By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
TRUSSVILLE — Hewitt-Trussville boys’ basketball starts Thursday, November 4, 2021, when the Huskies host Albertville at Bryant Bank Arena at 6 p.m.
Huskies coach Jeff Baker said that his expectations for this edition of the Hewitt-Trussville team are high.
“We were really young last year,” Baker said. “We started three sophomores and we took some lumps. But this team, right now, going into the season has the best culture and player leadership that we’ve had since I’ve been here.”
To be successful, the Huskies will employ multiple looks on defense and try to get baskets in transition to gain an advantage.
“We are trying to build our identity,” Baker said. “We’re going to push the ball and play fast. We are very fortunate that we have a good group of seniors, kids who are really unselfish. The seniors on this team lead by example and they speak up when they need to.”
Since Albertville has a new coaching staff, the Huskies don’t really have film on their opponents. In some ways, that’s been good because it allows the coaching staff and players to focus on what Hewitt-Trussville brings to the table rather than what their opponents will do.
“Albertville has a new coach, so we don’t know a lot about what they’re going to do,” Baker said. “But that lets us establish who we are.”
The Huskies lack the height to bring a strong post game or a full-court pressing attack on defense, so instead they’ll look for other options to stop opposing offenses.
“Our personnel won’t let us be quite as press-heavy, but what we want to do with those multiple looks on defense is to force the other team to adjust to what we’re doing,” Baker said. “We want to force our opponents to think and slow them down.”
The guard-heavy unit will employ a five-out offense, where everyone on the floor is expected to contribute.
“I think good defense leads to good offense,” senior small forward Tim Brisco said. “I think if we can rebound well, we can get the ball out to our fast point guards and get the ball moving. I think if we do that, we’ll have a shot to win more games this season.”
The Huskies went 9-18 last season, with a 1-5 record in Class 7A Area 6. For Hewitt-Trussville to improve this season, the leaders on this team know that it comes down to how the team gels down the stretch.
“We hold each other accountable for just about everything,” senior Jacob Brown said. “The hardest part is understanding your role and doing it right every time. We have to do our job right the whole time, rebound, pitch it ahead, run good offense and keep the ball moving.”
The Huskies are committed to hitting the floor running — literally. That fast pace means that the players have to be on top of their games and unselfish.
“Once we get the stop, with whatever defense we’re, we gotta get the ball out fast and get it to our scorers,” said senior David Moore. “We have some really skilled juniors, so we’re looking for mismatches for them.”
Hewitt-Trussville goes on the road for three straight games after the season opener, and then returns to play at home against Dothan High on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021 at 4 p.m.