Oviedo High School’s basketball team has been a topic of controversy ever since Ed Kershner- the record holder for the most wins in Florida high school basketball history- retired in 2017. Kershner led the Lions to their only state title in Oviedo’s history in 2014 and would retire as the most successful coach in Oviedo’s basketball history.

After 2017, the Lions found their next coach in Jason Vallery, a young upstart coach coming off a state championship win at Lake Highland Prep. Seemingly a good hire, Oviedo Basketball was set up to succeed in the future.

In Vallery’s five years at the helm, the Lions compiled a 94-47 record but failed to capture the magic of Kershner’s legendary playoff runs, going 8-9 in the postseason over his five years. Although no one ever doubted Vallery’s coaching ability, he was decimated by an inability to retain his star players. In consecutive years Vallery suffered the loss of star point guard Dawson Barr and star wing Ryan Blount. Blount’s transfer appeared to be the final straw as Vallery suddenly resigned in the spring of 2023.

The search to find Oviedo’s next head coach was a short one as just weeks after Vallery’s resignation Ian Young was named the next head coach of Oviedo basketball. Young was an immediate upgrade to Vallery, managing to retain and rebuild the roster, something Vallery never did.

In Young’s first season, the Lions went 25-5, making a run to the 6A elite eight, something Vallery had never done. Young also proved his ability to develop top-end talent, scoring Oviedo basketball’s first division one commit since 2014 in 6 ’10 Caleb Pennyfeather who just recently scored his first points at Little Rock.

While the Lions did graduate four of their top five scorers from last season, expectations remain as high as ever. Cameron Bryant, who recently signed with Division Two powerhouse Lincoln Memorial, is expected to take a leap in year four after leading the team in scoring last season with 13.8 points per game.

While Bryant has the scoring ability and defensive instincts to lead the Lions, he won’t be able to do it by himself. Senior wing Dominic Tejada is expected to step up in his final season. Tejada possesses ideal size for a wing at the high school level along with premier athleticism. While Tejada shows good instincts on the defensive side of the ball he has thus far failed to prove himself as a legit scorer on the offensive side of the ball. Last season Tejada averaged 3.3 points per game and only shot 26% from three, numbers that will have to improve if the Lions want to maintain their success from last season.

Another player who the Lions expect to step up is Winter Springs transfer Terell James. Last season James was Winter Springs’ go-to scorer averaging 16.4 points per game. James showcased deep range as well as a very quick release from three last season and will add a much-needed shooting boost to the Lion’s roster.

The Lions finished the 23-24 season ranked 24th in all of Florida and that finish did not go unnoticed. This upcoming season, the Lions will face ten top 100 teams in the state of Florida including Oak Ridge who finished last season ranked third in the state and runner-ups in the 7A state title game.

Oak Ridge is home to top 40 recruit Jameir Jones who holds 16 offers and is currently committed to Big East power Providence. Jones led Oak Ridge in scoring last season averaging 19.2 points per game while shooting 68% from the field. Jones is one of the most athletic players in the entire 2025 class and will be nearly impossible for the Lions to slow down.

Even if the Lions can find a way to slow down Jones, his point guard Jalen Reece will carry the load. Reece is ranked as the 67th player in the class of 2025 and is currently committed to LSU. Reece averaged 7.7 assists last season along with 15.4 points while shooting 50% from three. Reece is only being held back by his size when it comes to the next level and would be a top recruit in the nation if he was four inches taller. Reece is the best passer in the class of 2025, possessing full-court vision and an incredible feel for the offense when the ball is in his hands. Reece’s mature decision-making on the court proves that he could be a high-level point guard in college right now.

The Lions will face other top prospects throughout the season including Brandon Bass Jr. of Windemere Prep. Bass, the son of former NBA star Brandon Bass, is the 74th-ranked player in the class of 2026 and currently holds 11 offers. Bass led Windermere Prep in scoring as a sophomore averaging 20.6 points per game while shooting an efficient 42% from three. Bass flashes a smooth jump shot with long range but lacks physicality and eye-popping athleticism. Bass tends to get tunnel vision when the ball is in his hands and forces bad passes and contested jumpers. Windermere runs almost all of their sets exclusively through Bass so if the Lions can find a way to overwhelm him and force these mistakes they could very easily come away with a victory.

The Lions’ third toughest test will likely come from Blake High School which is led by 6’8 power forward Joe Philon and four-star wing Joshua Lewis.

Lewis, a USF commit, is ranked as the 46th player in the class of 2025 and holds five offers while Philon is ranked as the 62nd best player in the class of 2026 and holds five offers as well.

Philon is electric to watch, his coordination for his size is special and he possesses jump-out-of-the-gym athleticism. Philon excels on the fastbreak using his athleticism to hang through contact and stuff the rim whenever he gets the chance. Philons jumper is a work in progress at best, he shoots the ball with all the confidence in the world but knocks down threes at a startlingly low 27%. Oviedo’s best bet with Philon is to force him to shoot his jumpers and be careful with the ball, Philon loves to get his lengthy arms in passing windows which eventually leads to momentum-changing fast-break dunks.

Joshua Lewis possesses an electric first step to go along with a nice handle that gets him past defenders and right at the basket. Yet again his jump shot leaves something to be desired only knocking down threes at a 35% clip due to clunky mechanics, making Lewis a respectable shooter but nothing remarkable. Lewis is going to be a handful for the Lions to guard purely because they don’t have anyone athletic enough or big enough to keep up with him. However, Oviedo fans can expect Coach Young to cook up something special on the defensive side of the ball against Blake.

As the 2024-2025 season begins the Lions will face bigger expectations and bigger opponents than ever before leaving fans to wonder whether Coach Young’s squad will be up to the task or if they’ll cower under the pressure like so many Lion squads of the past.