Basketball is a simple enough formula. Either you win, or you lose and add hard work to the equation. But no offseason workouts, no pre game pep talks could have prepared the 2017 basketball team at South High School for their biggest loss.
Just days before their season opener, their head coach Brian Carter died in a car crash. "Everybody was all depressed and crying," senior Immanuel Mixon remembers.
Clayton Madden took the helm, a former standout at the school in the early 90's, he never saw a return like this. "First few days wasn't really about basketball," he said. "It was really about life."
Life was behind Thursday's break in practice with coach Madden teaching his players how to tie a tie. But the knot holding this team together, is senior captain Immanuel Mixon.
"I gave him that role (captain) immediately because I wanted him to step out of his comfort zone," Madden said. "I wanted him to know it's OK to dominate." This weekend he did just that. Mixon averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Selma Tournament and has helped lead the Rebels to 12 wins; already more than they had all of last season.
"Everything we do, we all know we work hard for Carter, that's what he'd want us to do," Mixon said. It's behind that resolve, with Mixon leading the way, that the Rebels hope to write an end Coach Carter would be proud of.
"To bounce back from not winning last year to winning this year after all we've been through and to get a title, that'd be nice," Mixon said. Madden insists it's not about the wins and losses but instead about developing his players into better people off the court. Still, he couldn't help but agree with senior leader. "To win league and to win valley...it'd be a very good ending to a nice story."
The Rebels open up league play Friday night at 6:30 against defending champs North.
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