By Beth Jones
India Santana is back on her home court. The former Fernandina Beach High School girls basketball standout is now coaching her old team, and she couldn’t be more pleased.
“I came back to fulfill a legacy that I left behind, and it’s just an honor, and it’s a blessing to be here,” said Santana, 35. “Now is the time, and I’m just ready to pour into the program.”
She was India Johnson when she was setting school records at FBHS. The 5-foot-4 point guard was a four-year starter for the Pirates. She scored a career 1,357 points and had 311 assists, 267 rebounds and 376 steals while at FBHS. She scored 33 points in one game.
Her senior season (2007-8), Santana averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2 assists and 4.6 steals per game and helped steer FBHS to its first regional playoff appearance since the 1980s. The Pirates went 20-8 and were district runners-up to powerhouse Ribault.
“It was a tough one,” Santana remembers. “A couple of bad calls down the stretch caused us to get behind. It was a period where we were down one or two, and those calls jeopardized the outcome.
“Had they gone in favor or called correctly, we probably would have come out with a district championship that year. It was huge to be a part of it.”
Santana said the Ribault head coach didn’t realize she was a senior and tried to woo her from FBHS.
“This is my last year. I’m done,” Santana responded.
But, she wasn’t done. Santana went on to play two years at Santa Fe Community College, where she was a two-time conference academic selection and conference second-team player her sophomore season. She then transferred to Division I Texas State.
“I liked it there,” Santana said. “The conference was good, and we did play some bigger Division I schools.”
Santana still wasn’t finished.
“I ended up getting certified in sports training and did some sports performance training with a guy out of Texas who did sports performance training with the NBA, overseas players,” Santana said. “I ended switching agents and getting a deal in Germany.”
Santana was playing pro ball in Germany until 2020.
“My next deal was in Italy, but I didn’t go because the pandemic hit,” Santana said. “My visa would have run out, and I would have been stuck.”
Santana kept adding to her résumé.
“I didn’t let it die down,” she said. “I ended up getting my masters in sports management, and I felt like I connected every piece together, as a player, coach then training.
“And then went to play professional ball and now giving back to the program is just major. As a head coach, it’s just phenomenal.”
Santana said when she returned home, she taught in Jacksonville for a year.
“That’s not home,” she said.
Santana then landed a job at Fernandina Beach Middle School, where she teaches seventh-grade accelerated math. She’s been an assistant coach at both Yulee High School and FBHS, but this is her first head coaching position.
She already has a game plan, too.
“Growth and development is the key,” Santana said. “I feel like there has been a lack for girls basketball for quite some time, and with me teaching at the middle school, I plan to bridge the programs. So, I’m actually able to grow that program and it transfers to me here at the high school as the head coach.”
She’s also planning a mentor program.
“My girls are the mentors for mentees at the middle school and kind of bridge that gap that I’m noticing,” Santana said. “With that progression and development, I think we will be able to run, in the years to come, a dynasty.”
Santana said the community she grew up in has welcomed her back with open arms.
“The support and the love and the congratulations, it really is a blessing,” she said. “And, I’m just grateful and thankful that it started at the middle school.”
Santana’s former coach is excited for her.
“India was a strong leader on the court, both on the offensive and defensive ends,” said Mike Landtroop, who coached Santana her junior and senior seasons at FBHS. “She led us past districts and into the playoffs her senior year. India always showed great leadership on and off the court and will use those same skills when coaching to get the wins.”
And the administration at FBHS is pleased with its new hire.
“I am extremely excited for our basketball program and Coach Santana,” said Mike Woodard, athletic director at FBHS. “What a great opportunity to have an alumnus lead our program – someone who already knows the pulse of the school, community and program and brings a ton of enthusiasm and Pirate pride. She truly bleeds blue.”
Santana said the first day of tryouts is Oct. 27, and the first game is scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 18 at home.
bjones@nassaunewsline.net
