COURTLAND
The Southampton Indians may have finished with a losing record in Sharone Bailey’s debut season, but he anticipates his squad making some noise in VHSL’s Div. 3A Conference 25 this season.

“My first season was a step in the right direction,” Bailey said. “If we can share the ball, play defense and play with intensity, we have a shot at the conference title.”

Prior to his current role, Bailey had been tasked with turning around the once-stagnant program at Charles City. In his fifth year on the job, Bailey was named the Tri-Rivers Coach of the Year and led the Panthers to their first appearance in the Division II state semifinals.

Coincidentally, while the Indians and Panthers play a home-and-home series to open the 2014-15 campaign, Bailey said these games will have little to do with the season-ending result.

“I think we’ll do great things this year,” said Bailey. “We just have to gel at the right time of the season.”

NUMBERS TO KNOW

13 – Senior shooting guard Shane Agunzo led the Indians in scoring with 13 points per game one season ago. “He’s an all-purpose, hard-nosed player who’s coming off his best season yet,” said Bailey.

8 – Bailey recorded only eight wins in his first season at the helm, but expects this year’s team to be the best in quite some time at Southampton. “We have a lot of players returning, as well as some promising players coming up from junior varsity.”

CAST OF CHARACTERS

A 6-foot-7 sophomore, Darius Bell is arguably Southampton’s best player. Considered a top prospect in the state’s 2017 class, Bell has the blend of size and skill that will cause matchup problems for several teams in the conference. “After the way he played in AAU this summer, I imagine he’ll have a breakout season,” said Bailey.

After leading the Junior Varsity squad to a winning record as a freshman, Bailey expects 6-foot-7, 230 pound center Tryan Hunt to make a large contribution during his sophomore campaign. “Our tenth-grade class is real strong,” said Bailey, “and I expect us to contend for the next three seasons because of that.”

SCHEDULE

Varsity games typically start at 7 p.m. Games against Brunswick will start at 8 p.m, while games against York will start at 3:30 p.m. Bolded games are at home. The Tri-Rivers District Championship, Conference Tournament, and Region 3A East Tournament have yet to be determined.

Dec. 1 – Charles City
Dec. 3 – Charles City
Dec. 8 – Franklin
Dec. 10 – Windsor
Dec. 12 – Park View
Dec. 15 – ARGS
Dec. 17 – Sussex
Dec. 19 – Brunswick
Dec. 26-28 – Brunswick Tournament in Lawrenceville
Jan. 2 – Greensville
Jan. 7 – Surry
Jan. 14 – Franklin
Jan. 16 – Windsor
Jan. 21 – Park View
Jan. 23 – ARGS
Jan. 24 – York
Jan. 28 – Sussex
Jan. 30 – Brunswick
Feb. 4 – Greensville
Feb. 6 – Surry