The Oviedo men’s Basketball team has started the season off hot winning seven of their first eight games for the first time in seven years. The Lions recently found their replacement for long tenured and state champion Jason Vallary in Ian Young. Young began his coaching career at Apopka before taking an assistant coaching job at division one program Arkansas state. Now Young finds himself at the helm of a program in desperate need of a successful season.

The Lions return two starters from the 2022 team that won 16 games including starting point guard Hunter Haverkamp and shifty two guard Alex Harper. Harper is currently leading the Lions in scoring with 15 points per game while Haverkamp, well known for his on court vision leads the Lions with 4.7 assists per game. 

After the coaching change, leading scorer and star player Ryan Blount transferred to Rockledge High. Rockledge has stumbled out of the gate already suffering two defeats and ranking nearly 90 spots below the Lions according to maxpreps.

While the Lions suffered loss at the hands of transfers, they also found great success, adding 6’9 big man Caleb Pennyfeather and star wing scorer Cameron Bryant. Both transfers have made their impacts, Pennyfeather leading the Lions in rebounds with 8 a game while also swatting nearly four shots a game, a breathtaking number. Bryant is second on the Lions in scoring averaging ten points a game.   

The Lions lone loss on the season came at the hands of national powerhouse Orlando Christian Prep(OCP). While the Lions have yet to manage any terrific wins, they will soon learn their identity when they face off with an undefeated Edgewater squad ranked seventh in the state. The Lions and Eagles are set to face off December fourteenth in what could be a  tone setter for both the thirteenth ranked Lions and seventh ranked Eagles.