“This team reminds me of the 2019 team,” Watson said. “That’s what I told our guys at practice the other day. We are similar, I just don’t think we are as tough yet.

“That team was tough and hated to lose,” Watson continued. “These guys aren’t tough enough yet, as a team. In my opinion, to be a great player, you have to hate to lose more than you like to win.”

If the Bulldogs can develop that hate for losing, Watson thinks the team has a chance to be special.

Makhi Jones returns for his senior season. At 6-foot-4 Jones, a guard, is the tallest player on the team.

Watson said he’ll run the point at times, but can also move inside and can play any position on the court.

Jones is just one of several upperclassmen on the veteran Crestview team. In fact, the roster is made up entirely of juniors and seniors.

A.J. Johnson, Jacob Moulton and Lazarius Parks are some of the other seniors. Lorenzo Blackwell and Braylon Phillips are two of the juniors expected to help lead the way.

“Makhi Jones has had a great career already and he’s a senior this year,” Watson said. “He’s got some college interest. A.J. Johnson is another senior that is just a hard-nosed, hard-working player that’s got to be a leader for us.

“Jacob Moulton has those leader qualities,” Watson added. “And probably Lorenzo Blackwell also is going to be a leader. Those four guys have been coming in doing extra work.”

Crestview is again in a tough District 1-6A with Tate, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Navarre, Pace and Niceville.

Watson isn’t sure what to expect from the other teams, but he will have his team ready.

Watson’s biggest concern has to do more with the team’s lack of size. It’s not that the Bulldogs are short, but with the 6-4 Jones being the tallest player on the team, Crestview might have some issues in the paint.

That size deficiency will present challenges that Watson knows the team will overcome with athleticism at all positions.

“We don’t have a ton of size so we’re going to have to team block out and go pursue loose balls (on rebounds),” he said. “I think right now is our biggest weakness. I like us defensively.”

The Bulldogs also have speed.

“We’re quick and we get after people,” Watson said. “We’re going to have to play up tempo, which they like doing. I feel like we shoot the ball better than we have in the past few years.”

With a group of veteran players shooting the ball well success or failure of the Bulldogs could come down to a couple of things.

“I feel like we’re going to be a little better,” Watson said. “I think the biggest keys are going to be coming down the defense and rebounding, with the biggest concern being rebounding.”

Another almost $700 for new basketballs and the cost of travel and the price for a basketball season easily reaches 10,000 dollars or more.

Fortunately for Zessin, he has help raising those funds.

The next fundraiser will be Sept. 16 at Twin Hill Parks when the Baker basketball team conducts a skills workshop from 3:30-5:30. The workshop is open for students in the first through the sixth grades and is free.

There are opportunities for businesses to help with the expenses and in essence, sponsor the Baker basketball team.

“Steve McCosker, the Chief of Police in Crestview, had this thought about trying to help Baker basketball and the Community of Crestview at the same time,” Zessin said. “So his organization is the police force in fraternity of police are going to put on a fundraiser. “We (the Baker basketball team) are just going to be there to facilitate the skills camp.

“The department is doing all the legwork. Hopefully, we’ll get some funds to help us buy new uniforms and fund our basketball program.”

Chief McCosker’s son, Stephen, will be a senior for the Gators this year.

Gator players will be conducting the drills at the skills camp and coaches will be on hand to oversee things.

“It’s just for the love of the game,” Zessin said. “Any time you can get someone to bounce a basketball and fall in love with the game, it’s worth it.”

Sponsorships start and $100 and go up to $500.

For more information on how to become a sponsor, contact the Crestview Police Department at (850) 306-3739 or communityservices@crestviewpd.org.

Hobo coach Carl Henry is pleased with the progress his young Laurel Hill team is making.

“Things are going good,” he said. We are moving along. We lost two (seniors) and this year we are losing three. We are excited about this year. We plan on trying to make as much impact as we can going into the final year for those seniors.”

Rylee Boddy and Ashley Leach will be missed from last year’s team. The weight of leadership will fall on the shoulders of seniors Laramie Boykin, Jalion Smiley and Kennedi Kilpatrick.

Henry has seen the team mature in the last several months and that was shown in the number of high school players attended workouts. That number was between 10 and 12 each game.

