When your program hasn’t won more than seven games in a season since 2004, getting on track can take a while.
But for second-year Bryan County High School boys’ basketball coach David Elmore, the signs of improvement are there.
“I have very high expectations for us this year,” Elmore said. “We will be competitive in our region and I feel that we will shock a few teams.”
The Redskins return a number of key players from last season’s squad, which took plenty of lumps in the program’s first season in Region 2-AA and finished 1-23.
But senior Sherron Bacon, junior Kajana Dixon, who stand 6-foot and 6-foot-2, respectively, and 5-foot-10 junior guard Jeremy McLendon should be ready to lead the team to better things — and Dixon had 25 points and nine rebounds while McLendon chipped in 15 points and six rebounds in the Redskins’ season opening 64-55 win over Southeast Bulloch on Friday in Brooklet.
Newcomer Dominique Murphy, a 6-foot-2 transfer, along with Nick Scott and Damion Dixon are expected to contribute.
Also in the mix for playing time are Troy Robertson, Raekwon Love, Mychael Smith, Juan Casio, Isaiah Tillman, Tre Smith, Antonio Brown, Josh Jones and Justin Gunn. Tillman, a freshman, is the only underclassmen on a squad loaded with juniors.
The Redskins don’t have a lot of height — Dixon and Murphy are the team’s tallest players — but they are athletic. They’ll get plenty of opportunities to show it in Elmore’s system, which stresses defense and uses multiple tempos.
The Redskins open Region 2-AA play against visiting McIntosh County Academy on Dec. 3.