By Zack Steele, For the Tribune
TRUSSVILLE — To say that Hewitt Trussville basketball has been in the wilderness for a few years is an understatement.
Hewitt-Trussville boys basketball (File Photo)
At the turn of the 21st century, the Husky basketball program was a perennial top-ten team and regional qualifier in Alabama’s largest division, with players consistently earning division 1 scholarships. Twenty years later, the Husky program has fallen on hard times.
Again, “hard times” could be called an understatement. The Husky boys has won only four area games in four years. The program has had only three winning seasons in the past ten years, and the Huskies have not seen a 20-win season since 2012 when they were one win from making the Final 4.
Enter Jeremy Monceaux, who had success at Clay-Chalkville and most recently at Springville, going 21-6 with a regular-season area title last year.
In taking over at Hewitt, Monceaux looks to awaken a sleeping giant.
“I don’t have expectations on the amount of games we will win, but I have expectations for how we compete every night. When you come to watch a Husky basketball game, you are going to see a hard-nosed, tough, defensive-minded team.
Monceaux has seen the mentality begin to shift at Hewitt-Trussville but recognizes that there is a long way to go.
“Changing the culture in our basketball program is not going to happen overnight, but I believe we have guys in this program to get us moving in the right direction. Our rallying cry is “Today Matters”. We preach every day about not focusing on winning, but focusing on doing the things every day that winners do.”
Monceaux hopes that the senior class will help in the culture shift.
“Our eight-member senior class is just a special group of young men. I told them from day 1 that it is important to me that we make this a special season and that they truly will be the building blocks of turning this program around. These guys have been through a lot over the last few years and they need to be leaders if we want to be successful.”
Hewitt’s schedule is daunting in 2022-23. In the area are Chelsea, Spain Park, and Oak Mountain. Spain Park is a favorite to make the Final 4 again this season. Add to that Hoover and 6A perennial powerhouse Mountain Brook. It’s a murderer’s row for the Huskies, but Monceaux understands the schedule is as it should be.
“We are a 7A school, which competes at the highest level of basketball in our state by far. Being ready to compete night in and night out no matter who the opponent is will be our focus.”
Hewitt’s season opens tonight at home vs Gadsden City.
