OAKWOOD CHRISTIAN EAGLES
The last two seasons have seen the Oakwood Christian Eagles come up just short in their quest for a Southern Christian Athletic Association championship.
However, there is no time for the Navy-and-gold to dwell too much on the past as a new challenge awaits for the 2020-2021 season.
For the first time in program history, the Eagles’ varsity will compete in Division I-A of the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools (GAPPS), the same league that the OCA girls joined last season. The Oakwood freshman team will continue to carry the mantle for the school in the SCAA.
New head coach, Dr. Daniel Ray, knows the move will definitely be an increase in competition for his older players.
“The step up in state competition in Georgia, with us playing many teams from the Atlanta area, will provide a true test for a young, but athletic team,” he began. “We have eight players on our (GAPPS) team. This provides for a natural eight-man rotation and six of those players have experience playing on a championship team in soccer.
“I’ve coached these players a few years now, from middle school and through the JV season the last two years, and now it’s their time to play at the varsity level.”
The varsity team will be comprised of three sophomores, four juniors and one lone senior in Caleb Epperson.
Epperson has played virtually every position on the floor thus far in his OCA career and Ray said this season promises to be no different.
“As the only senior, he’ll be looked upon to help maintain some consistency among the group,” Ray explained. “He can shoot from the outside and bang underneath, so Caleb will be very valuable to us.”
The junior class includes perhaps the team’s most versatile player in Price Ray, who can run the point as well as play in the paint. Ray said his son is “a traditional coach’s son, who puts a lot of pressure on himself, but really enjoys the game and loves to compete.”
Eli Dickson will give the Eagles extra depth down low. Although Ray said Dickson is more of a finesse player, he said the junior has done a nice job of picking up some of the finer points of the game over the past couple of years.
In the backcourt, Jarrett Chambers has a high motor and will bring hustle and intensity to the rotation, while Knox Brashier can play several spots, including the point. Ray said Brashier is quickly learning to have confidence in running a team set-up.
Arguably the fastest player on the team, sophomore Tomo Gilchrist, will be the team’s primary point guard, though he’s talented enough to play at several different spots on the floor. He’s also one of the team’s most athletic defenders.
Ray added that the team’s best pure shooter might be sophomore Garrett Dempsey, who will play at a two-guard spot. Dempsey has grown in height since last season and will cause some tough matchup problems for defenders.
The team will be rounded out with Joseph Dawson, who will add to the Eagles’ depth in the post. Although Dawson is new to Oakwood this year, he has proven himself to be a hard worker and a very good defender that is stepping up offensively.
As for an assistant coach, Ray is turning to a familiar face, his daughter Callie, a senior at Oakwood, who has decided to step away from playing the game herself to help her dad coach the Eagles and younger brother, Price.
“She enjoys making her brother run,” Ray laughed.
“Our strength, I hope, will
be our ability to go fast, but to also have a strong halfcourt game,” he explained. “Understanding each position is a game within itself. These are great young men who are truly excited to just get out and play. I hope that will transition and show on the floor.
“Obviously, whatever happens, we are just thankful to have this opportunity to play and we will give glory to God with our actions on and off the floor.”
Ray added that he knows the increase in the level of the competition will be an enormous challenge, but he believes success is obtainable by his team playing solid fundamental basketball on a nightly basis and simply having fun on the court.
“In order for us to be successful this year, we’ll need to understand the true con
cept of being a team,” he began. “We’ll be undermanned and out-sized in most of our games, but all of (our) players have picked up running several styles of offense and defense and it should be a fun team to watch as they grow throughout the season. I want us to be more diverse offensively and the players have stepped in a short time picking up our new stuff.
“We can’t take it too serious and get down over a play. but (just) maintain consistency throughout. If we can stay healthy and out of foul trouble, I like our chances to be very competitive this season. We might even surprise some teams in our area and in our new league.”