The offseason and summer months have been productive for the Lake Oconee Academy boys’ basketball team.
Despite a packed June, which included practices and attending a few college camps, the Titans have maintained a positive outlook and are in a good place heading into July, the final month before school starts back.
Lake Oconee Academy coach Josiah Rechenbach has seen his young team mature over the last several weeks.
“We’ve been getting after it this summer and working hard. We’re trying to build up our group and chemistry,” Rechenbach said. “We maximized the month of June the best we could, playing a total of 21 games.”
The Titans traveled to Milledgeville to play in a summer league showcase at Georgia College & State University. They also visited Lookout Mountain, competing against other teams during a camp at Covenant College.
Rechenbach believes the camps at GCSU and Covenant College helped his players. The tournaments pitted the Titans against tough competition, which Rehcenbach feels will help prepare his team for the upcoming season.
“June was wild, but it was needed. We went to Georgia College, Covenant College and did two other scrimmage events,” he said. “It went by quickly, but it was a very productive summer. We got a lot of guys reps.”
Lake Oconee Academy’s boys took 15 players to each camp, and Rechenbach thinks having that many compete together benefitted his program. The younger and older Titan players got an invaluable opportunity to bond as a unit.
As a coach, Rechenbach enjoyed seeing his players learn more about each other – both on and off the court.
“It was really about the group trying to build chemistry and learn what the standards of our program are,” Rechenbach said. “It was a lot of young guys, with only two returning seniors. I was just trying to see where everybody fits and what they can bring to the table. I want them to understand everybody is a valuable piece of the team. The time spent this summer on the court was super valuable, and we benefited from it.”
The summer also allowed Rechenbach to see what players have improved in the offseason. He saw James Wright III, Torin Maddox, Keenan Parham, Henry Hynes, and Canon Mullen take steps in the right direction.
Each player Rechenbach mentioned contributed meaningfully during the team’s 21-game stretch last month.
“With this group, something exciting is that we’re developing some good depth,” Rechenbach said. “A lot of guys are competing for playing time at the varsity level. We will also have a solid JV program next year.”
Despite going 8-21 overall last year, it was the best season in LOA’s short history. The Titans hope to continue building chemistry over the next few months and use some of last year’s positives as a stepping stone.
With veterans such as Wright, Maddox, Parham, Hynes, and others returning, it could be a historic year for LOA.
“We’ll be doing some more workouts after the dead week [to start July], but most of our guys are dual-sport athletes, so they’ll be with the football team,” Rechenbach said. “For our non-football guys, we will continue to get after it. I am super excited about the upcoming season and the group we have coming back.”