Though he’s in a difficult district with at least three tough teams, BCHS varsity basketball coach Charles Ruise is optimistic about the upcoming season.

“We know that with Forrest and Parker and Bishop Kenny, and even Paxon, we’re facing off against some powerhouses,” said Ruise. “But we hope to be able to surprise some people as the season progresses.”

That “as the season progresses” is an important point.

Ruise is fielding a very young team that will struggle coming out of the gate. But he is predicting they’ll improve steadily, game-by-game, which could “pay dividends down the stretch.”

Despite the relative youth and inexperience of his players, Ruise is convinced he has some young men to watch. Darryl Johnson is a strong power forward who can dunk the ball and play tough in the box.

“He will provide some excitement around the basket,” Ruise said. “He can work the crowd up with his slam dunks and is a good finisher.”

Shawn Fogarty is another strong player in close. He provides a lot of leadership and is a good inside finisher and rebounder.

Freshman point guard Charles Ruise Jr. has a lot on his shoulders, but his dad thinks he can live up to the expectations. “He has a great understanding of the game,” he said.

His development has surprised even his father who over the summer said the young guard was “playing like he is a junior instead of a freshman.”

The guard play as well as their pressure in open court and transition play are the team’s strengths. Ruise wants to build on those strengths and has some players he believes will get stronger and more experienced as the season rolls along. He expects some good minutes from Landon Mitchell, Johnny Lamb, Josh Willey, Kelton Givens, Alex Kingbird and transfer student Cameron Mack.

“They worked hard over the summer and have a good work ethic,” said Ruise. “We’re young, but energetic and spirited.”

Ruise enters the season with no illusions. He is playing in a very strong district with tough opponents early in the season. But he also knows it’s a long season.

“We want to build steam as the season progresses and we need to gain strides as we go along,” he said.

The Cats got a taste in pre-season at the Baldwin classic of just how hard the district opposition could be when they were easily handled by an aggressive Forrest defense. “They closed us out with good pressure and we just couldn’t handle what they threw at us,” commented Ruise.

BCHS lost a heartbreaker against Hilliard 60-59 in a meeting of two evenly matched teams.  The game was back and forth, but the Cats “squandered some opportunities at the end,” he said, to wind up in the loss column.

The Cats are on the road against Oakleaf and West Nassau on December 1 and 2 before returning home for Paxon December 6.