New coaches but the same cougar spirit. The Cherokee Trail basketball team has opened their arms to a brand new coaching staff. At the beginning of the year, with a blank slate, the coaches looked at the players and saw what could be a state championship winning team.

 Training the players harder than they ever have been trained, and pushing the team to its full potential, Coaches Brandon Brown and Tyler Hayes hope to bring the team to the top, “CT [has] been not so great recently, and we’re just trying to get them back to where we belong,” said Coach Tyler Hayes.

Cherokee Trail basketball has had ups and downs as a team but are all feeling the hype this season. New head coach, Brandon Brown, brings in a new up-tempo and hard working mentality for the team, “He’s really started to get people to buy into the new culture, a winning culture, and I think he’s done a great job working with the pieces that he has…” said senior Keean Lloyd. 

Student Athletes David Behrendt, Keean Lloyd, and Tony Niyongabo show their attitudes towards the new coaches and are very appreciative of the chemistry they’ve built as a team in such a short time together. The coaches make them really push through and work for the game in hopes to bring home their first win as a team and family, “ I think we’ll for sure make it to the playoffs this year and we’ll see what happens after that,” said senior Tony Niyongabo. 

Coach Brown, alongside coach Tyler Hayes, bring a lot of motivation towards the sport at Cherokee Trail. A big focus on  continuing to strengthen the bond between students and coaches, “I think there’s good chemistry between myself [and] the kids,” said coach Hayes, “Being able to build connections, and then motivating kids to get the most out of them… I think it’s important to build trust with kids. Once they know that they can trust you, they’ll pretty much run through a wall for you”. 

The team is looking to flip the program on its head and show the CT community that they are more than meets the eye, “We’re bleeding burgundy and blue, through and through.” said Coach Tyler. Come out this season and support the Cougars and make sure to bring the hype to the den this year!