By Chris Parker
Exeter boys basketball tripled its win total last year going from three wins two years ago to nine wins last year.
The trio of Levi Gautney, Zachary Lee and Nathan Tackett will look to lead the Tigers to their first double-digit win season since 2013-14.
“They are the most experienced guys I have this year, and they are just genuinely good guys,” said Exeter head coach Tremanye Williams. “Levi is our glue guy who makes a lot of plays that don’t show up on the box score. Zachary is our point guard who did a good job last season as a sophomore, now has more responsibility and experience to go with it. Nathan Tackett is our big man who covers up a lot of mistakes on defense and should have an easier job scoring the ball.”
Lee averaged 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assist and 1 steal per game last season. Tackett scored 6 points per game with 5 rebounds and 1 block per game.
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Sophomore Kason Nelson will see varsity action this year.
“He (Nelson) is one of the most dynamic athletes I have coached,” Williams said. “He is figuring out the high school game and had a great summer. Looking to see him make good progress on offense. His defense is already top notch.”
All of these players have made improvements throughout the off-season.
“I would say all of the guys talked about showed growth in their own ways,” Williams said. “The gains they made accepting their new roles is a big part. This year’s team and last year’s team are significantly different, there will still be a lot of adjusting with this group.”
This team is the best defensive team Williams has had, but he still sees room for improvement.
“This is my third year at this school, and this is by far the best defensive team I have coached. I believe that this group understands the value of putting in effort on the defensive side and that can often lead to easy offense,” Williams said. “We need to keep improving on the defensive side of basketball. I think the team chemistry with the group will be a strength as well. I would like to see us continuing to improve in both of these areas moving forward. The last thing I think we could improve on is being the team that plays all four quarters.”
Exeter opens the season on Nov. 18 at home against Southwest.
“I want to be one of those tough teams that is either competitive or dominating most games,” Williams said. “In the past, we have been a team that only puts in effort on offense. I want the team to continue working hard in all phases of the game.”
