There’s experience among the starting five for the Merrol Hyde Magnet boys’ basketball team.
Sophomore Connor McCutcheon (25) guards classmate Ollie Talmadge during Tuesday afternoon’s practice.
Beyond the starters, the Hawks will have to develop the experience in hopes of returning to the region tournament for the second time in three years.
The Hawks bowed out in the opening round of the District 8-A Tournament last year, suffering a 78-64 loss at Red Boiling Springs to conclude a 4-18 season under head coach Kory Craighead.
However, three seniors return as starters in what will likely be a three-guard system for the Hawks, largely due to the absence of one key player from last year’s squad.
Senior Zach Shonting would have started in the post area but will likely be out for the season. Shonting has a cyst on his brain and is unable to play.
“It’s nothing life-threatening,” Craighead said. “But contact sports could cause problems, so he’s going to have another MRI done in February to see if it’s growing or not.”
Senior Jenord Taylor returns as the Hawks’ starting point guard.
Without Shonting inside, Craighead said that the system will be different from what he envisioned.
“It changes everything,” Craighead said. “We would have been heavily inside-out, and Zach would have touched the ball on probably every possession, even if he couldn’t shoot. There are going to be a lot more back cuts and more ball movement, just trying to use what we do have, which is speed and stamina. What we don’t have anymore is height.”
Jenord Taylor, Tucker Beals and Kyle Richardson return as seniors, with Taylor running the offense at the point guard spot.
Beals and junior Connor Dunn are the likely starters at the forward spots, while sophomore Connor McCutcheon returns at one of the guard spots after being one of the team’s leading scorers last year.
Senior forward Tucker Beals is expected to play extensively this season.
“(We have) good experience, but not so much depth,” Craighead said. “After (the starters), we’ll have to see how deep we are.”
Junior Graceson Lawrence and sophomore Ollie Talmadge could challenge for playing time as well.
The Hawks might have to rely on their defense to be the team’s backbone, along with a scoring-by-committee approach.
“We’ll have to have some good-shooting games and strong defense, which is what it’ll come down to,” Craighead said. “We’re not going to light it up or have a single person who takes over, which is good news, because (defenses) can’t key on one single guy. But because of that, we’ll really have to move the ball well.”
Craighead is also seeking more consistency, which he hopes will allow his team to perform at a higher level.
“Last year, I thought we underachieved,” Craighead said. “We just never felt normal. It always felt like we were having to figure out a new game plan almost every game, instead of just going back to something reliable.”
Connor Dunn is one of three seniors expected to start for the Hawks.
Goodpasture went to the Class A sectional round last year and could be the favorite to repeat as the District 8-A champion, with Gordonsville and Watertown also seeking region-tournament berths.
That means the Hawks will have to battle to return to the top four.
“Ugly basketball might be our friend this year,” Craighead said. “Whatever it takes to be able to get it done.”
The Hawks open the season at Donelson Christian Academy on Nov. 23 and will open district play at Red Boiling Springs on Jan. 5.
Reach Chris Brooks at cbrooks@tennessean.com or at 615-575-7118. Follow him on Twitter @CB_SumnerSports.