“Going into the summertime it is about opportunity and it’s about availability,” he said. “It starts with the dedication and the will to want to be here and to take that time out during the summer. As many girls as we have (at games) I try to get them all in.

“There is no quote unquote starting five going into the summer. It’s about everybody and developing everyone.”

The coach said the team has executed the plays better than last summer and is showing more patience. He also complimented the grit and willingness of the girls to lay things on the line.

Laurel Hill’s fortunes could ride on the shoulders of sophomore post player Aiyana Dixon. Henry has seen Dixon step up her game this summer.

“Aiyana Dixon has been even more productive than last year,” he said. “She seems to be working a lot harder. I feel like she has a goal that she’s trying to accomplish. With that being said, she is definitely trying to work her butt off.”

Medley spent the month of June working with the basketball team. As the calendar flips to July, she’ll be working with the volleyball team as it prepares for the 2023 season.

Baker is expected to return all but four seniors from last year’s basketball team, which should bode well for Medley and the Gators.

Two of the top three scorers, McKenzie McGraw and Addison Cadenhead, return for their junior seasons. Two of the top three rebounders in McGraw and senior Leah Caro return along with the top three Lady Gators in assists, McGraw, Caro and Cadenhead.

The experience showed during the summer sessions that saw Baker play 14 games.

“They’re remembering everything gone over through the season,” Medley said. “I’m seeing their development. Their court vision is getting better especially to thinking a play ahead.

“Their basketball IQ has improved. We like to play a lot to increase that basketball IQ.”

It only takes a few minutes of watching the Gators to notice improved ball-handling skills since last season.

“That’s one thing we emphasize a lot is ball handling, and working on that skill and practice,” Medley said.

One of the advantages of coaching both the volleyball and basketball teams, at least from Medley’s perspective, is she can make sure the players do the right things and stay conditioned.

Medley has been impressed with the way Cadenhead has developed through the summer. She also said Eiress Rockwell has improved her shooting.

And while Medley wants to win every game, she tones down that emphasis as she works with the team during the summer.

“I just want them to play hard and have fun,” she said.

The Bulldogs wrapped up their summer workouts on June 26 and Watson is happy with what the team was able to accomplish.

“The summer has been good,” he said. “Last summer we didn’t have a floor so to be able to practice and be around the guys (is nice). We’ve got a lot of guys returning so it’s not a lot of teaching new stuff.

“It’s just getting everything better and getting in the gym and getting shots up and playing games.”

Twenty-five players participated in the summer program that lasted throughout this month. It was an even mix of varsity, 13 and junior varsity, 12 with the only absences being for vacation or summer classes.

“It’s a really good group,” Watson said. “I enjoy being around them. They are very coachable.

“They are high character kids, which makes it fun.”

Crestview is a school that still encourages athletes to play multiple sports. Bulldog coaches work well together in the scheduling of workouts allowing athletes to participate as much as possible in all of their sports.

“Most of the stuff we do is in June,” Watson explained. “And then football kind of really gets going hard in July. June is our month to pretty much get all of our games in.

“In July we will have some open gyms where guys can shoot so they are not, not touching a ball for an entire month. But as far as organized practices and games, we don’t do any in July.”

With less than a week of games left in the summer, Watson’s team had only two losses. Even though the games don’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things it is always nice to pick up the win.

The summer has gone smoothly not only because of the high character the players have, but also because of the familiarity between players and coach.

“We lost a few guys (to graduation) but we’ve got a lot of guys that are returning that have been in the system and know what to expect from me,” Watson said. “They are just a year stronger and a year older.

“I love them. I’m excited to coach them this year. I’m looking forward to really good season.”

Once again the Bulldogs will be lacking in the size that a basketball coach often hopes for. Senior guard Makhi Jones will be the tallest player at 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5.

Watson joked that it would be nice to have a 6-foot-9 or 6-foot-10 player move into the area and join the team, but he’s confident in the guys he’ll put on the floor.  

“I think we will be a better shooting team this year,” he said. “We are going to be athletic. We are going to have to press and get after people.

“We lack some size inside.  At the same time, we can match up with someone that is athletic and that’s going to cause a match up problem for somebody else that does have size. It works both ways.”

Simmons finished her Lady Bulldog career with 975 points and 679 rebounds while playing the post position.

