The boys basketball team started the season strong with a 69-65 win against Mount Paran and 52-47 win against rival North Atlanta. Going into Thanksgiving weekend, the Knights participated in the Roswell Rotary Veterans Invitational, going 1-2 against Galloway, Roswell and Blessed Trinity, making them 3-2.
The Knights are hoping to build on a 9-19 season, in which they finished 4-12 in region play. Senior captain Charlie Kane believes this season will be better, with new faces and a new assistant coach.
“I’m optimistic about my senior season because we have a lot of returners, and the team’s playing for each other this year, rather than just for themselves,” Kane said.
Because the Knights fell short of playoffs last year, the team is looking to bounce back and advance further than in the recent past.
“I think that we’ve been preparing for [the season],” head coach Isaac Taylor said. “I think we’ve been aiming for it. I think everything that you do leading up to those big games matters, preparing for it, watching film, being a student of the game, but not only for us, our guys as well. I think that our guys, just as much as me, have a job to do and that job is to win games.”
Junior Dhati Lewis said the coaching staff and teammates have assisted with his game and confidence.
“The coaches help me a lot by just believing in me and giving me confidence to play my own game and be less nervous,” Lewis said. “Getting to know my teammates and having them as friends for years definitely developed my game because the growing chemistry and the competitiveness my teammates bring help all of us play better.”
Region 5-AAAAA presents a difficult schedule with opponents such as Maynard Jackson, Chapel Hill and Mays, all teams the Knights fell to last year. Currently, Maynard Jackson is ranked third in Class 5A, Chapel Hill is ranked fifth, Mays is ranked sixth and Tri-Cities, which is also a region opponent, is ranked eighth. Taylor said staying healthy is going to be the key component to the Knights success.
“If you look at our region, we’re always gonna have four to five teams who are ranked in 5A, and we have to be able to compete with those guys on a nightly basis,” Taylor said. “When you play in our region, you have to play three games a week against top 10 teams in the state. So, when you have to face that, you have to stay healthy to be able to play at your best.”
Taylor said developing maturity in the underclassman core is critical for the success of the team.
“This year we are younger than we were last year,” Taylor said. “I think that it’s gonna take a lot more maturing and discipline and instilling that stuff for us to be successful and just playing together. We are having to teach and set the standard of our culture for this young team.”
Kane said the record from the Roswell Rotary Veterans Invitational wasn’t a great representation of the expectations for the rest of the season.
“I don’t think our record from the weekend represents the way we played,” Kane said. “We had good possession most games but missed some key shots and weren’t perfect on some of the details that other teams were. It’s not a bad way to start the season, but we’re hoping for more success in games to come.”
Lewis is excited for the spirit and camaraderie that comes with school sports and basketball.
“I’m looking forward to playing at home because I love the crowd,” Lewis said. “But I am especially ready to play Maynard [Jackson] because they are our rivals, and one of the best teams in Georgia, so I think it’s a good time to prove ourselves.”
Taylor said the goal for the season is to connect as a team and develop for future seasons.
“I think this season we have to play as a team,” Taylor said. “We have to figure out our gel and we have to compete to win every single day. I think everything that we have to do for this year will basically catapult us in the next year.”
