WW King Academy Knights Complete Competitive Season
By: Gerald Doolittle
Batesburg-Leesville, S.C. – The W.W. King Academy Knights coached by Dennis Gibson completed their 2025-26 season with a very competitive season two seasons removed from a 23-6 season under then Coach Jonathan Davis.
The 2025-26 season was a season of steady growth for the Knights. The 2024-25 season was the start of the rebuild after losing most of the 23-6 team to graduation and losing Coach Davis moving over to Greenwood Christian.
Coach Gibson would come back into coaching the 2024-25 team and start the rebuild. His very young team consisting of mostly freshmen would finish a 0-16 season taking their hard defeats in stride while still developing their skills.
The Knights returned in 2025-26 with the same group, plus several players who moved up from the middle school team, and focused on developing the players already in the program. That approach led to noticeable progress throughout the season and culminated in a Region Tournament runner-up finish to Newberry Academy.
During the regular season, the Knights split their two games with Cambridge Academy, which went on to claim the Regular Season Region Championship. When the teams met again in the Region Tournament semi-finals, W.W. King delivered one of its strongest performances of the season, defeating Cambridge Academy 65-29 to advance to the title game against Newberry.
Coach Gibson said the season reflected the players’ willingness to stay together and put in the hard work.
“This season shows what can happen when players stay committed and keep working,” said Gibson. “Our guys come from families that value determination and dedication, and we have been fortunate to have strong leadership from senior captain Spencer McCormick. Our starting five spent a lot of time with individual workouts last spring and summer, and it made a difference. I am grateful for this group and proud of the way the entire team has represented our school.”
While the Knights did not finish with a championship, their progress from last season to this one was clear. The team became more competitive, more confident, and more consistent over the course of the year to finish 9-10.
For Wyman King Academy, the 2025-26 season stands as an example of how patience, continuity, and effort can lead to meaningful improvement, on the scoreboard, within a program, and in life.
The Knight roster included seniors Wyatt Burbank and Spencer McCormick. Landell Anderson was the only junior. The several sophomores were Bubba Buzhardt, Whitaker Graham, Joseph Morse, Colby Buzhardt, Joey Bradley, Tucker Mayyou and Joshua Oswald. The five freshmen were Tucker McGinty, Drayton Wannamaker, Brady Goff, Jackson Hutto and Jaydan Deese.
