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Cane Bay High School’s boys basketball program has become one of the better ones in the Lowcountry under coach Shawn McKeen. As McKeen begins his fourth season on the Cobras’ sideline, Cane Bay is in the conversation for another region crown. Two of his first three squads ended the regular season as a league champion, and a new group will try to keep the good times rolling this winter.
Before McKeen, Cane Bay had never won a region title. “We’ve had a couple preseason scrimmages,” McKeen said. “We’ve done a lot of good things, but, of course, there have been some bad things.
They’re not all bad things, just a lot of fixable things I should say. Once we get everybody together, I think we’ll be very dangerous. But it’s going to be a challenge because Goose Creek is good.
Berkeley good.” The Cobras crank up a busy first week of the regular season at home Tuesday, Dec. 3, against Timberland.
Cane Bay then hosts Andrews Wednesday, Dec. 4, before traveling to Beaufort Friday, Dec. 6, and Dorman Saturday, Dec.
7. After Dorman, which is ranked No. 2 in Class 5A Div.
I, the Cobras head to No. 3 Summerville Tuesday, Dec. 10.
More Cane Bay non-region foes are ranked in the SC Basketball Coaches Association’s preseason polls: Oceanside College in 3A, Woodland in 2A, and Marion in 2A. In league play, Goose Creek is ranked No. 1 in Class 5A Div.
II and Berkeley is No. 7. McKeen said his squad will attack the rugged slate head on, expecting to grow as the season progresses.
The Cobras will try to use their size to find ways into the win column. “We’re very physical,” McKeen said. “It’s not the quickest team we’ve had, but we’ve got great size.
We have kids, 6-5, 6-6, 6-3, 6-4, across the board who can play. Even our guards are good-sized. We’ve got some athleticism.
It’s about us trusting each other and getting the team chemistry right. We’ve got some returners. We’ve got a couple new kids playing.
We’ve got some up from last year’s JV team who have improved dramatically. It’s about getting everybody to play together.” The Cobras lost three of their top four scorers, but bring back some regular contributors to the scoreboard in junior forward Jarvis Roper (8.
5 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and sophomore guard Jahleel Sanders (5.5 ppg, 1.
6 spg). More lettermen coming back are junior forward Amare Merrell, junior center Mike Smalls (6-6), senior guard Austin Seabrook and junior forward Tristan Ford. Senior wing Kevin Dukes, a transfer, gives the Cobras a proven scorer.
He averaged 18.8 points as a sophomore at Stall before tallying 15.7 points per game as a junior at Riverpointe Christian.
Sophomore guard Terry Truesdale and sophomore forward Christian Davis also played for Riverpointe Christian last winter, averaging just below nine points per game and better than five boards a game as Riverpointe finished SCISA Class A runner-up. Junior guard Andre Hagler transferred from Oceanside Collegiate. "I think we'll be right in the thick of things," McKeen said.
"It's going to be tight in region play. I expect some really good battles. Our kids know all the kids who play at Berkeley and Goose Creek.
Good news is we're going to play some good teams early and should learn a lot about ourselves.".