It was Simmons that made the initial contact with Northeastern JC and things fell into place from there.

“I was on Twitter and looking at recruiting and they talked to me,” she said. “I think they will use me more as a wing because of my size.”

Simmons said there are some nerves about going to college 1,475 miles away.

“It’s really scary going to a totally different environment,” Simmons said. “But I also like to embrace new things. I just want to go there and make an impact.”

Lady Bulldog coach Connor Williams credits Simmons for putting in the work on the floor and in her own recruitment.

“She did the homework and the research and found the school that she could really thrive at,” he said. “The coaches believe in her. We saw night in and night out what she contributed to our success.

“I really think she has the ability and work ethic to get it done (at the college level),” Williams added.

The recovery is complete now and Simmons is playing as someone trying to make up for lost time.

At 5-foot-9 (which might be generous), Simmons is often three to six inches shorter than the opposing post player. That doesn’t stop her from putting up big numbers. Simmons doesn’t lead the Lady Bulldogs in any statistical category, but she’s in the top three in several.

Her 11.9 points per game are second on the team in scoring. She’s tied for first in field goal percentage hitting 49 percent of her shots. She’s also second on the team with 6.9 rebounds a game.

She’s third on the team in steals, blocks and free throw percentage.

“I was looking at her states the other day, and we’re talking about a kid that tore her ACL her sophomore year,” Lady Bulldog coach Connor Williams said. “She had 565 rebounds coming into the (Jan. 12) game tonight (against Niceville). For her to have a number like that is pretty remarkable.

“She’s flirting with 800 points on her career,” he added.

Williams said Simmons uses her aggressiveness and quickness to offset her lack of height inside.

It’s all a matter of confidence for Simmons.

“I’m always believing that just because someone bigger than me doesn’t mean that they’re better than me,” she said. “I just put my all into it and go hard every time.

“Going against bigger girls I have to use my quickness. I might be smaller, but that’s my advantage,” Simmons added.

Simmons said she enjoys the physical nature of playing inside.

“I do like the contact,” she said. “It’s fun. When I’m mixing it up, it makes me feel great.”

Simmons is one of the seniors Williams looks to for leadership.

“She’s a big part of what we do,” he said. “I think that our team has a really solid core.

“There’s a good connection between her and Katiya (Casey),” Williams added. “They blend really nicely and have the same mind because they’ve been playing together so long.”

Williams believes that Simmons has the skills to play at the next level, but she will have to move to a wing, small forward or two guard position.

“We’ve got to have her inside, but we’ve been working on her (shooting) range,” he said. “We’re still working out the kinks (in her shot).

“If coaches see her athleticism, she’s got a real shot defensively,” Williams added. “She’s a monster (on defense). We’re talking about a kid that’s coachable and anyone in the country would be lucky to have her.”

“She’s a leader,” Medley said. “She’s still young being a sophomore, but she’s a leader for us on the floor. She sets the tempo for us offensively. The girls know that’s where the bulk of the offense comes from.

“They respect her. They want to do what they can to get her the ball and let her work and facilitate our offense.”

McGraw usually plays point guard, but Medley said she could play any spot on the floor if needed. She’s quick enough to be the main ball handler for the Lady Gators, but she’s also tall enough to play inside the paint at the low post.

McGraw admits to feeling the pressure of being the focal point of the Lady Gators, but she doesn’t mind.

“It puts pressure on me,” she said. “But I do it for my team. I make sure that everyone knows what they are supposed to do.

“I think I play a little better with pressure because it challenges me to be the best I can.”

It’s McGraw’s ability to stay within herself that impresses Medley the most.

“The strength of her game is her composure and the way she stays composed under pressure,” Medley said. “Nobody handles the ball and brings it up the court the way she does.”

McGraw isn’t resting on her past or current accomplishments. She knows the weaknesses in her game and the areas in which she most needs to improve. She said that she can develop her game more in shooting, passing and even dribbling as she brings the ball up the court.

McGraw also is a standout on the Lady Gator volleyball team. And although she no longer plays softball, she’s shown her skills on the diamond as well.

If the time comes that she must decide between volleyball and basketball, McGraw knows what sports she’d choose.

“Definitely basketball because I’ve been playing basketball my whole life,” she said. “Basketball is just my life.”