Long road awaits the Wolfpack

There will be times this season when Greenbrier's boys basketball team will arrive back in Evans after a Friday night game in Atlanta and board the bus the next day for a return trip.

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The Wolfpack's move to Region 2-AAAAA means some road trips will last longer than the games.

"I hope we're able to keep our legs under us a little bit on those trips," Greenbrier coach Casey Dees said. "We're going to do everything we can to keep the kids rested and try to play as many people as we can play and still be competitive. It can definitely take a toll on you throughout the season."

The Wolfpack return the same starting backcourt they've had the past three seasons. Seniors Bryan Andrews and Horace Carney will lead the offense in the backcourt.

In the post, they'll feed to senior Dylan Turner, a football standout who might be one of the Wolfpack's only reliable big men.

Turner is entrenched in the football recruiting process, but said he never considered not playing his senior season on the hardwood.

"I just love playing basketball and never really thought about skipping it," Turner said. "Some people told me I should, but I just want to play."

Dees said Turner never brought up the possibility of sitting the season out.

"He's just a class-act kid," Dees said. "He's going to be somebody we're going to have to depend on this year."

The Wolfpack will open the season at home against Lakeside on Friday. Greenbrier beat each of its county rivals at least once last year, but fell short of its goal, losing to Ware County in the opening round of the Region 3-AAAA playoffs.

Dees said the Wolfpack want to win the region and earn a playoff berth each year. He knows his team will have an uphill battle this season.

"From top to bottom, there's not really a weak team," Dees said. "We got to play our best game every night to be able to compete."

The Wolfpack's senior core should help with that.

Andrews said the more extensive travel should give Greenbrier more exposure on the state level. Carney said the team's experience should keep it together through a season of tough competition and long road trips.

He and Andrews have been playing together since recreation league.

"We feed off each other," Carney said. "As long as we're playing to our full potential, we should be all right."