With Central basketball season starting off the season 3-0, expectations are high for the boys basketball team. Coach Bruce Chubick said the goal is, “to put it simply, ending in Lincoln, hopefully ending on the third day, hopefully cutting down nets.”   

Chubick enters his fourth season at Central with several talented players returning. Senior Lenox Haynes comes off amazing performances last season and looks to lead this team to a state championship.  

“My expectations for the team is as great as possible to leave a legacy. I think it’s the only way our team is going to be remembered is if it ends in the state championship,” Haynes said.  

Haynes, the team’s highest scorer from last season with 14.7 points per game, had a stellar opening game with 19 points, alongside six rebounds against North. 

The Eagles beat number one ranked Westview 76-62 in an invitational game Dec. 8.  This came with another brilliant game from Haynes, dropping 25 points, two steals, two blocks and five rebounds, showing out on both sides of the court and his growth from the previous season. 

“Really just finding little weaknesses in my game and turning them into strengths and making sure, there’s not much things that a defender could do to stop me or my team,” Haynes said.  

Junior Evan Rodgers described what fans can expect when they watch the team play. “I’d say anything you can expect is just hard, gritty basketball, Central basketball. Trying to bring back, trying to really bring back how good you were before,” Rodgers said.  

Central has had some success in recent years in basketball, making it to the second round in the 2023-24 season. The last time Central won the state championship was 2012. “If we give ourselves a chance, we can make that happen we just got to give ourselves a chance,” Chubick said. 

Other key players from the first two games include sophomore Yasir Grixby with 11 points against Westview and 13 against North. Junior King Knight had 19 points against Westview and nine against North.