After graduating four starting seniors in the off-season, the Livingston Academy’s boys basketball team spent the pre-season finding what will work with this new, younger roster.
The 2024 Wildcats are led by a small senior class of Cole Harris and Tucker Miller and will feature four new starters. Harris said he enjoys the responsibilities of being one of the only seniors on the team and said the freshman class still has a ways to go but noted that he will be there to help them along the way.
“I enjoy it honestly because I can lead and be there for the younger guys,” Harris said. “I’m a veteran as far as playing and I know the game better. And I know I can help them when I know that I’ve struggled in their situations and I can be there for them.”
Harris said he is excited to see the growth in the underclassmen and said he has seen a large improvement from the sophomores during the pre-season. Miller said the biggest issue facing the team is finding cohesion between the upperclassmen and underclassmen.
“Learning to play as a team again,” Miller said. “Because we have a ton of new guys that didn’t play last year. It’s a bit challenging at times, but once we start clicking, we’ll shock some people.”
Miller said he does feel some pressure to be a leader in his senior year, but noted that once the team is out there playing, he is playing clear minded and free. Something Harris and Miller can agree on is the strength of this team, speed.
Harris said what the Wildcats lack in height, they more than make up for with their speed and pace of play.
“I think it’s very important if you can wind a team and get them gassed,” Harris said. “Because if you run up and down the court, they’re going to get gassed, shoot short and those layups they usually make are going to roll out. It’s just mentally harder for them to keep up when you’re a lot faster than other teams.”