Cavs Boys’ Basketball Enter Season Inexperienced

With their first game approaching, Cookeville Cavaliers Boys Basketball interim head coach Matt Hill said the team is going to learn some necessary lessons to open the season.

Following a season that saw the Cavs reach the state tournament for the first time since 1954, the team graduated all five starters. Hill said the Cavaliers come into this season severely lacking game experience.

“I do fully expect to be a different team in January than we are in November,” Hill said. “We just have a lot of learning and a lot of growth to do. We’ve talked as a coaching staff about how much teaching we’re really going to have to do here probably early on.”

The Cavaliers will be lead by a senior class featuring Jaren Davis and Joseph Owens. Hill said they will be an integral part of weathering the early part of the season and he expects them to be a steady force for the team during a tumultuous time.

“We really looked at those two as starters last year, it’s just two couldn’t start,” Hill said. “I feel really good about them. Obviously they’re in a different role from a leadership standpoint, but after that we just don’t have a whole lot of experience.”

In his first season as acting head coach after being an assistant for nearly 15 years, Hill said there have not been any surprises to the role. But he did note the administrative role as a head coach has been an adjustment early on.

He said there is a nervous excitement surrounding him as he counts down the days until the team can fully practice. The team begins fully practicing when the TSSAA restrictions lift on November 4th, but the team will be missing football players, Joseph Owens and Landon McCarter.

“They’re both pretty big parts of what our football team is doing,” Hill said. “Obviously, I can’t wait to have them back, but I also want them to have as much success as they can have with Coach Hennigan.”

Cavs open their season Tuesday at Stone Memorial.