But this is a new year, and the Vikings will be taking on some new foes as they have moved into a new conference.
Purvis will get his first look at this year’s edition of the Vikings when they take on Pinecrest in the opening round of The Pilot Cup tournament at Pinecrest Saturday. Game time is 8 p.m.
Purvis, starting his sixth year as the boys’ head coach, thinks he has a potentially good team to work with.
“We’ve got some experience with some kids,” Purvis says. “We’re very young in some ways. But we’ve got better chemistry and we’re a bigger basketball team than we were last year. Offensively, we’re going to have more scoring options. We’ve got some good kids who are willing to work together.”
Last season the Vikings were plagued by injuries and adversity.
“We didn’t end up with a very good record,” Purvis says. The Vikings were 4-21 last year.
One blow suffered by the Vikings was the loss of Sam Wilborn, last year’s most valuable player in the Moore County tournament, to an injury early in the season.
As the season looms ahead, Purvis knows there is still some work to be done, but the basketball season is three months long, full of regular-season games interspersed with two tournaments before postseason play. But Purvis believes the Vikings can shape up into a winning ball club.
Union Pines brings back six players who started at some point of last season.
“I feel like in time, we have the opportunity to become a good team,” Purvis says. “Defensively, we’re not as far along as we’d like, but it’s a long season.”
The two leading scorers from last year averaged nine points per game: Jeremy Corbin, a junior, and Jeremy Davis. Davis is one of the team’s three seniors. Mario Morales and Wilborn are the other two seniors.
Depth is Union Pines’ chief area of concern.
“We’ve got to develop a deeper bench and a better bench,” Purvis says. “Teams in this day and time, there’s a lot of pressure on them. There’s a need for some depth off the bench.”
Union Pines opens its Cape Fear Valley 3-A Conference season Dec. 9 at Overhills, and plays its first league home game Dec. 16 against Gray’s Creek.
The top dogs in the conference are anybody’s guess, Purvis says. The new conference features some schools Union Pines has not played before in basketball. But South Johnston could be the team to beat. South Johnston looked good in the 2004-05 season, Purvis says. Harnett Central and Gray’s Creek always seem to have strong teams.
Two of the younger players at Union Pines expressed optimism.
Darrell Toomer, a sophomore in his first year on the varsity team, says, “I think the seniors have been stepping up.” Toomer plays post and forward.
“I think we’re going to have a good team,” said Anthony Hatfield, a sophomore guard.
After the season-opening tournament, the Vikings don’t play again until they take on Eastern Randolph Nov. 28 followed by intra-county rival North Moore Nov. 29.
Both non-conference encounters are home games for the Vikings.
“I hope it’s going to come together,” Purvis says.
Craig Cameron joins Purvis on the varsity boys’ coaching staff. Matt Hrbek is the Vikings’ other assistant coach.
