After an 18 win campaign in his debut season, Cookeville Cavaliers Boys Basketball Head Coach Matt Hill said he enters this season focused on growth.
“Every day, are my guys correcting mistakes?” Hill said. “That’s one thing Kelvin Sampson at Houston said, basketball is just eliminating mistakes, so if we’re growing and I don’t have to keep correcting the same thing over and over, it allows us to move on to different things, so hopefully we’re going in that way.”
The Cavaliers finished second in District 7-4A last winter, a season after a state runner-up finish. Hill said now that he is anchored in the program, this off-season has been about expanding roles and developing continuity.
“These guys know what I expect and kind of what they’re gonna give us,” Hill said. “[We’re] trying to establish some depth with some guys that maybe didn’t play a whole lot last year.”
That effort comes with a young roster. One senior suits up for Cookeville this season. Hill said the youth he has can become an asset depending on the mindset.
“Not every day is going to be your best day, but you can always learn every day, and you can always get better,” Hill said. “And if we do that, we’ll meet our goals as a team.”
Hill said he always talks about being better in March than you are in November. Cookeville will look to play in March and beyond this season, with last season’s run ending in the district playoffs.
