“We’ve just got to start inside-out,” Carson said. “Our guys are getting better, and we’ll adjust to that.”

Springfield indeed looked better in their season opener than it had at any time in its disappointing 5-16 campaign from last season. Springfield defended fiercely throughout the game and forced 24 turnovers against Hamilton. The ‘Cats also took their time with shot-selection, as they shot 43 percent from the field in the second half.

“The work that these guys put in during the spring, summer, and fall paid off,” Carson said. “These kids went back to the drawing board and worked extremely hard, and the results are showing.”
Carson saw the improvement in the summer, as the Wildcats had a successful summer in team camps. Springfield did well in one particular camp at Cleveland State, where it won a one-day tournament. Carson pointed to two plaques displayed his office from that camp.

“Those two plaques right there show it,” Carson said. “When you see that after being 5-16, you’re like ‘wow.’ In those team camps and shoot-outs, these guys saw some success. Once you see some success after losing like we did (last year), you get hungry. They’ve stayed hungry and we’re going to work on getting some of that success now in the (regular) season.”

Springfield’s overall numbers are much improved as well. There are complete rosters on freshman, junior varsity, and varsity levels, and there are about 35 players in the program at all three levels.

“We were very fortunate to get a great freshman class,” Carson said. “We got an awesome freshman class, and these kids are just awesome all around. They’re great kids, they work hard, and more importantly, they’re basketball players, not just athletes.”

Through the first few weeks of the season, though, it has been the returning upperclassmen who have led the program. Seniors Rashad Hurt (5-8 guard), Ryan Minney (5-11 guard), Brantley Davis (6-0 wing), and Darryl Perry (6-6 center) all return after seeing varying levels of playing time last season. Junior Sean Burroughs (6-6 center) also returns as well.

Minney led Springfield with 18 points in a Foundation Game against Graham on Nov. 26, and he also added 14 points and two assists against Hamilton. Perry, who came off the bench last year, earned his first career double-double against Hamilton with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

“Darryl Perry has been working extremely hard,” Carson said. “He got a lot better over the summer, and that showed tonight. Guys fed him (the ball) and he finished.”

Carson also thinks that younger players could make a significant impact on the varsity squad as the season progresses. One freshman in particular, Henry Alexander, played about half the game as a point guard against Hamilton. Alexander finished with five points, four rebounds, and four assists.
“I think he did a good job tonight as a freshman in his first game,” Carson said. “He gave us some great valuable minutes tonight.”

Former South head coach Larry Ham and former South star Neal Browning are Carson’s assistant coaches this season. Carson recruited Ham, who coached him at South, to come back and help the team as an assistant. Carson said both Ham and Browning are assets for the staff.

“They’re both my former coaches, and it’s awesome,” Carson said. “It’s just like you’re at home — it’s like a family. We trust each other and have been around each other. We’re all in it for the right reasons, for the kids in the Springfield area. We want to help them to do what we did and be successful on and off the court.”

Perry said Ham worked with him throughout the summer and instructed him in several areas.

“(Coach Ham) taught me how to handle the ball and be strong and handle my weight in the right ways,” Perry said. “I’m a big guy, and I had to learn to shift my weight in the right positions and finish strong.”

Carson thinks Springfield has much potential, and he sees the team becoming much improved as the season progresses.

“The biggest key is to continue to get better every single day,” Carson said. “There are some things that we did tonight that we didn’t like. We’ve got to go back, clean up, and get better. So we’ve got to continue to work hard and stay hungry.”