Hoover Challenger

mark clark photo

This marks coach Courtney Henderson’s first year as boys basketball coach. With the legacy of his predecessor Charles Zanders, Henderson has a championship winning reputation to live up to.However, while playing an almost undefeated season and spending some time with his players, Henderson has felt more and more confident with his team on the court.

“I think at first they were kind of reluctant to accept me. Zanders did so much for them and they knew him better,” Henderson said.

Since then, after spending some time in work outs and games together, the players have started to bond with their new coach.

“I just want us to be the best team we can possibly be,” Henderson said.

Sophomore Dwight Sistrunk Jr. felt uneasy about getting a new coach and knew the team wouldn’t immodestly enjoy a new coach.

“People didn’t warm up to him, they didn’t want to listen to him,” Sistrunk said.

Sistrunk now looks forward to spending more time with Henderson, and to future seasons.

“Next year’s going to be even better than this year,” Sistrunk said.

Henderson is also thinking about next season. He hopes to lead his team during summer training and hopes that will bring them all closer as a team.

“We want to keep up what coach Zanders had before I got here, spending time with the team, working out together and in the summer we’ll all be playing, lifting weights, everything,” Henderson said.

Senior Josh Johnson has also enjoyed Henderson since his arrival.

“He’s actually a really good coach. He knows what he’s talking about and he’s got us winning games,” Johnson said.

The basketball team is hoping to keep a powerful record and maintain bonds between one another.

“We’re taking it game by game. I want to see where we go,” Henderson said.