By By Chandler Myers
The Escambia County Blue Devils men’s basketball team has begun practicing for the upcoming 2008-09 season, which is slated to start on Nov. 18.
The Blue Devils have four returning players from last season’s team that finished with a 50 percent winning percentage.
Head coach Anthony Hayes said the Blue Devils are looking decent in practice and should be competitive this season.
The strengths of the Blue Devils are things that they will rely heavily on, according to Hayes.
Hayes said that the speed of the team is the largest strength they have. He added that their shooting ability is a major factor in their game that will help them this season.
Game experience is the largest weakness the Blue Devils face with this year’s squad.
Hayes said the four players returning to the Blue Devils are going to be relied on largely for their experience and leadership.
The players are James Webster, Jonathan Goolsby, Kingston Craft and Lawrence Arnold.
Hayes pointed out that all of these players have a specific strength they bring to the team that will make the team more complete.
Hayes said Webster brings his greatness from the classroom to the basketball court.
Goolsby is going to be the leader of the inside for ECHS, according to Hayes. He added Goolsby has really taken on that role headfirst.
Hayes said that Kingston Craft has all the skills necessary to be a good basketball player because he has played for so long.
Lawrence Arnold is being looked at by Hayes for his experience. Hayes said that Arnold has that experience he wants his other players to learn from.
A new addition to the Blue Devils that everyone is looking forward to is Nikola Radojicic.
Radojicic, a foreign exchange student from Serbia, has been playing basketball for several years and gives ECHS even more promise, according to Hayes.
Hayes said that the exchange student is going to pose a threat to teams because of his range. He added that he really only needs to work his way into shape for American basketball.
The Blue Devils host Flomaton for their first game on Nov. 18.