Senior Trevor Weldon moves to point guard this season for the Storm.
Hopkins County Central is hoping to ride the momentum of a 2nd Region tournament semifinal appearance a year ago into the 2022-23 season.
Three starters return for head coach Michael Fraliex, whose team was 15-13 last season but reached the 7th District championship game, then took out Henderson County in the first round of the regional tournament.
The Storm suffered a setback when leading scorer Marcus Eaves elected to transfer to Madisonville-North Hopkins for his senior season, but the Storm could still be dangerous come tournament time.
“We hope to be competitive in the district and region,” Fraliex said. “We just wanna get better everyday. Make sure our togetherness stays where it should and everything should take care of itself.
“This is gonna be a fun group to watch — they play hard and they play together. We are excited. I know it’s about wins and losses, but really it’s not. It’s about being better today than you were yesterday.”
With Eaves departed, junior guard Drake Skeen is now the Storm’s leading returning scorer at 13.4 points a game. A long-range sharpshooter, Skeen is a threat to go off offensively any night.
Skeen made 100 3-pointers last season, shooting 38.9 percent from behind the arc, and was an 87.5 percent shooter from the free throw stripe.
Senior Trevor Weldon is back after getting 9.6 points a game and moves to a new role this season.
“I think Trevor Weldon moving to the point guard position is gonna allow him to have a big year as well,” said Fraliex.
Namari Hall, a 6-4 forward, also returns to the starting lineup after scoring 4.3 points and grabbing 6.9 rebounds a game as a junior.
“All of our guys have put the work in over the summer,” Fraliex noted. “I look for Drake to have a good year and I think Mari Hall is finally gonna play the way he’s capable. Which will be huge for us.”
Keep an eye on 6-5 junior center Reese Belt, 6-3 junior swingman Trevahn Jones and 5-9 junior guard Logan Rodgers, who will all look to leave their mark on the Hopkins Central lineup.
Fraliex begins his fourth year on the Storm bench. The former Western Kentucky University standout — playing in three NCAA Tournaments — previously spent five seasons as head coach of his alma mater Caldwell County, and was girls’ head coach at Lyon County for four years.
The Storm will tip off the regular season on Thursday, Dec. 1, with a home date against Calloway County.
