The HFC Men’s Basketball season has begun. This year’s roster has a lot of new, young faces ready to take the reins.

Hawks head coach Tony Woods has a full 15-man roster. Out of those 15 players, 11 are freshmen and four are sophomores, three of which are returning players. Woods says that there are challenges that come with having a team as young as this one, but the one thing that he looks for out of his young guys is maturity.

Woods understands that some of these guys are used to shorter games and seasons at the high school level. The grind becomes tougher at the college level. These young guys have to go to school full time and balance work on and off the court, and Woods understands that: “The kids come in and you know, they get burnt out. So you know during midterm week, I gave them that week off. Probably shouldn’t! But, I think for the most part I’m thinking of student-athletes instead of just athletes.”

Woods wants to ensure that his players are comfortable going to class, getting homework done and getting work in at practice to be prepared for games.

Being as young as most of these players are, some may see their youth as a weakness. Woods states: “Even though they are young and it may seem like it’s a disadvantage...I don’t see it. The reason I don’t see it is because they are not scared. They don’t have any fear.”

According to Woods, practices can “get really heated.” Woods observes that the guys really compete against each other, but they also talk to each other and communicate very well on the court. He went on to explain that even with returning sophomores, no starting positions are safe. Starting lineups will continue to change throughout the season and a lot of guys are going to get playing time.
Woods’s first two years as head coach have given him something to build off of. With this year’s youthful team, he’s excited and optimistic to see what they will produce on the court. Woods believes he has a solid foundation and the blueprint for success. Upcoming Hawks Basketball games are posted at: https://athletics.hfcc.edu/varsity/mens-basketball/schedule.