Aderias Ealy and the Trojans have high expectations this season.

The Hamilton County Trojans have played an exciting, fast-paced style of basketball that has led to plenty of winning in recent years.

This season should be no different with some athletic guards leading the way.

It’s an experienced backcourt with upperclassmen Tony Stockton, Nick McClain and Aderias Ealy returning. All three are good shooters who can create their own shot. They can also push the pace and get some easy baskets on the fast break.

First-year HCHS coach Eugene Jones is expecting a good season.

“As long as we continue to improve every day, we can compete with anybody and we have a chance to make a deep playoff run,” said Jones. “Our guards will have to do some help rebounding and playing team defense.”

Another returning starter to keep an eye on is forward/center Dharan Hawkins. The senior plays tough down low and will be relied upon to score in the paint and rebound.

The Trojans have good size with Hawkins, 6-foot-3 sophomore Jhebari Martin and 6-foot-7 junior Jacariyon Houston.

They’ve also got good depth.

DeNandre Johnson led the JV team in scoring last year and moves up to varsity this season. Keyshun Zanders is a returning player who will help the Trojans.

Suwannee expecting improvement

The Bulldogs are excited for the season, especially with some good shooters, versatile big men and a ton of experienced players.

Jarrett Gardner is a 6-foot-7 senior who can do a bit of everything, including shooting well from 3-point range. He and 6-foot-8 Brant Ulmer will control the paint.

The Bulldogs have experienced and talented junior guards in Tyree Taylor and Tyrece Freeman, who have been on the varsity team since they were freshmen.

Senior Matthew Cupp is another experienced guard and a good 3-point shooter.

“I’ve got a good feeling about this year,” said Suwannee coach Jeremy Ulmer. “We’re going to do a lot more pressing. Offensively, we’re going to try and get it to our bigs and work inside out.”

The Bulldogs, looking for their first winning seasons since 2014-15, will play a challenging schedule with district opponents Godby and Rickards and non-district rivals Columbia and Hamilton County.

As for new additions, look for Antonio White to help the Bulldogs down low. Sophomore guard Malachi Roberson moved from Miami and is expected to contribute.

DeCalvion Bennett moved up from the JV squad at the end of last season and sparked the team with his 3-point shooting and scoring ability. Bennett will play an important role this season as he begins the year on varsity.

LHS hopes to break playoff drought

Lafayette lost a lot of talented players from last year’s graduating class, but the Hornets still have high expectations going into the season.

“I think this team is very athletic, they love playing basketball, and hopefully we can challenge for the district championship and get into the state playoffs,” said Jimmy Blankenship, who will coach both the LHS boys and girls teams this season.

“Ben Massey, Richy James, Xavier Fleming, James Gay and Garris Edwards are some of the returners that are looking forward to having a big senior year. Looking for newcomers Adam Perry, Joseph Perry and Parker Lawson to have a major impact this year.”

The Hornets have been close to reaching the state playoffs the past two seasons, but Hamilton County has denied them in the district semifinal game both times.

LHS last advanced to the state playoffs in the 2014-15 season.

Football players making the transition at Branford

A few standout football players have joined the Branford basketball team.

The addition of speedster Aaron McQuay and the athletic CJ Pepper should boost the Buccaneers on the court this season.

With some strong newcomers and the return of guard Colton Leibold and forward Ritchie Glass, BHS has high hopes after a tough 2017-18 season.

“I expect to be competitive with a chance to win every game we play,” said new Branford coach John Blalock. “We have a fairly young group that has played well the past few years at lower levels, and our goal is to work hard to continue that play at the varsity level.”