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Hoover's Michael Glass (11)
Hoover's Michael Glass (11)
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Hoover's Messiah Millin (20)
Hoover's Messiah Millin (20)
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Hoover's Jackson Sheffield (35)
Hoover's Jackson Sheffield (35)
Three straight state championships. Forty-five consecutive victories. The first undefeated season in school history.
The Hoover High School boys basketball program has been on an unprecedented run of dominance, but head coach Scott Ware hits the reset button once again. He won’t broach those numbers with his team or act as if they even exist.
The Bucs enter the year without two of their biggest stars from previous years: DeWayne Brown II, last year’s Gatorade Alabama Player of the Year, and Salim London, the team’s leading scorer. Brown, a four-star center who signed with Tennessee, tallied more than 1,800 points, 1,100 rebounds and 300 blocks during his Hoover career. London, meanwhile, stayed closer to home and will suit up for UAB this season.
Even with those departures, the cupboard is far from bare. The Bucs return 6-foot-10 forward Jackson Sheffield, a Vanderbilt commit and four-star recruit ranked among the top players in the state.
“Jackson does things athletically you can’t teach,” Ware said at the preseason Under the Lights media day event. “He was our sixth man last year, and a lot of people probably thought I was crazy for not starting a kid good enough to play in the SEC. But he accepted that role. Going against DeWayne every day in practice helped open his eyes.”
Sheffield is one of only four returning players from last season’s championship team, joining seniors Michael Glass, Kobe Boleware and Messiah Millin. Together, that quartet provides leadership and continuity as the Bucs reload with a whole new starting five.
“We have a bunch of new faces, and we’re trying to mold that all together,” Ware said. “The goals are the same as always. A big word for us this year is growth, and I thought I saw that throughout the summer. We want to grow as a team so that we hit it at the right time at the end of the year to make a run.”
Ware’s teams have built their reputation on tenacious defense and quick-strike offense, and this group will maintain that same identity. The senior trio of Glass, Boleware and Millin can all rotate between guard positions, while Austin Mason and Mellow June are expected to play key roles. Mason is a tall, versatile scoring guard and June is an energetic rebounder and defender.
Riley Kent, Kane Burns and Davis Wood are also seniors, with juniors Ericson Washington, Tate Mitchell and KJ Steele also slated to contribute. Freshman Michael Gates is hopeful to make an impact as well.
Even amid roster turnover, Ware remains confident the Bucs’ winning standard will endure.
“We’ll probably surprise a few people,” he said. “A lot of people think we’ve fallen off the map because of the names that aren’t there anymore. We’re embracing that and going out every day to grow and show everyone by the end of the year that we can still be a force to be reckoned with.”
Hoover will look to once again emerge victorious in 7A, Area 6, competing against Vestavia Hills, Oak Mountain and Hewitt-Trussville.
