- April 25, 2024
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FPC’s Ty’Neka Addison has helped turn around the Lady Bulldogs in four years, and she’s not finished yet.
After the Flagler Palm Coast Lady Bulldogs basketball team lost in the regional quarterfinals last season to Orange Park, Ty’Neka Addison — a junior then — got right to work.
She continued her daily routine of picking up a basketball and heading to the park to play pick-up games. She shot hoops and reflected on the loss. She realized that she might have been able to push herself, and her team, harder.
Turning things around
Addison first picked up a basketball at the age of 4. She shot hoops with her uncle as often as she could while she lived in Palatka.
In high school, she moved from Palatka to Palm Coast and attended FPC. She was picked for the varsity team as a freshman and started. Though the team went under .500 for the season, things started to look up. Javier Bevacqua taking over the program as head coach in Addison’s sophomore year.
As a freshman, Addison scored 286 points. As a sophomore, it was 408 points. Last season, as a junior, she scored 485 points, averaging 19 points per game, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals.
Through 10 games this season (the Bulldogs are 8-2), Addison is averaging about 19 points per game and, over her career, has averaged 26 points against non-district opponents.
Bevacqua said Addison has racked up 1,384 points in her career, and she will likely surpass the 1,500-point milestone before the end of her senior season.
Scorer and leader
As the point guard, Addison likes being the leader. Despite her calm demeanor, she’s a vocal leader in the locker room and on the hardwood.
“I like (playing point guard) because not only do you help yourself, but you can help others,” she said. “I’m always trying to make something happen. Always being a playmaker.”
Bevacqua said Addison is a calm player.
“You’ll never see her nervous … and that helps to settle her teammates and the coaches,” he said.
Last month, Addison got her chance to have revenge against Orange Park. Addison led the Bulldogs to a 63-57 victory Dec. 16, and stayed in line with her season averages, scoring 28 points, grabbing seven rebounds, five assists and five steals.
“I stepped in and did what I had to do,” Addison said after the game. “I just reminded everyone about last year, and I said, ‘We’re not losing tonight,’ and I stuck to my words.”
And come districts, Addison won’t make the same mistake she did last year. She hopes to push herself and her team all the way to the district championship and further. Addison also knows she has to push herself outside of basketball, in her studies, so she can play at the highest collegiate level.
‘She’ll blow by you at will’
Back at the park, Addison still laces up her shoes and plays pick-up games. And she knows that when she goes there, she will be playing mostly against men.
“My uncle always told me to play with guys because they will make me better,” Addison recalls.
In a good way, Bevacqua said Addison plays “like a guy.”
“What separates Ty’Neka from other players is the fact that she’s the total package,” Bevacqua said. “She has speed, athleticism, and she can shoot the ball. If you stay off of her, she’ll nail a jump shot. If you stay on her, she’ll blow right by you at will.”
Contact Andrew O’Brien at [email protected].
PLAYER PROFILE
Name: Ty’Neka Addison
Age: 19
Grade: Senior
School: Flagler Palm Coast High School
Sport: Basketball
Position: Point guard
Stat: 1,384 — points Addison has scored in her career so far
