Steve Bean is an avid SHS athletics fan. He comes to over 60 events a year. Bean is a ’78 alumnus and his heart belongs to SHS. His story ran in The Journal, and here are his answers to three questions about the SHS Cardinal basketball team.

Q: How far do you think SHS can go this season?

A: “I think it’s clear that they are capable of winning the state championship this year. They definitely have enough talent to do that. You’ve seen how we’ve performed against some of the best teams in the state. We have the ability to do that. We’re certainly not the only team in that situation. There’s quite a number of teams that are near the top that are all capable of winning it. (There’s a lot of teams) that are all capable of winning the state championship this year but Southport is one of those teams for sure.”

Q: What are you looking forward to the most for SHS this season?

A: “I’m hoping that this team is able to reach its potential. I think this team has the potential to be maybe the best team in Southport history. I just hope that if whatever happens in the tournament that they leave it all on the floor and that they don’t have any regrets. When they look back at it, I want them to say ‘Hey we gave it our best effort and we played as a team. We did everything that we could to continue to put it out for our team.’ In the process I hope they represent their school very well.

Q: What do you think a state championship would mean for SHS this season if they get it?

A: “I think that’s a huge accomplishment for any school. It’s especially difficult for a team to win a state championship. There are nearly 400 high schools in the state and in the east class you’ve got roughly 100 schools fighting for that title. That’s an extremely difficult thing to win. If we do that then that will put you in the history books forever. There are plenty of schools that have great basketball teams throughout the years that have never won a state championship. It’s a fantastic accomplishment. I remember in 1980 when the girl’s team won the state championship. I was there in Market Square Arena for that game and it was just an amazing feeling to see your high school out there winning a state championship. It would be amazing to see the boy’s team to do that this year.”