Troy

Troy Athens boys basketball young and ready to work

By Christian Davis
C & G Sports Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Donna Agusti Troy Athens senior Jeff Koch goes up for a shot against Troy High Dec. 7 at home. The Red Hawks won 56-55. Photo by Donna Agusti Troy Athens senior Jeff Koch goes up for a shot against Troy High Dec. 7 at home. The Red Hawks won 56-55.

TROY — Being the lone returning starter to the Troy Athens boys basketball team, senior Jeff Koch knew he would be counted on for more than just minutes this season.

“You have to look at it as, you’re the only one coming back, you have to show what made us so successful last year, and do the same thing this year so everyone sees it,” Koch said. “I just have to play my role and be a leader on and off the court. Do whatever I can to help them win. I know these guys have my back, if I have their back.”

Last season, the Red Hawks finished 15-8 overall and 6-6 in the Oakland Activities Association Blue Division.

At press time, Athens was 1-1 overall and hadn’t played a game yet in its new division, the OAA White.

Coach Dave Scott said he likes what he sees out of his squad so far, but that it’ll be a work in progress with so many new, and mostly young, faces on the team.

“We have a couple of returners, but even our returners are young,” he said. “We have some ability and right now; we’re trying to get it all together. I think we’re going to take some bumps and bruises at the beginning … but what we’re hoping is that by the end of the season, we’re hitting our stride and doing some good things in the tournament.”

The Red Hawks have only three seniors and four juniors. The other half of the roster includes seven sophomores.

“What’s nice about this group is that they like basketball. They want to get better. They’ve put in a lot of work since last season trying to come together. Like everything, it’s still a work in progress, but I like our possibilities,” Scott said. “I think when it all comes together, we have a nice mix, especially for a high school basketball team.”

As always, Scott said the goal is to win the division and get to at least the 15-win mark.

“We think if we can play right, compete and play harder, the wins will come for us,” Scott said.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Christian Davis at cdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1062. Follow Christian on Twitter.