2 weeks Ago
Steve Guerry has been in this position before. The Berkeley County product is ready for a new challenge at Palmetto Scholars Academy in North Charleston after spending six seasons on the sideline at Faith Christian. The 1996 Macedonia High School graduate won 88 basketball games for the Knights, including 27 during a state championship run in 2022-23.
“There are a lot of similarities between where Palmetto Scholars is now to where Faith was when I took over there,” Guerry said. “Faith hadn’t been a winning a lot, but there was some talent there. They just needed some consistency in leadership.
That’s the key. I’m trying to raise the profile of the program.” Guerry, who lives in Moncks Corner with two daughters playing sports at Berkeley High School, has also made stops as a varsity head coach at St.
John’s Christian and Stall in his career. He has 120 career victories going into the 2024-25 campaign. Guerry also served as an assistant at Northwood Academy, Berkeley and Kingstree, and coached at a basketball academy in China for two years.
The Phoenix return four lettermen from a squad that won four games in 2023-24: senior guards Miles Jackson, Maddox Austin, Enoch Hale and Jesse Murray. Jackson and Austin led the Phoenix in scoring as juniors. “Going back and looking at the results, they only won four games but were competitive in a lot of their games,” Guerry said.
“Our approach is going to be all about playing hard. We’re going to be at a bit of talent deficit at first, but we’re going to play fast, play hard and play smart. Our goal is to win more games this season than last year.
” Palmetto Scholars is in Region 5-A with Baptist Hill, Bethune-Bowman, Branchville, Charleston Math and Science, Cross, Lowcountry Leadership, Military Magnet and St. John’s. The regular season opens Dec.
2 for high school basketball teams. "We want to be in the mix for the playoffs," Guerry said. "We want to compete and let people know there are no off nights playing Palmetto Scholars.
We're shooting for double-digit wins and a winning record.".
