After being bounced from the district tournament in the quarter finals in a hard-fought game against Upperman, Tiger Head Coach John Sanders admits the squad’s 6-23 record wasn’t what everyone hoped but there are some things to build on going into next season.

“We didn’t win obviously as many as we would have liked to but we got better as the year went on, which is what you always want to see,” Sanders said. “The kids played hard. They didn’t quit which I was really proud to see.”

Sanders said he is thankful for the support of the school board and Director Patrick Cripps and Principal Randy Jennings. “In my first season, if I had a question, everybody’s been so good to help.”

The Tigers will lose eight season as they enter the 2019-20 campaign. “They (the seniors) saw the bulk of the playing time,” Sanders pointed out, noting they also have some returning impact players like Dallas Cook, Dakota White, two starters who he expects big things from.

“Young guys coming up we expect to make a difference like Lucas Hale, a good offensive player,” Sanders said, noting he will have to work on his defense. “Luke Jenkins is a really good defensive player who plays hard. We’re going to work with him on his shooting a ball handling this offseason.”

Evan Jones had several good games this past season and the coach expects even more out of him this season. As for freshman, the coach believes Brayden Antoniak, Jordan Young, Nathaniel Crook got better playing junior varsity this past year.

“Levi Driver plays really hard and started shooting the ball better,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what his JV group can do when mixed with some of the guys we got coming back.”

The full interview can be seen on video at www.smithvillereview.com.