Clarke Central High School boys varsity basketball players Andre Cox, a junior, (left) and Nevin Paul, a senior, (right) pose at the ODYSSEY Media Group’s Winter Media Day in the CCHS Competition Gym on Nov. 9. Looking ahead to their first game of the season against Oconee County High School on Nov. 18 at OCHS, Cox stressed the importance of a cohesive team. “We got to keep pushing. We should keep talking as a team. We should have a lot of team chemistry, and we already have that, so I think it should be easy to beat Oconee,” Cox said. “I have a lot of hope in my team this year.” Photo by Iliana Tejada
The CCHS boys varsity basketball team will face Oconee County High School for the first time in three years on Nov. 18 at OCHS.
For their first game of the 2025-26 season, the Clarke Central High School boys varsity basketball team will play against Oconee County High School at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 at OCHS.
Coming in from a winless 2024-25 season, CCHS head boys varsity basketball coach Dr. Stefan Smith walked the team through various plays and game scenarios in order to emphasize quick thinking in a fast-paced sport.
Because the Gladiators haven’t faced OCHS, who have a current overall record of 0-2, since a 47-61 loss in the 2022-23 season, CCHS is going into the game with limited expectations.
“We haven’t had a chance to see what type of team (OCHS is),” CCHS boys varsity basketball assistant coach Jason Johnson said. “We’ll see how their team operates, how they play (and) if it’s up tempo or slow. They’re probably a fundamentally sound team, so we’re gonna have to be a fundamentally sound team as well.”
“Nobody (will really) be believing in us, but we believe in ourselves. That’s all that matters.”
— Andre Cox,
CCHS boys varsity basketball power forward and junior
Defeating OCHS would mean the Gladiators automatically beat their 2024-25 season record of 0-25. For Smith, this will require the team to display a consistency they lacked last year, which they have been working on by cementing basic skills like layups in practice.
“I want us to play well and be aggressive for 32 minutes. Last year, we had spurts where we looked good, but I want us to finally play a complete game where we play well for four quarters, and we’ve been working a lot on conditioning, so that should help us,” Smith said.
With seven games standing between CCHS and their first Georgia High School Association Region 8-AAAAA game, the Gladiators are looking to start a comeback season off with a win.
“We’re here to redeem ourselves, to prove a point and to prove everybody wrong,” CCHS boys varsity basketball power forward Andre Cox, a junior, said. “Nobody (will really) be believing in us, but we believe in ourselves. That’s all that matters.”
