JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – The newly-constructed Bucs have practiced together nearly 40 times throughout the summer – at least by head coach Brooks Savage’s estimation. But, Monday marked the official start of the fall season for ETSU men’s hoops.
The energy was high at Gordon Ball Court on Monday afternoon, because this team is on a mission. Everything that has been done since the spring, both on and off the court, has been done with a SoCon championship in mind.
“We’ve all been thinking about it every day since we lost,” junior forward Karon Boyd explained.
Bucs preaching improvement as SoCon play approaches “That’s really the only focus,” senior forward Jaden Seymour said. “That’s the whole goal this year is just to get back to the championship and win it this time.”
Five new guys have been added to the Bucs’ roster – one true freshman and four senior and graduate transfers.
That incoming experience, mixed with the familiarity of the returners, has allowed this group to learn and grow from each other right away.
“Everybody been playing in different conferences, different areas, different places and different teams. Learned from a lot of different coaches,” senior center Davion Bradford said.
“Everybody listens because they know they’ve been around,” Seymour said of the new additions. “They’ve been in school – really – longer than me. So, they know just as much as us.”
Seymour said finding that team chemistry was pretty easy this offseason. It’s allowed all the guys to feel comfortable around each other – as both players and leaders.
“They’ll see something and they’ll stop and say ‘you should do this instead of that,'” Boyd said. “Everybody is way more experienced. It’s not really coach-led, it’s player-led now.”
“When we do our scrimmage situations, they’re talking to each other in the huddles and they’re saying the right stuff,” Savage said Monday. “So, when you have a player-led group like that, it makes it easy to coach. Like I said, they’re really invested in winning and wanting to get this program back to the NCAA Tournament.”
The 2024-25 season officially begins with a charity exhibition against High Point on Sunday, October 27 inside Freedom Hall. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
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