The Exeter boys basketball team is looking to three athletes to lead the Tigers this season — its glue, it’s guard and its big.
Tremayne Williams, Exeter boys basketball coach, enters the season at 12-34 and in his third year, saying success has been hard to come by, but Exeter is no longer a team opponents can overlook.
“The program is turning around and we aren’t the guaranteed win on schedules anymore,” he said. “I want to be one of those tough teams that is either competitive or dominating most games. In the past, we have been a team that only puts in effort on offense, I want the team to continue working hard in all phases of the game. I really enjoy coaching this group, I am excited about this season.”
To that end, Williams said defense will be a focus for the Tigers this season.
“We need to keep improving on the defensive side of basketball,” he said. “I think the team chemistry with the group will be a strength as well. I would like to see us continuing to improve in both of these areas moving forward. The last thing I think we could improve on is being the team that plays all four quarters.”
Fortunately for the Tigers, Williams said the pump is primed this season for a stellar defensive effort.
“This is by far the best defensive team I have coached,” he said. “I believe that this group understands the value of putting in effort on the defensive side and that can often lead to easy offense.”
Leading Exeter will be a group of three, senior Levi Gautney, junior Zachary Lee and junior Nathan Tackett.
“They are the most experienced guys I have this year, and they are just genuinely good guys,” Williams said. “Levi is our glue guy who makes a lot of plays that don’t show up on the box score. He does the dirty work and impacts the game in a lot of ways.
“Zachary is our point guard who did a good job last season as a sophomore and now has more responsibility and experience to go with it. He should have a great year on both sides of the ball. Nathan is our big man who covers up a lot of mistakes on defense and should have an easier job scoring the ball. He also does a great job protecting the rim and a threat in the post” Backing up the trio will be a few underclassmen, including sophomore Kason Nelson.
“Kason is one of the most dynamic athletes I have coached,” Williams said. “He is figuring out the high school game and had a great summer. We are looking to see him make good progress on offense. His defense is already top-notch.”
Looking ahead to the season, Williams said all his players have shown growth from a year ago, and many are taking on new roles.
“The gains they made accepting their new roles is a big part,” he said. “This year’s team and last year’s team are significantly different, there will still be a lot of adjusting with this group.”
Lee averages 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal per game, and Tackett averages 6 points, 5 board and 1 block.
“Zachary is positioned to see these numbers increase this season, and Nathan is also positioned to see his numbers increase,” Williams said. “We are hoping for a double-double moving forward.”
The Tigers open the season on Friday, hosting Southwest at 7 p.m.
