HERITAGE GENERALS FULL COURT PRESS
With Heritage head coach Kevin Terry
Graduation took away some important starters and bench players that all played big roles for you last year. What is the main area of concern or focus early on this season?
Most of my concerns about the evolution of our group were calmed when we worked together this summer. For a team that lost so much to graduation (eight players that accounted for over 90 percent of every statistical category), we are nicely equipped for a reload and not a complete rebuild.
We’ve got a great group of talented guys that are hungry for their turn in those bigger roles. What we graduated in talent and experience will be replaced with new talent, toughness, and competitiveness.
Well, I’m not sure that the region teams are “hunting” us this year after we graduated so many. I think most teams are probably overlooking us and counting us out this go-around, and I think a “championship hangover” only happens when a returning team isn’t hungry and feels like they have nothing to accomplish or prove.
That doesn’t describe our team. Our guys are hungry to prove that, individually, they can contribute in big and meaningful ways and that, as a team, we can continue to compete and remain a program that’s always got a shot at the championship.
After spending over a decade chasing a region championship, this program finally broke through last season. How do you expect this team to handle being the hunted instead of being the hunter for the first time?
What is the strength of this year’s team, or what do you think it will be by the time the season gets into region play?
Toughness and competitiveness. We’ve got a lot of guys who hate to get beat and they are willing to do the hard, dirty work that leads to success. I have confidence that night in and night out we are going to get great effort and toughness from our guys. That goes a long way.
What is the key or keys to this season?
Offensive chemistry. It’s always elusive and it often takes a while to develop. We’ve got to define and develop roles for this group of guys that will give us efficiency and productivity on offense. That usually takes some time, but when it clicks, it is a beautiful thing.