James Island – After somewhat of a slow start, the First Baptist boys basketball team is starting to hit its stride as the 2023-24 regular season ends.
Head coach Antoine Saunders has patiently guided a fairly young team through early mistakes and injuries and his patience seems to be paying off when it counts most.
The Hurricanes went 1-6 early on but have picked up wins in the last few weeks, improving to 9-9 overall as they enter February.
“We are starting to play better, more consistently, with each game,” Saunders said. “We started the season very inexperienced. We had two guys that had played a bunch but we’re underclassmen heavy. We needed time to gel, to find the right chemistry. Guys had to learn and understand their roles on this team. We have improved in all areas and I am excited about the rest of the season.”
First Baptist’s top two returners are senior forward Cooper Kowalski and junior guard Taye Robinson. Kowalski has averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds this season, with four games of at least 30 points and a 22-rebound game. The 6-8 Kowalski is garnering college interest from several Division I and Division II schools. He recently scored his 1000th career point.
Robinson is the team’s top perimeter shooters and one of the best from beyond the arc in the state. He is averaging 17 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
“We pretty much know what to expect from those two guys every night,” Saunders said. “Where we have grown and improved is with our younger guys. As they have gained experience and become comfortable, they have shown great improvement.”
Sophomore guard James Pojani has evolved as a major perimeter shooting threat, scoring in double figures in five of his last six games.
Junior Dame Junior has been a steady performer at point guard, with a season-high 11 assists in a close loss to SCISA state contender Porter-Gaud.
Sophomore small forward Jordan Aremu has been a top defender, often drawing the opposing team’s top offensive threat.
Saunders has four more sophomores coming off the bench and contributing in various roles. Rounding out the roster are senior Russell Lee, juniors Walker Traxler and Henry Hunt, and sophomores Avin Harrison, Matthew Roof, Miles Jackson and Hibben Dupre.
“I really like this group, their attitude and their work ethic,” Saunders said. “It has been a fun team to coach and it’s been fun to see them improve every day. We have a way to go yet but I feel like we can continue to gel.”
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