A run to the regional tournament last winter gave the Escambia County Blue Devils perspective on how successful they could be with the right amount of practice and teamwork.

With the 2011 season beginning Friday, the Blue Devils are hoping to begin another long journey to the playoffs, one that they hope leads past the regional tournament.

With a mix of experienced returners and new faces, Escambia County will need to gel in order to win their area let alone make it to the playoffs.

The experienced group of players are the reason this season’s team is confident they will make a repeat trip to Mobile, Blue Devils head basketball coach Anthony Hayes said.

“It’s was huge for our guys,” he said. “I asked around and the program hadn’t been there in a long time. I think our guys coming back learned a lot from that experience. I think it made them nervous at first, but now they expect to be there. They know the environment, so I think being there last year will pay dividends this season.”

For more on this story see Wednesday’s edition of The Atmore Advance.