The boys basketball team will play its district opener against Denton Guyer on Dec. 17 in the arena at 7 p.m.
The Hawks finished their non-district season with a 8-6 record. Head coach Eric Reil said the non-district season went well, but the team still has plenty to learn.
“We are learning more and more about ourselves as we go on,” Reil said. “We’re finding ways to fill in gaps for some things that maybe we’re not as good at as what we thought we were going to be. It’s just a learning process for all of us.”
This will be the first time in the program’s history the team will play Guyer, after the new district realignments were established for this season. Guard J’yln Jenkins said he is confident in the team’s ability to compete with newer and tougher opponents heading into the district season.
“Learning to lose is my biggest takeaway [from the non-district season,]” Jenkins said. “It’s not about how you lose, it’s what you gain from [the loss,] what we learn and what we [can] put into the next game to win.”
This season, the team consists of underclassmen, with only two seniors on the team, Jenkins and guard Ashton Toney. The inexperience of the team has been a point of emphasis for the team going into the season, but Reil said it has improved.
“[The underclassmen] have progressed a lot; they’re growing up in front of our eyes,” Reil said. “We’re going to have growing pains as we play all year. [Varsity basketball] is different, so they’re constantly learning on the go. Our kids are in a good spot, and they’re learning how to play with each other; we’re going in the right direction.”
Guyer started the season 13-4, is ranked No. 18 in the state and advanced to the playoffs last season. The Hawks finished fourth in their district last season, also advancing to the playoffs, where they lost to Allen in the first round.
“With it being the first district game, I would like to start off districts 1-0,” Toney said. “With it being at home as well, I hope we have a good crowd out there and they can rally behind us, while we play a tough Guyer team.”
Toney was injured for the first few games of the season, but said he is back and ready to start off the district season strong.
“Me and the guys are [excited] and ready for this game coming up,” Toney said. “We have been preparing for a long time, doing our scouting and [preparation] on them. We have a chip on our shoulders this year because people are counting us out in districts. So we are coming with an underdog [mentality] and we’re going to surprise a lot of teams in district play.”
