The Lakewood Leopards boys varsity basketball team will look to build off a subpar 2015 season when they begin play at the end of this month.

The Leopards finished the 2015 season with an 11-13 overall record. They were 8-6 in conference play. But the team and their coaches hope to improve upon that record this year. By all accounts, they have the talent to do it despite losing several seniors.

Lakewood lost multiple seniors, but have a solid group of players ready to step up to the plate this coming season. Shooting guard Nasiem Devane, point guard Kobe Jackson, power forward Jirah Cooper, small forward Nyquan Murph, and power forward Pate Holland are among the seniors from the 2015 season. The Leopards will look to replace these talented players with a crop of new athletes chomping at the bit to get time on the hardwood.

Sylvester Pittman will return as the coach for the Leps and will hope to get his team off to a strong start and make it to the playoffs for the second straight year. His squad was in the NCHSAA Men’s Basketball State Championships last year, but were defeated in a 73-31 loss at the hands of Voyager Academy in the first round in a game that was never truly close.

However, it is a new season and Pittman’s team will look forward to kicking things off with a game at home against their rival in the Union Spartans. Union is coming off a brutal 3-24 2015 campaign. Nevertheless, Union’s roster is primarily made up of seniors, so a good basketball game to start the season is expected, regardless of each team’s past record. Both teams know very well that records matter little when it comes to rivalry games, and that upsets are not rare and happen quite frequently in the sports world.

Lakewood and Union will battle on Nov. 28. in the Leopard gymnasium.

Lakewood guard Quamaine Williams heads to the basket during a win in last year’s season.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_DSC_0010.jpgLakewood guard Quamaine Williams heads to the basket during a win in last year’s season.

By Adam Johnson

Sports Writer