The 2024-25 Alcovy High School season left a bitter taste in the mouths of Tigers fans. 

Led by Class of 2025 Graduate Nick Durham, the 17-9 Tigers finished with a 7-5 region record—their first region record over .500 since the 2011-12 season. Despite this, a quarterfinal loss in the Region 8-AAAAA tournament saw their exclusion from the state tournament. 

A month later, it was announced that then-head coach Taylor Jackson would leave the program in a “non-mutual” decision. 

Enter Darrell Johnson, a former assistant coach at Alcovy and head coach at Mount Zion High School in Jonesboro. Johnson officially stepped into coaching duties in June, taking over the youthful squad. He hopes to return Alcovy to the postseason for the first time since 2017-18. 

“It's kind of nostalgic, you know, just full circle type things, but it feels good to be here,” Johnson said. “It's been like a resurgence, man. A lot of guys who want to prove themselves, you know, want to have an opportunity to set the table for Alcovy to be seen as more respected and looked at as a formidable opponent.”

Led by the captain trio of senior Jakori Pinelle, junior Antione Graves and sophomore Mekhi Hamlin, the team is inexperienced; most players have not  had significant playing time in their careers. 

“I wanted to, you know, change the face a little bit, get a couple of pieces who haven't really played in a while or haven't played together,” Johnson said. “What we've been doing is trying to build chemistry, gel, have an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of one another, because at the end of the day, we want to go win, you know. And we're going to have the best units that we can put out there to go win a game.”

Non-Region Play

Pinelle is one of two returning varsity seniors for the Tigers, alongside forward Kellin Hendrix, who had a promising summer training season, according to Johnson. The duo has the most on-court experience on the roster and will likely be fixtures for the Tigers. 

“Jakori, man, he's our overall leader. He has the most experience out of everyone when it comes to being on the varsity level and understanding the varsity game. I'm looking forward to him helping lead this team, you know, keeping this team balanced, and also helping that chemistry flow, even when it's ups and downs that we are going to see (this season), but with his experience and background–especially last year with the group that they had–hopefully that translates and comes into play,” Johnson said. 

Pinelle’s co-captains, Graves and Hamlin, will make the jump from JV to varsity this season. Johnson says that Graves, who made his presence known with a 24-point game against the JV Salem Seminoles last December, has stepped up and proven himself on and off the court over the offseason.

“His [Graves'] name was one of the first that I heard about. Being on JV and not getting that chance to, you know, really be and help varsity [in the past], he's one of the guys that kind of stepped up saying, ‘Coach, I want to do whatever I got to do not just on the court, but also off the court, to not only show and prove that I'm a varsity player, but also to help this team go win,’” Johnson said. 

Non-Region Play

And as if it were fate, the Tigers will open up the 2025-26 season against the Seminoles in Conyers on Tuesday, Nov. 11. 

After a stop at Locust Grove on Nov. 14, the Tigers return to Covington on Nov. 18, for a home-opening showdown against Carver.

The Tigers will then play five consecutive home games, facing Ola (11/21), Rockdale County (11/29), Jasper County (12/5) and Heritage (12/6), before making a trip to Stone Mountain to play Redan (12/9). 

“We’re really looking forward to these first couple of games to shape us and show us who we are,” Johnson said. “We can practice all day, we can simulate things all day, we can break down film all day, but it's nothing like actually being in the present moment: Handling adversity, whether we're up, big, down big or clawing away.”

Finally, the Tigers’ inaugural non-region slate concludes with back-to-back games at home against Newton (12/12) and Eastside (12/13).

“Returning (to Alcovy), I know how the Newton cup is between all three teams, you know. Everybody wants to come out on top, and the kids they know each other, they play against each other, and they want to outdo or outplay their friends or folk and come out on top,” Johnson said. 

The Tigers are slated to play in a Christmas break tournament at Social Circle High School on Dec. 26, 27 and 29, but opponents have not been announced at this time. 

The tournament will be a homecoming for Tiger newcomer Immanuel Humphrey, who transferred from Social Circle to Alcovy at the end of last year. The 6-foot-1 senior guard adds even more depth to the Tigers’ lineup and is expected to be a key part of Johnson’s roster.

“He's going to be a good asset as a floor general, but also a person who can help us all around,” Johnson said.

Region Play

With just one player listed over 6-feet-4-inches, Johnson expects his team to play at a faster pace on offense, while focusing on communication and rotation to “lock down” on defense. Last season, the Tigers allowed the fourth most points in region games (717), conceding an average of 59.75 points in AAAAA Region 8 play. In turn, the offense posted the third-highest points scored in the region with 736, falling short of Winder-Barrow’s 816 and Habersham Central’s 841. 

Both teams made last year’s Elite Eight. Winder-Barrow finished the region play with an 11-1 record, giving them the #1 seed in the region tournament for the third straight season. Despite that, Habersham Central spoiled the Bulldogs' party with a 76-68 victory in the finals, claiming their first region title in their first season in AAAAA Region 8.

 Winder-Barrow is the Tigers’ first region opponent of the season, giving the Tigers a chance to make an early statement at home on Dec. 16.

“We're going to give them a game,” Johnson said. “We're not looking to come in and fold or already feel defeated or anything. We're ready to go compete, ready to go play. And I just hope everybody's ready for what is to come.”

Region play resumes after winter break with a Jan. 6, 2026, trip to Jackson County for a rematch of last year’s AAAAA Region 8 quarterfinal game, where the Panthers dashed the Tigers’ playoff hopes 51-48.

The Tigers then face Loganville at home on Jan. 9, before making stops in Winder and Athens to battle the Apalachee Wildcats (1/13) and the Clarke Central Gladiators (1/16), who failed to win a region game last season.

“Regardless of whoever’s on the other side and in a different jersey, I want my guys to come out and play and compete, give it all and give it everything they got,” Johnson said. “ One shot, one dunk, one layup doesn't change everything, you know, we gotta keep on playing to the final buzzer.”

Next, the Habersham Central Raiders come to town on Jan. 20, marking the halfway point of region play. The defending champions convincingly swept the Tigers (68-55, 72-39) last season.

The back half of region play tips off on Jan. 23, in Winder against Winder-Barrow. Jackson County rounds out the Tigers’ January schedule in Covington on Jan. 30.

February starts with a trip north to Loganville–the Tigers split games with the Red Devils last season. 

Barrow County’s second high school, Apalachee, returns to Covington the following Tuesday (2/13). After a 60-56 scare at home against the Wildcats last season, the Tigers destroyed the Wildcats 70-49 in the return leg three weeks later. 

The Tigers’ nine seniors will play at Alcovy for the final time on Feb. 10, when Clarke Central comes to town, before ending the regular season on the road at Habersham Central on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.