Although new to Bryan County High School, Mario Mincey is no stranger to Region 3A. Prior to now, he was a boys basketball coach at Jenkins High School. Before that, he coached girls basketball at Jenkins. He is a graduate of Claxton High School.
Mincey acknowledges this past season as a having a lot of tough teams in the region and attributes that to a big part of the team’s number of losses. He projects this coming season to be very tough as well, citing Calvary Day, Jenkins and Claxton as examples.
Mincey said he is pleased with the talent roster of the girls he has been practicing with. If his predications hold true, the Lady Redskins could regain the glory they enjoyed under the guidance of Coach Johnnie Miller for so many years.
"We’ve got a pretty good mixture of players for next season," said Mincey. "A few fresh faces, a good core of seniors and a couple of juniors that will help greatly. I feel real good about my move here because the girls here are hard working and the senior leadership is great."
He doted on the motivation of seniors Brittany Slater and Mitzi Cross, who "from day one have helped me get the girls out here." He said they, along with fellow senior Tara Miles, "will be the nucleus of this team. Their attitude is that they want to win and I plan to do everything in my power to help them in that direction."
Mincey said it looks like the team’s strength will be defense "and that’s the key to a good team in my eyes. If we can stop people, I feel sure we can put enough forward to score. A couple of these girls are very aggressive."
He projects Ashlei Jones to be his starting point guard as she has "improved in everything I asked her to improve in and has a lot of speed." He called her a "pleasant surprise" because, even though she’s new to the team, she has excelled both offensively and defensively."
"One thing that has truly impressed me about this team is their unselfishness," Mincey continued. "They have a solid grasp on the team concept. All things considered, I can see this team competing for one of the four spots in the state playoffs."
In addition to his basketball duties, Mincey will also be the new defensive and offensive line coach in Redskin football. Also new to the football program is assistant coach Morgan Jersey. Jersey will also serve as the new head coach for golf, replacing Ron Lewis.
Lewis will remain as both head football coach and BCHS athletic director.