With winter having arrived, the varsity boys’ basketball team tips off the new season with renewed confidence, led by seasoned veterans and rising underclassmen.
The team finished last year with a record of 21-9, losing to North Oconee in the Sweet 16 round of the playoffs. The team lost five seniors, including Owen Ritger, who is now playing at Furman. A new head coach is now leading the War Eagles, Reilly Campbell.
Before joining Marist, Campbell served as a varsity coach and athletic director at Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Florida. In 2023, Cardinal Newman went 23-6, and Campbell led the team to its first district championship in eight years.
Although it is still early in the season, the team has demonstrated considerable potential under Campbell’s leadership. The team is currently 5-1 and has a 3-0 record in region play. They have picked up wins over Galloway, Clarkston, Dunwoody, North Springs, and Druid Hills. They lost a tough game to Mount Vernon at the Buckhead Hoops Festival hosted at Holy Innocents.
With the football season still in action, the basketball team’s active roster only has eight players, with five sitting out due to football. Because of this, the team has turned to freshman point guard Bryce Fedor to play some crucial minutes early on in the season.
Playing under Coach Campbell’s leadership has been different than years prior. “Playing under Coach Campbell has been very rewarding. We keep improving each week, and we are definitely well-conditioned from his practices,” shared Ryland Hoover, a senior forward on the team.
The goals for the Marist basketball program are higher than ever under the new coaching staff. According to Ryland, “We have a lot of work still left to do; we are striving each day to make sure we can deliver a region title and a state championship.” Jay Walsh is another senior on the team, currently averaging about twenty-five points per game. “We want to win the region, especially winning against Pius both times we play them,” Walsh stated.
The student fans also have great expectations for this year’s basketball team. Student fan Ryan Wurst shared, “I expect big wins from the team this year under the new coaching staff.”
The team has a tough road ahead with about 20 games left to play, including two games against talented rival St. Pius X and a trip down to Florida over Christmas break. We will have to wait and see how the rest of the season plays out.
