Three starters return for the Hopkins County Central Storm, who look to move up the pecking order in both the 7th District and the 2nd Region this season.
“I think our district is wide open,” noted head coach Michael Fraliex, who begins his fifth season on the Storm bench. “I think all four teams have the ability to get hot and win it! So it should be a fun year in the 7th District.”
Madisonville-North Hopkins has had a monopoly on district championships, winning the last 14 straight, but Hopkins Central, Dawson Springs and Caldwell County all look to be heading in an upward direction this season.
“Of course, Lyon is gonna be favored to win the region,” Fraliex added. “There are some other good teams that will compete. Henderson, UHA, Christian and Hopkinsville should be really good.”
Hopkins Central, which went 14-18 and was district runner-up a year ago, will look to take advantage of a deep roster.
Fraliex believes the Storm may go 12-13 players deep this season.
Seniors Drake Skeen and Trevahn Jones lead the list after each averaged 16.3 points a game last year.
Skeen shot 37.8 percent from 3-point range while making 108 shots from behind the arc. The 5-10 guard also hit his free throws at an 83.8 percent clip.
The 6-3 Jones is the top returning rebounder after getting 6.5 boards a contest last season.
Sophomore Davonyae Butcher, a 5-10 guard, is also back after getting 9.5 points a game as a freshman. Look for him to take on a bigger role on the offensive end this season after connecting on 43.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc last year.
After that, there’s a huge group that will vie for playing time.
Senior Kain Craig, juniors Michael McDaniels, Koran Hopson and Cohl Hunter, sophomores Cohl Hoard, Riley Dunlap, Jeremiah Groves, Silas Gunn and Jack Mitchell, and freshman Lake Sumner are all in play.
“All of these guys will help us at some point,” said Fraliex. “They will all be a huge part of our success or failure. There are other guys that could move up before the season is over.
“I think our starting lineup could be different many nights just because we feel like we have so many kids that can offer something.”
As a team, Hopkins Central shot 33.3 percent from 3-point range. The Storm typically plays an uptempo style and isn’t afraid to pull the trigger behind the arc. The team made 291 treys a year ago.
“We have a bunch of guys that can shoot it a little bit,” said Fraliex. “We play hard and we’re unselfish. It’s really up to these guys how their season ends. It’s gonna be a fun one!”
The season gets underway on Tuesday, Nov. 28, with a home date against Muhlenberg County.
