The team may have lost its seniors, but head coach Norman Jones believes that this year’s Social Circle’s boys basketball team can make a run in a packed region.

“This is the year when we are young and we should be winning 15 games,” Jones said. “The reality is, I think this team might overachieve and win 20 games. Because they are playing together, they love each other and have good chemistry. They hang out together, they want to see each other do well.”

For the previous two seasons, Jones coached both the boys and girls basketball teams for Social Circle.

However, the school hired Gracie Brunel to coach the girls team, which set up Jones to put all of his attention on leading the boys’ program.

“It’s been smooth,” Jones said. “I am just able to focus on one team. I can put all of my energy into one team, it allows me to be more organized, look at more films and look at more skill development. It is bittersweet because I miss the girls and I love to coach. But I do really think this move will be better for both programs because now the head coaches get to spend more time with the group.”

The Redskins improved from 2023 to 2024 as the team finished last season with a 14-13 record and a 6-3 finish in Region 4A-Divison I.

Social Circle made it to the first round of the state playoffs, but fell in a 39-70 defeat to a tough Rabun County team.

Now in 2025, the team will enter the year without the services of players such as Derrick Miller, Jameccus Hardge and Ean Mulkey.

However, Jones noted how the loss might not be an instant negative for what will be a young team.

“Belive it or not, it is addition by subtraction,” Jones said. “Just me knowing the game, the first two years we were a 15 [to] 17 win team, we underachieved. I talk to my older mentors who have been coaching and established winning programs. The first two years are going to be tough, especially when you have just seniors and juniors. You haven't been coaching them from your first year so there is going to be some push back. You got to find a way to get them to buy in.”

This year’s Social Circle boys basketball team will be led by many new faces, but one that broke out a year ago is junior Le’Son “Deisel” Nelson.

Nelson finished second on the team in points per game at 10.2 to go along with 6.6 rebounds per game.

The 6-foot-2 guard is set to play a big role once again, but Jones noted how it will not be just him.

“The sophomore class is going to be very crucial to whether we win or lose,” Jones said. “That's a good class and those guys, Cayden Redd and Keanu Crump, stepped up and they’re playing very well at this point.

“The timeline with some of these kids’ jumps is, ‘Oh snap, we didn’t expect them to jump that fast.’ And some guys we expected to jump [already] are now reaching that level of talent that we know that they have. Diesel has taken another step, but at the same time there are guys that have said this year is going to be a team thing, it isn’t going to be the Diesel show. We know Diesel is good, but I think there are some guys that will really surprise people this year.”

Along with the emergence of upcoming sophomores like Redd and Crump, senior Damien Phelps is another name to look out for, according to Jones.

“Our senior Damion Pehllips. Damiomn Phelps has shown true leadership, hunger, dog mentality — he wants to play college basketball and he knows this should be his year,” Jones said. “Dalen Dennis grew about four inches. He has been playing well in late summer and fall league, it is just about styling locked in all the time.”

The Redskins do not have a large team compared to some of the school’s past, but Jones believes it will make up the difference in the way they play.

“Not every year you are going to have 6-foot-5’s and 6-foot-7’s, we are going to push the pace a lot. We are going to run and get in transition a lot. We will also be preparing for when the region tournament comes and the game slows down a bit. We are just building a dog mentality. We don't care if you are 6-foot-3 and you are going against someone that is 6-foot-8, we want that rebound, we want that extra box-out, we want that dive onto the floor.”

Social Circle plays in a 10-team region that is filled with competitive depth.

The Redskins’ rival, Jasper County, is a team that has had the upper hand over the ‘Skins in recent years, but Jones hopes to see a change in 2025.

“It’s like Jasper County is our kryptonite," Jones said. “When Dan-Dan[Daniel Stephen] got injured a few years ago I think we lost three or four straight. It has been close games, we just couldn't get over the top. I think with this group, if we play like we are supposed to play then we will get Jasper this year.”

As a whole, Jones believes his team can finish the season in good spot in what will be a competitive top-half of Region 4A-Division I.

“Our region is tough but I think we will be able to stack up and be a top three team in the league this year,” Jones said. “I really think we will be able to have a chance to be. It is going to be tough. It is going to come down to who wants it the most and who sticks to their game plan. The region is wide open. Everyone is obviously hunting Greenforest but after that is pretty much wide open. It is going to be about who follows their coach’s game plan and executes at a high level.”