Erin Nelson Photo by Erin Nelson
Hoover’s DeWayne Brown (55) shoots a layup guarded by Central’s Emarre Griffin (10) during the Class 7A state championship game between the Bucs and Central-Phenix City at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena on Saturday, March 4, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Much was made of the run the Hoover High School boys basketball team put together last season.
The Bucs were led by a trio of sophomores and rolled through the playoffs, winning two games at the regional tournament and two at the state tournament to claim the program’s second state title.
Yes, Jarett Fairley, Salim London and DeWayne Brown return, now juniors. But Hoover was far more than those three last winter. Four seniors graduated, three of whom are now playing college basketball.
“Things are going to look a little different,” Hoover head coach Scott Ware said. “The talk is that we’ve got our three main guys back. They are back and they’re super important to the team, but those role players are big time for us with the system and the way we want to play.”
There are two seniors on this year’s team, in Elijah Thomas and Trace Cunningham. Thomas helps Hoover stretch the floor and shoots the 3-point shot well. Cunningham is up from the junior varsity team and Ware noted that “he’s going to give you everything he’s got.”
“Those two guys have been good ‘lead by example’ guys as seniors,” Ware said.
Having a shift in some of the leadership roles may not be the worst thing for Hoover’s team, in terms of forcing the team to adapt to changes around them and avoid the complacency that can so easily set in after a championship.
“When you’re at the top, you can’t rest on what you’ve done,” Ware said. “You’ve got to keep working, and the guys have done that.”
Ware is emphasizing the journey of the 2023-24 team on its own. There is no talk of repeating as champions or anything of that nature.
“New goals, new opportunities, new highs, new lows,” he said.
Brown, at 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds, is almost always the biggest player on the floor, no matter the opponent. However, Brown’s backup, Jackson Sheffield, is also 6-9.
Brown was a matchup nightmare down the stretch last season. He’s expanded his game in the offseason, according to Ware, now showing the ability to play on the perimeter in addition to his back-to-the-basket game.
Fairley has steadily improved, learning how to take full advantage of his quick first step and decision-making skills. Ware said he can play multiple positions given his versatile skill set on the wing.
London is one of those players that elicit all of the coach clichés: “coach on the floor,” “leads by example,” “selfless,” and so on. Ware said the coaching staff began charting hockey assists — essentially the pass leading to an assist — and London leads that stat amongst the team. He is also one of the team’s top defenders.
Ware expects Seneca Robinson and Cameron Torbor to play significant roles on the team as well. Riley Frye, Austin Dudley, Messiah Millin and Caleb Williams will have the opportunity to take big steps and make an impact.
Hoover won 31 games last year and will have a tall task to reach that number once again. The Bucs are playing in a prestigious tournament in Illinois in addition to playing teams like Buckhorn, Huntsville, Huffman, Oxford and Cullman in regular season action. They will compete in Class 7A, Area 5 with Vestavia Hills, Thompson and Tuscaloosa County as well.
