Clarke Central High School boys varsity basketball players Mathew Collins, a senior; Andre Cox, a junior; and TJ Gipson, a junior, sit behind varsity boys basetball coach Dr. Stefan Smith in the CCHS Competition Gym on Oct. 28, 2025. According to Smith, the 2025-26 varsity boys basketball team is looking to build talent by giving their all during practices. “We’re going to hold ourselves to a higher standard, as far as making sure we give effort every time we get in the gym,” Smith said. “I tell (the team) all the time, ‘That ball might not go in the hoop, but effort, you always bring that with you.’ So I think if we just continue to stick to what we doing, good things will happen.” Photo by Cooper Jones
After a winless 2024-25 season, the CCHS boys varsity basketball team is looking to build upon a foundation of young players.
It’s January 2025 and the Clarke Central High School boys varsity basketball team takes to the court for another game. Sneakers squeak, balls bounce and the scoreboard counts down the final seconds to the buzzer, marking yet another loss.
Heads hang low, with players and fans disappointed, but head boys varsity basketball coach Dr. Stefan Smith claps. Not to celebrate a win, there hasn’t been one all season. He’s applauding effort.
The Gladiators went 0-25 in the 2024-25 season and finished last in the Georgia High School Association Region 8AAAAA with a region record of 0-12 after losing key players like former CCHS students Marcus Gillespie and Hezekiah Millender. Despite the adversity and left to start a squad of primarily underclassmen and first-time varsity players, the team and coaching staff remained optimistic about player growth and prospects for future seasons.
“It was a developmental season. Guys had to step up and play, and it was a great experience for them. I got a chance to play a lot of freshmen, and in the long run, what we did last year was very, very important to what’s gonna happen in the future,” Smith said.
Clarke Central High School boys varsity basketball center Andrea Cox, a now junior, takes a shot during the 2024-25 varsity basketball team’s game on Feb. 14, 2025 against Habersham Central in the CCHS Competition Gym. Varsity boys basketball coach Stefan Smith attributes last year’s record to a large graduating class and lack of varsity exposure.. “It was just inexperience, no varsity experience. They were with the sub varsity coach. Varsity is a lot more advanced than that. In the long run, what we did last year was very, very important to what’s gonna happen in the future,” Smith said. Photo by Grady Dunston
According to CCHS varsity basketball shooting guard Matthew Collins, a senior, the team faced adversity beyond their record. In their own school halls, they heard constant criticism.
“It was hard to come to practice every day and give our best effort despite our record and everybody doubting us at school, calling us trash and saying we need players from last year to help us out,” Collins said.
Still, Smith saw a team that did its best to remain positive despite these doubts, who worked hard in practice and played through frustrations.
“(Our strength was) our resiliency, because (the players) probably had the best attitude that you would ever want to see from guys who weren’t as successful in games as they thought they should be,” Smith said. “You couldn’t ask for a better group of kids when it comes down to what we were going through and how we were going through it.”
Prior to last season, the Gladiators have seen region success in recent years. They won the GHSA Region 8-AAAAA boys varsity basketball championship in 2021, 2022 and 2024. This made them the region’s No. 1 seed in state playoffs each year and, according to Smith, made them a target to other teams.
“We’re champions. I don’t think (the 2024-25 team understood) that we were the team to beat in the region. Everybody’s bringing their best to us, and we got to understand that. Last year they didn’t have an understanding of that,” Smith said.
The 2024-25 team grew tired of losing towards the end of the season, creating rifts between teammates and contributing to dysfunction on the court, according to Collins. Because of this, the Gladiators have made a point to strengthen relationships early on this year.
“I feel great about this year’s team, because we’ve all been playing in the summertime, and we all built chemistry with each other. Last year we didn’t do anything for bonding, so we never got close with each other. And this year we started early (to) build bonding,” Collins said.
“it was hard to come to practice every day and give our best effort despite our record and everybody doubting us at school.”
— Matthew Collins,
CCHS varsity basketball shooting guard
On and off the court, in the weight room and on the track, the 2025-26 boys varsity basketball team is working to avenge their losses last season and return to their former glory: region champs, a winning record and a state playoff run. Smith predicts a return to form for players and himself.
“We’re going to do much harder things than we used to do. They’re going to get Coach Smith back. I got comfortable, too, (after) we won three out of five region championships,” Smith said. “Anything worth getting, you’re gonna have to work for, regardless of what it is. We don’t want people to go lay down. They’re not gonna be in this program.”
