The Grady boys basketball team, despite losing in the first round of the state tournament, last year had its most successful season since 1985. Led by first-year Grady coach Brian Weeden, this year’s team has entered the season focused on succeeding, specifically in the state playoffs, where last year’s team fell short.

Weeden believes that last year’s team had a good record and a successful season, but this year he is setting the bar at an even higher level—the highest level possible: a AAAA State Championship title.

“[Last season’s team] had all their accolades and records, … but it wasn’t enough,” Weeden said. “And we got to change everything that they’ve done last year because we can’t live in the past. We got to move on and press forward to the future and take all that energy and all that bitterness [the team] felt when they lost against Carrollton and bring it forth towards this season and towards a state championship run.”

One of the changes Weeden made this year involved conditioning. Last year, preseason workouts were not available for the team, and junior guard Tyrius Walker, a returning player on the team, said the players on last season’s team tired easily during games. To address this shortcoming, Weeden immediately began daily workouts for prospective players once he had been hired as basketball coach in August.

“We’ve been doing conditioning ever since I got here,” Weeden said. “We’ve been doing conditioning, lifting weights. The kids have been running numerous miles every day, so we have just been getting better, trying to prepare for the season.”

Now that the season has begun, Weeden holds three-hour practices every weekday and even on the occasional Saturday. In addition to conditioning work, Weeden said he also stresses a mastery of the fundamental skills of basketball. He frequently runs the team through ballhandling drills and makes them practice shots under pressure.

“If Lebron James is the best player in the world, and if he has to go on national TV and tell everyone that his game is not where it needs to be and he needs to perfect it, then I’m sure high school students need practice every day, so fundamentals is what I preach,” Weeden said.

Because of the length and intensity of practices, junior shooting guard and small forward Chandler Organ now believes fatigue will no longer be an issue for the team.

“He makes us run a lot more because that’s one thing that we had problems with last year: we got tired real fast,” Organ said. “Now, most of the guys on the team can go through two quarters without getting tired, and we go over so many drills in the amount of time we have that it’s amazing I’m not dead by now.”

Weeden has also changed the team’s offensive strategy and style of play. Organ said the team had few set offensive plays last season, but now, under Weeden’s directions, the team has a newer, more extensive list of plays to choose from during games.

Furthermore, Weeden said the team will run a high-tempo game on both sides of the court. He said on defense, the team will run full-court pressure on the ball to tire out the opposition and force turnovers, and on offense, every player will be in constant motion to create open shots.

Walker said the team’s ability to run a very fast-paced game will be one of its greatest assets this season.

Another strength Walker said the team has this season is its chemistry between the players. Walker said the players have been playing basketball together for a while, both during previous seasons and summer leagues, and as a result, the team plays as a cohesive unit.

“We are brothers now,” Walker said. “We know each other’s weaknesses and strengths.”

Because of the team’s greater understanding of its strengths and abilities, Walker believes Grady’s chances for success this season are good.

“I have very high standards,” Walker said. “I feel we can go farther with this team. This chemistry is way stronger than last year’s team. Last year’s team, we played like individuals, like we can do it all by ourselves, but this year’s team, we know what it takes.”

Weeden could not comment about his expectations regarding how Grady will rank in Georgia. He came to Grady from Alabama, where he coached basketball at Enterprise High School for six years, so he knows little about other Georgia teams. Weeden, however, does have faith in his team’s desire to work hard in order to win games.

“We’re going to work hard,” Weeden said. “We’re going to fight to the very last minute. We’re going to be tough, hard-nosed, blue-collar workers. They’re going to hustle. They’re going to dive on loose balls and take charges. They’re going to do all the little things that it takes to be a winner.”