NEESES -- Taking over a defending two-time state champion and expecting to continue the winning tradition would be stressful enough for a veteran head coach.

Imagine what Altroy Staley is experiencing as he makes his head coaching debut tonight for the Hunter-Kinard-Tyler girls' basketball team when they play host to Williston-Elko in a varsity doubleheader. Not only is the Orangeburg-Wilkinson and Claflin University graduate faced with the challenge of following up predecessor Tonia Young's 72-6 mark posted during the last three seasons' success, but doing so without the nucleus of the back-to-back championship teams.

Gone are leading scorers and last year's T&D Region Co-Players of the Year Shaminita and Ashley Patterson and sparkplug Natalie Vaughn. In fact, power forward Crystal Robinson is lone returning starter from last year's 25-2 championship team.

Ranked second in the preseason South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association behind C.E. Murray, the Lady Trojans will make their "three-peat" bid with a very young lineup. Other than Robinson, sophomore guard Shalika Smalls is the only starter who's seen significant varsity playing time and will now have to make the transition from "Sixth Man" to a starting role.

Shantadia Tyler will succeed Shaminita Patterson at point guard and Javon Bell and Brittany Vaughn (Natalie's younger sister) round out the starting frontcourt. The bench is even less experienced with two promising eighth graders, including swingman Melinda Brimfield, the younger sister of "Elite 11" lineman William Brimfield.

To overcome their initial youthfulness, Staley is preaching a "Outwork Everybody" philosophy and believes as his team gains experience playing with each other, they will be much improved once Region 4-A play commences.

"My main focus right now is teaching fundamentals," Staley said. "We're going to be a running team just like the past teams. We also want to slow it down and play halfcourt basketball.

"I feel like we're going to do well."

Fortunately for Staley, he can always contact his first cousin Joshua Staley who's in a somewhat similar situation as the new girls' basketball coach at Orangeburg-Wilkinson. Ironically, both Staleys are in their first year of coaching the other cousin's alma mater.

Altroy can only hope for as successful a debut as Joshua. He opened with a resounding 79-27 win over North and plays host to Dutch Fork on Saturday.

In another irony, the man Joshua Staley replaced at O-W, Lyman Foster, makes his head coaching debut tonight for Denmark-Olar at Jasper County. This time around, Foster is coaching boys' basketball and takes over a preseason 10th-ranked Vikings' program which advanced to the Class A Lower State finals last year.

T&D REGION S.C. HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE SCHEDULE

TONIGHT'S GAMES

North at Edisto 6 p.m.

Gilbert at Swansea 6 p.m.

Williston-Elko at Hunter-Kinard-Tyler 6:30 p.m

Allendale-Fairfax at C.A. Johnson 6:30 p.m.

Branchville at Calhoun County 6:30 p.m.

Denmark-Olar at Jasper County 6:30 p.m.

Woodland at Colleton County 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY'S GAMES

Bethune-Bowman at Lake Marion 6:30 p.m.

Dutch Fork at Orangeburg-Wilkinson 6:30 p.m.

Branchville at Woodland 6:30 p.m.

Williston-Elko at Scott's Branch 6:30 p.m.

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