Will a new coach and a new season equal winning results for the FCHS boys’ varsity basketball team? New Head Coach Jason Davis is taking the helm of the program after being assistant coach to Munro Rateau for many years. Rateau, who stepped down as head coach earlier this year, ranked in the top 10 of active coaches with 525 wins throughout his career. He was the FCHS boys’ basketball coach for 35 years, so his absence will take some time to get used to. However, Coach Davis believes in his team and thinks they can compete with anyone if the Flucos will give 100% effort, minimize their mistakes, and hold fast to their new slogan: “One team, one purpose, go Flucos.”

“I am excited about the new season. The team is working hard and I expect us to put our best effort forward at all times,” said Davis. Many players have expressed appreciation for having a returning coach take over the head coaching position. “Coach Davis has a new outlook on the basketball program and we’re all looking forward to see how he does,” said newcomer Caden Koslowski ‘18.  

The team will be very young with only four returners for the 2016-2017 season, including seniors Josh Carlton, Colby Deforge, and Michael Shiner, plus one junior, AJ Gregory. After their first scrimmage at Goochland on Nov. 17, which the Flucos lost, they realized they had to make some changes. “We were not executing on offense like we needed to and we committed too many turnovers to win the game,” said AJ Gregory who plays shooting guard. On Nov. 22, the boys won a scrimmage against Robert E. Lee. At times, they didn’t run the offensive successfully, but once the offense was run correctly, the boys started scoring.

Next came the Flucos’ first official game of the season on Nov. 29 against Waynesboro. While they played good defense, the shots didn’t fall for them on the other end as they’d hoped, and the Flucos came up short, losing to the Little Giants by a score of 47-29.

As the season progresses, team members are emphasizing the need to work hard and be efficient. Defensively, the Flucos have to limit their turnovers limiting turnovers. “If we come together as a team and play unselfishly, we have the potential to be a very successful basketball team,” said senior guard Colby Deforge, who added, “We have to be fundamentally sound and execute as a team.”

The Flucos’ biggest rival this year will once again be the Louisa Lions, who they will play on Dec. 9 at Louisa. The Monticello Mustangs will also be big rivals for the Flucos this upcoming season as the Mustangs traditionally execute very well on offense.

As for the JV team, new JV Head Coach Jason Barnett and Assistant Coach Tre Smith have very big hopes for this upcoming season. The players to watch this year are Kobe Edmonds ‘20, Keshawn Fisher ‘20, Walter Stribling ‘20, and Elijah Bullock ‘20. “We have a great team, and I am holding us to very high standards this year,” said Stribling, who plays Center.