In what should prove to be a competitive KMAC, the East Knox Bulldogs are working to make sure they have what it takes to rise to the top in boys basketball.
Despite graduating two key seniors from last year's team that made it to district semifinals, a strong returning core and an influx of young talent provide plenty of room for optimism for Bulldogs fans that they can go a step further this season.
Coach Ryan Powell is at the helm for his fifth season. The current seniors were in eighth grade when Powell took over and are deeply invested in the basketball culture Powell and his assistants, including Steven Sterling, who is also in his fifth year with the team, have put in place.
The Bulldogs are led by two returning captains, Shane Knepp and Peyton Lester. The duo, fresh from their successful football season, provide East Knox with two pure athletes who score and give some of the best defensive effort on the team. Another starter from last season, Sam Whitney, is returning for his senior year to provide stability in the rotation. Guard Dylan Morehead was a key part of the team last year as the sixth man and will now move into a starting role in the backcourt alongside floor general Knapp.
Beyond those four returners, there are a lot of strong young players coming up in the system who will be vying for playing time. One name to keep an eye out for is 6-foot-6 sophomore Ethan Rine, who showed major improvements over the summer and provides the team with size that tit does not have elsewhere.
The Bulldogs' offense prioritizes ball movement, setting up the best shot possible at all times. Post play is another key component to the East Knox offense, as the Bulldogs look to get the ball inside as often as possible, even with their guards.
“Everybody can kind of play inside and outside, so we're kind of a tough matchup that way,” said Powell.
Man-to-man defense is the Bulldogs' go-to scheme, with an emphasis on physicality and getting rebounds. The team hangs its hat on its strong defensive presence.
“If you can't play good defense, you don't play for us,” Powell said.
One big challenge that the Bulldogs will have to face this year is adjusting to life without Weston Melick, the team's leading scorer and rebounder over the past four years. Beyond simply his on-court play, the leadership that Melick and fellow Class of 2021 graduate Terry Jacobs brought to the Bulldogs will be missed.
Despite the absence of Melick and Jacobs, the Bulldogs appear primed for a strong season. The team has beefed up its nonconference schedule for the season in order to be better prepared to take on conference foes. After making it to the district semifinals last year, the Bulldogs have their sights on taking things one step further this year, and they believe they have the right mentality to do it.
“The two things we can control (are) our attitude and our effort,” Powell said. “They enjoy the hard work and the effort.”
