North Oaks Sports Performance Partners with Lady Wave to Win Class 5A Basketball State Championship

“What does your best look like?”

This is a question that North Oaks Sports Performance Supervisor Akeem Robinson often asks his athletes in training, but also a question that Head Coach Patricia Landaiche of the Ponchatoula Girls’ Basketball team asked herself before the start of the upcoming 2021/22 season.

“I knew I had a really good team, but this year we needed a change. I wasn’t really sure what that change looked like until I met Akeem and the North Oaks Sports Performance staff.”

Focused on the holistic approach of enhancing an athlete’s physical performance through professional strength and conditioning, Robinson stated that the art of sports performance exceeds far more than physical training.

“The first foundational piece of information that we teach is ‘Right thoughts help. Wrong thoughts hurt.’ This applies to all aspects of life. We want our athletes to know that the weights will always be there, but when you are going through a tough time in life, you have to think about how you are going to survive it mentally. Much like when adversity struck this group of girls, it was their mental strength that advanced them to the next level,” exclaimed Robinson.

Landaiche indicated that although she watched her team become physically stronger throughout the season, it was their improved mentality that led them to lift the State Championship trophy.

“All of the odds were against us. We were facing the best team in the state with the best player in the nation at this game, but my girls were disciplined in every aspect. After two overtimes and a buzzer-beater, it was Ponchatoula who got to lift that trophy. Finally, it was our turn and I’m unsure we would have reached this point without Akeem and his staff,” claimed Landaiche.

After the time that the sports performance staff spent with the Lady Wave and Landaiche, Robinson noted that he was the one thankful to have the opportunity to work with people of their caliber.

“Coach Trish is one of the best coaches I have ever worked with in my entire career. The respect and intent that her team had for her were nothing short of amazing. It was an honor for myself and our staff to be able to play such a small role in the path that led the Lady Wave to victory,” stated Robinson.

But even after that ultimate victory, the journey is still only beginning for Landaiche and the sports performance program.

“I didn’t know what our best looked like until Akeem and his coaches helped us get there,” expressed Landaiche. “Aside from our team being trained at the collegiate level, I felt that my coaching staff and I created a bond with the sports performance team. We all worked together so seamlessly and I truly could not have asked for better. After this experience, I will not be going into another season without North Oaks Sports Performance.”

For more information about North Oaks Sports Performance, visit www.northoaks.org/sportsperformance.