attack in transition and is solid in getting his teammates easy shots in half court sets. Overall they are a very balanced club.”
With the additional time off due to the winter storm and select school playoff format, Sacred Heart has been diligently working on conditioning and shooting.
Bouillion is hopeful that additional time in the gym working will help execute their gameplan of controlling the tempo, rebounding and most importantly play with confidence.
“I feel our schedule has prepared us for this moment,” Bouillion said. “We’ve played versus some of the best teams and players in the state. In some of those games, we were competitive for stretches. My hope is that we have gained the confidence necessary to compete with a team like Central Catholic for four quarters.”