On the rebound: McIntosh Varsity Basketball Boys prepare for upcoming season

Phoenix Dixon, Staff

Dec 12, 2025

McIntosh Varsity playing against Starrs Mill on Dec. 3. Photo courtesy of Vivan Gersch-Vertullo

A new season marks a new identity for the McIntosh Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team. After a nine to 18 finish last season which secured them a spot in the state tournament, the team is heading into the new season with a much different look. This year’s roster has been streamlined down from 34 players down to 21. This reduction in size means a fundamental change in tactic. But, instead of focusing on what they don’t have, Coach Jason Eisele is building a game plan around what they do: like speed, skill and athleticism.

“We’re small, very small, smaller than most teams I’ve had.” Eisele said. “We’re going to have to play really fast–really aggressive. If we play hard enough and play our style of basketball and dictate the tempo of the game, we’re gonna be competitive every night.”

The team composed of mostly junior and seniors will have to use a deep rotation to keep players fresh and wear the other teams down over four quarters. This approach will rely on a shared responsibility. Including senior Mark Smith, one of the team’s best scorers and Joey Layman, described by Eisele as a “fantastic shooter.”

“[The biggest challenge for our team this season] I guess is just being undersized, we don’t have that many tall people, so we have to make that up by playing faster and shooting more three-pointers as well,” junior CJ Jackson said.

Eisele knows this new system will take time to perfect.

“[It may be] chaotic at first, until we learn how to be comfortable being uncomfortable–they just have to trust the process. Understand that it might be ugly at first, but we’re going to keep getting better each and every day–that’s our competitive edge,” Eisele said.

To get to state, the team must finish in the top four of their region, just as last season. It’s a familiar benchmark, but one the team will have to achieve in a new way: by proving their new fast-paced playstyle and gaining the upper hand.

“Our goal is always to make the state tournament,” Eisele said.

Their next game is tonight against Northgate in the McIntosh gymnasium. You can get tickets off of gofan.co

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About the Contributor

Phoenix Dixon, Staff

Phoenix Dixon, is currently a sophomore at McIntosh High School, and a first-year member of the Trail. Recently transferred from Konos Academy and has eager plans of finding his place and pursuing a path that aligns with his interests. Originally from California, Dixon has attended seven different schools skipping fourth grade along the way. He was on the varsity tennis team for Northgate and has been involved in the sport for three years. He also has a one-year-old sister and loves socializing at any time given. Dixon is looking to use any given opportunities to his advantage and create a successful future for himself. He is determined to learn and grow from all the experiences he will have during his high school journey.