RVK Basketball vs. Everybody

The upcoming season for Russellville High School basketball is very exciting for everyone, including seniors Deshala LeBlanc, Jayce Buckner, Destiny Higgins, Ty Collins, Elijah Kemp, Shon Steel, and Jacob Naylor. This year’s captains for the Lady Panthers are LeBlanc and Buchner.

The new coach of the Lady Panthers is Assistant Principal Cameron Jackson.

Deshala LeBlanc says, “As a captain I try to show my team what leadership is and let my team know that I have their back, and [that] they can depend on me to get the job done.” Something they would like to improve on this year ia “winning more games.”

She also says, “The team looks stronger and better than ever. As long as we have better communication and better personal player leadership, work more as a team, and become stronger and more conditioned, we will definitely succeed in the upcoming season. Something that will be different about us than a lot of other teams is that we’re not just teammates, we R a family. At practices, we condition to make sure we are in shape by working out our upper body and legs, using weights, and running a mile that is usually timed.”

Jayce Buchner says, “A first-year program is important to build up chemistry within the team. Scrimmaging also helps us when it comes to conditioning so then we know as a team what our strengths and weaknesses are.”

Entering his second season as the Panthers’ coach is Counselor Rex Booth.

Jacob Naylor says personally, “As captain, I try to lead by example. Whether it’s putting in my best effort in a practice, being attentive in film sessions, or most significantly being vocal in games and doing what I need to do to help the team win.

“Coach Booth really tries to prevent conditioning from just being running sprints up and down the court, even though that is the case occasionally. Most of our conditioning comes from practice drills. Last year, our team never truly found our niche, we never had the chemistry that would allow us to win at the best levels. This year I see us already coming closer as a team and finding what we need to do to be the best possible team that we can be. As I look ahead to this season, I see us being an exciting team to watch, I have some great teammates I am looking forward to playing with, and I can see us competing each game and then hopefully make a playoff run.”

Furthermore, when Elijah Kemp was asked what he tries to maintain within the team, he said, “Building trust within each other is essential so that everything we do, we do as a unit and do it effectively. It will definitely show how much we work together, trust each other, and the effort we all give. Soon, that work will turn into wins, as everyone on our team really wants to work hard and be victorious.

“We plan on having a positive season. We’re all working really hard and all the work will be shown when the season rolls around. We had a really great summer and I’m hoping we feed off of that energy and bring that same energy from the summer to the regular season.”  

To conclude, both of the Panther basketball teams are looking forward to the successful new season, and the team captains are anticipating new surprises from both teams.