With a year under the leadership of Coach Cameron Coleman, the boys basketball team is beginning the upcoming year after  finishing 4-22 in the previous season.

“Everyone’s goal is to beat Jesuit on Nov. 26 at Jesuit,” junior, Kyle Singletary, said. “It’s probably the biggest game of the year. We are expecting a big turn out there.” The goal to beat Jesuit is also shared by sophomore Bobby Gough. “My goals are to have a winning season and beat Jesuit opening night,” Gough said.

The matchup between the schools is a rivalry due to players on both teams having grown up with each other.

“It’s the same neighborhood,” Coach Cameron Coleman said. “The battle of Himes. You have one set of kids that all grew up together, whether they went to Academy of the Holy Names or Christ the King or Coleman or Wilson, they all know each other. One decides to go private, one decides to go public, and they still live down the street on Davis Island.”

Outside of beating Jesuit, another goal for the team is to get past the district tournament.

“Our goal for this season is to make it out of the district tournament, which means that we will have to make it to the district championship game,” senior, Jacob Henson, said.

Coleman also reflects on his first year as Varsity coach, but not at Plant; he was the JV coach before going to Blake High School.

“Last year was not one of our best years, but that was most likely due to the coaching change to Coleman,” Singletary said. “This year I’m expecting us to do better as we should because it’s his second year and the player-coach relationship is much better.”

Another way the team is improving is by having seniors that have played with Coleman, allowing them to become comfortable with his system.

“Now that the seniors have a year under their belt, not just playing but playing under me, we are starting to get through that tussle of used to doing it one way instead of doing it this way,” Coleman said.

The team prepared for this season by working with coaches, playing in summer and fall leagues outside of school and participating in conditioning with wrestling coach Chase Hollmer.

“We having been preparing for this season by working on our strength and conditioning since last spring,” Henson said. “Many of us have also been playing AAU basketball at a good level and playing against good competition.”

Overall, success for the season, besides wins and losses is better de ned by the attitude the players on the team will play with according to Coleman.

“Outside of wins and losses, the true success will be my guys playing hard for one another and everybody having that one common goal and truly holding each other accountable to meet that goal,” Coleman said.