There will be a lot of familiar faces playing on the court this season for the South Brunswick High School boys’ basketball team.
The Vikings return seven of their top eight scorers from last year’s squad that went 12-13.
Included in this skilled group of veterans is the team’s top scorer from the past two seasons, senior Devin Strickland.
“For the first time in a few years, we’ve got a team that has a decent amount of experience,” said South Brunswic coach Joe Hoehman. “It’s really exciting to be back in the gym and to see how much the kids have grown since last year. It really drives you to push them to be the best players they can be, so we can achieve our goals at the end of the season.”
Strickland, along with Justin Carbone, Tyrell Murchison and Akhil Edekar were the team’s top four scorers from last winter and are all back to provide South Brunswick with a powerful nucleus for the 2019-2020 season.
The Vikings will be very tough to contain in the frontcourt with Strickland and Carbone. Hoehman expects big things from both seniors this season after each player enjoyed a great offseason.
Edekar was the team’s top three-point threat as a junior last winter, knocking in 43 three-pointers. He and Murchison give the Vikings a lot of versatility in the backcourt.
Murchison will lead the show for the Vikings at the point guard spot
During his sophomore year, Murchison was great at driving the ball to the hoop. He was second on the squad with 66 total field goals made and finished third on the team in scoring.
Strickland and Carbone were the top two scorers on the team last season.
Junior Andrew Tesser, who is a very talented shooter for the Vikings after seeing a little time last year, is expected to make an impact this season.
Sophomore Yathin Vermula showcased his great athleticism by earning time last year on varsity as a freshman. He’s expected to play major minutes for South Brunswick this winter.
Damien Downs and Shyheim Davis are both talented sophomore players who could provide a huge impact to the South Brunswick squad this season said Hoeham.
With the experience and talent his team possesses, Hoehman believes his squad has a chance to make some noise in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament and the state sectional tournament this season.
“I think we’re primed to make a pretty good run this season,” Hoehman said. “As long we buckle down and play defense, I think we can compete this season. Hopefully by the end of the season we’re playing our best basketball and can make a run in both the county and sectional tournaments.”
The focus now for Hoehman and the rest of the South Brunswick coaching staff during preseason practices is to get that competitive attitude back into their players.
Get the kids to play harder and be in good shape come the start of the season.
“The first order of business is getting the kids to play hard and get them in shape,” Hoehman said. “We know we wouldn’t be perfect to start the season. Our goal is to be playing our best at the end of the year.”
South Brunswick will play Old Bridge High School at Old Bridge in its season opener on Dec. 20.
Follow Steven Bassin on Twitter @SBassin_Sports
