The Pearl River Central High School boys’ basketball team is preparing for their first live action of the season at the Long Beach Jamboree. The Blue Devils will take on Amite High School for two quarters and Long Beach for two quarters on Saturday at Long Beach High School.

Head Coach Kelton Thompson said he is focused on his team doing things the correct way rather than worrying about what the other teams bring to the table.

“This process has been solely on us and in these early season games, you really don’t know much about these teams. We’re still feeling ourselves out and we’re down five players, who also play football, for at least two or three more weeks,” Thompson said.

The five players who are currently playing football and not available yet to play basketball are sophomore guard A.J. Banks, senior guard Matthew Spence, senior guard Christian Roberts, sophomore forward Louis Reeece and junior guard Sam Carter.

As for practice, Thompson said there have been some ups and downs, but overall it has been solid.

“We’ve had some productive days where we really improved and we’ve had some days where we take a couple steps back, but that’s to be expected with a new system and new expectations of how we do things,” Thompson said. “We just wanna be consistent in our focus, effort and intensity which are the building blocks of any sport. We have to get those down first. We still have such a long way to go.”

As far as production in the scrimmages, Thompson said he is looking for them to execute and it gives him an opportunity to evaluate the players in live action, especially after three months of practice. Expect the Blue Devils to rely on their seniors: forward Donte Stephens and forward Donovan Jenkins.

“Our seniors have gotten a lot better. Stephens and Jenkins have impressed me and we expect a lot out of them. We’ve been relying heavily on their leadership and ability to be productive on the court,” Thompson said.

Thompson also believes PRC will get some help from the supporting cast of underclassmen such as sophomore guard Jason Long. He also believes freshman guard Hayden Dunhurst and freshman guard Willie Reece have bright futures. 

“Once they get experience they will certainly help us,” Thompson said.