Youth movement leads way as Bryan County boys basketball returns to winning
PEMBROKE — The Bryan County High School boys basketball team is exceeding expectations, and that includes those of its optimistic coach.
The team enters the new year sporting a 10-4 record, 4-1 in Region 3-A Public.
“At the beginning of the season I thought 10 wins would be a good year with the history here,” coach Brent Anderson said. “To go into the new year with 10 is amazing.”
At one time under former coach Michael Butler, the Redskins were one of the most competitive Class A teams in the state. In 1993, Bryan County lost to county rival Richmond Hill in the Class A state championship game.
Butler stopped coaching the team after the 1998 season and hard times followed.
Bryan County has had one winning season this century. Randy Cooper led it to a 20-8 record in 2015 and left two years later to take an administrative position in Bulloch County.
This is the first time in six years the Redskins have been over the .500 mark, and they’ve shown they’re going to be a factor in the region race.
In its biggest game to date, Bryan County will play Portal at 7:30 p.m. Friday at home. The Panthers (5-3, 2-1) are the heavy favorite to win the region and opened the season ranked No. 4 in Class A.
Anderson — who looks for positives in almost anything — is in his fifth season and the previous four have been tests. An accomplished coach who took Screven County and Dodge County teams to the state playoffs, he went 7-19 his first season. The last three the records have been 4-14, 0-26 and 1-23.
Bryan County doesn’t have a senior, and other than not having a Senior Night game, Anderson said that isn’t all bad.
“Usually, you have some four-year guys who have been with you for three full seasons,” Anderson said. “They know exactly what’s going on and what I expect as the head coach.
“We don’t have that, however, but we follow it with the next best thing. We have three junior starters that have been playing varsity minutes since their freshman year. We are on the same page with those guys.”
Those juniors are point guard Jamal Campbell, who can slash through a defense and get to the basket, and Jordan Flannel and DeVontae Bowers, who are dependable scorers and rebounders.
Two key additions to the starting lineup are freshman Elijah Mincey, a 5-foot-9 freshman guard who is leading the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game, and sophomore Tanner Ennis, who may be the best all-around athlete in the school.
Ennis started as a freshman in football and baseball and saw action off the bench in basketball last year. He is the blue-collar, lunch-pail guy every team needs. Ennis is averaging 9.5 points per game while Campbell is second to Mincey at 10.4.
Dramatic BCHS victory
Mincey was the trigger man in a 69-67 win over Jenkins County that may wind up being the turning point of the season. Behind Mincey’s 40 points, including the game winner with 20 seconds to play, the squad rallied from 15 points down. Bryan County was 3-3 at the time; it's gone 7-1 since.
“We don’t have any quit even when we’re at a disadvantage,” Anderson said. “So far we have responded to the challenge.”
While the school record for single-game scoring was not known, Anderson said there was no doubt Mincey’s 40 was the most by a freshman. He also scored 32 points in a 61-46 win over East Laurens.
“Not even close, I can promise you that,” Anderson said. “He’s one to watch out for. He has a great relationship with the rest of our players.
“We drew that last shot up for him. We have a lot of trust in him.”
“It’s cool,” Mincey said of his team’s early success. “We’re having fun.”
Survey: Bryan County cyclists, pedestrians and runners want trails connected
Mincey, no relation to BCHS girls basketball coach Mario Mincey, has scored in double figures in 10 games. However, two games after his outburst against Jenkins County, he scored only four against ECI. Campbell took up the slack with 27 points.
“I think I can shoot and pass the ball and play some defense,” Mincey said. “I also understand you can be hot one night and cold the next. We’ve got lots of guys who can score.”
Ennis and Bowers (6.8) have also had games in which they were the team’s top scorer. Flannel (6.8) had a season-high 16 against ECI.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Bryan County High School boys basketball team winning with youth
