Tonight the Pickens Dragons boys varsity team kicks off what looks to be a promising season with a game in Canton against the Creekview Grizzlies. Dragons head coach Brad Steinhauer shared his thoughts on what the 2011-12 season has to offer for his group of young men. FYN: What are your expectations for the upcoming season?

Steinhauer: “We expect to have a successful basketball season this year with the return of 4 starters from last year’s team that reached the state tournament. Our team will have a lot of senior leadership and experience. We hope to contend for a region championship and return to the state tournament, but acknowledge the journey will be difficult in our competitive region.”

Most expect senior Spencer Jones (pictured) to have another successful season, especially behind the three-point line.
(Photo by Jordan Hill)

FYN: Each game is obviously as important as the next, but is there a specific game early on in the season that you think will be key in seeing how good this team really is?

Steinhauer: “I am not sure if there is one game that will show us how good we are or not. I believe we will see how good we are after Christmas when we have played Cherokee, North Hall, North Forsyth, Banneker, and Sequoyah. If we can get some wins against those opponents, then I believe we will be headed in the right direction.”

FYN: This team has a majority of the starters from last year’s team, which made it to the state playoffs before losing in the first round. What specifically does this year’s squad need to improve on in order to take the next step?”

The Dragons will have overcome the loss of Jordan Shaw (pictured) “by committee.
(Photo by Jordan Hill)

Steinhauer: “This team has to get better at handling man-to-man pressure in the full and half court. We lost our primary ball handler and best player (Jordan Shaw, now at Shorter College) from last year and we will need to replace him by a committee of players working together to handle pressure. We will also have to figure out how to get shots without a dominate penetrater on the floor that can penetrate and pass. We will have to be more sound offensively in what we do. We will be working hard on all of these areas this season.”