In 2016, the Clarendon Hall varsity boys’ basketball team “barely knew the game at all,” said Coach Anthony Reitenour.
It was a rough year to say the least, the head coach said.
“This time last year, they didn’t have any clue about the game of basketball,” he said. “But they’ve spent a lot of time in the off-season and working in summer camps. Last year, I said we were changing the whole program, and I think we’ve seen a huge improvement with the boys.”
Ultimately, the team finished a dismal 0-17 for the 2016-17 season.
“We went to a University of South Carolina team camp this summer, competing against 4A public schools,” Reitenour said. “We knocked off other public schools. We’ve made a vast improvement.”
The team has four returning players from last season and a couple of new transfers from other schools.
Reitenour said he would be relying on senior Dylan Way for leadership and stability.
“It’s going to be Dylan Way, my returning captain,” said Reitenour. “He letters pretty much in all categories.”
The team also has Zyan Gilmore, a new transfer who started working out with the program during the early summer.
“He’s a pure leader,” Reitenour said. “He’s a sophomore. I expect a lot of things out of him in the future. He’s a very talented kid.”
Reitenour said his only concern is how much the kids got beat up by football season.
“We do have some injuries,” he said. “But we fight through them.”
He said the conference will be a tough one.
“St. Johns is the team to beat for us,” he said. “Dorchester is always a challenge. They lose people but somehow find a way to find even more talented ones. Those are the ones marked on the calendar. We have to get by those games.”
“I think we’re going to do well this season,” Reitenour continued. “We can only go up from last year.”
