For the fourth consecutive season last year, the Salem Seminoles boys basketball program made it to the first round of state - despite the team's 4-12 region record. The team is losing six of its seniors from last year, but retains all-region guard Austin Samuel who averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds per game last season.

"We did lose a lot of seniors, but those seniors really didn't have a whole lot of varsity experience before their senior year. The year before that we lost three guys that are now playing college," Noah Harrell, Salem head basketball coach, said.

Harrell added that they do have a young team that doesn't have a lot of experience. He said several of the returning guys were on the varsity team and were around the varsity players that made it to the first round of state.

"I'm excited to see what we're able to do. But it's one of those things of until they start playing a lot of minutes you never know what you're gonna get," Harrell said. "I feel like we've got a lot of potential, but we've got a long way to go."

Harrell says that in order to get over the hump he has the team working on the little things that matter.

" We looked back at a lot of our weaknesses last year and looked at where we really stumbled and we are really keying on harping on the little things that add up to be big things," Harrell said. "We are taking a new mentality of we're holding ourselves accountable for all minor mistakes because those minor mistakes turn in to big mistakes."

Harrell spoke about some of his returning players, such as Samuel and Michael Green. Players that he's counting on to step up and have a huge impact this season.

"He's (Samuel) a 6-4 wing. He can play guard, he can play post. He was all-region last year he averaged about 13 points and 10 rebounds a game. I'm expecting a lot out of him this year," Harrell said. "Our point guard is Michael Green and he's a junior. He's been on varsity since he's been a freshman. He didn't play very much as a freshman but he played a whole lot last year, so I'm expecting him to have a really good year. He's grown a couple more inches, he's about 6-1 now and he is very solid with the ball, has great court vision. I'm expecting a lot out of him."

Harrell added that he has other juniors stepping up, who he thinks has grown and expects to continue to grow. Senior Jarrett Cook played significant minutes last year, and Harrell says that he held his own and showed that he's ready for the challenge.

Chandler Davis, a 6-foot-6 junior post player played a little in the state playoff game and played well enough that Harrell thinks he's ready for varsity. Harrell says that he's expecting him to take a big step, despite not having much varsity experience.

"I feel like we have a lot of potential and I really want the community to come out and support us. We've made it to the state playoffs four consecutive years in a row, but unfortunately we have lost every year in the first round of state," Harrell said. "We are trying to get over that hump. Concentrating on the little things is what we're really trying to key in on so we can get over that hump."