Knights produce another hot start on the hardwood

This is getting to sound like a broken record, but the Evans High School boys basketball team once again is off to a great start.

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Evans coach Kevin Kenny has built a terrific program on Cox Road. Twenty-win seasons were virtually unheard of for Columbia County boys basketball teams before Kenny arrived at Evans.

Kenny's teams are proving to be a huge exception. The Knights have averaged 20 wins per season since 2005-06, when they produced a 24-8 mark. The Knights are well on their way to another 20-win campaign.

The team's accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. They cracked the Top 10 in the AAAA poll this week at No. 10. They are 11-1, with their only loss coming to defending AAAA champion Glenn Hills.

The Knights are coming off a tremendous run in the Robolli's Pizza Classic. They knocked off Washington-Wilkes and Harlem and reached the title game, where they edged Laney 47-45.

That game showcased the likely key to the team's success: defense.

Kenny's teams always play outstanding defense, and this season is no different. Evans has given up more than 60 points twice this season and more than 66 points once. Butler managed 72 points against Evans, but it was still a 15-point victory for the Knights.

With Troy Belton running the show and Tony Davis dominating the glass, this team can win anytime they step on the floor. The Knights are 6-1 in region play.

A playoff trip, however, will not be giftwrapped for the Knights. The region will be extremely competitive, as it was in football. Also, they still have two matches with Richmond Academy, a team that is 12-0 and ranked No. 5 in Class AAAA

So as it stands, the Knights are 71-26 since the beginning of the 2005-06 season. The rest of the way will be tough, but what Kenny and the Knights have done during the past 31/2 years is certainly worthy of some attention. A region title and a run in the state tournament certainly are not out of the question.