Greenbrier East is relishing in the glory of a Class AAA state championship title in boys soccer.
Now the Spartans are hoping that feeling carries over to basketball.
One of the key members of the Spartan soccer team was senior Adam Seams who is also one of the team leaders on the basketball team.
“I gave him the floor the other day in practice and let him talk about his journey in soccer from start to finish. I just really enjoyed listening to what they had to overcome and the way they stayed focused,” Greenbrier East head coach Jared Patton said. “I wanted the kids to hear that. It is not going to be given to you. You have to go earn it and you have to put the work in.”
Similar to the soccer team, the Spartans will be senior heavy and loaded with experience.
“We have eight seniors. I have been coaching most of them since maybe second or third grade. I have been around them forever it seems like,” Patton said. “They are a good team, but I think they can be a great team depending on how hard they work and how we execute on both ends of the floor.”
Along with Seams, Greenbrier East will have strong leaders in seniors Goose Gabbert and Monquelle Davis.
“Goose is just a sponge when it comes to basketball knowledge and Monquelle was the starting quarterback on the football team,” Patton said.
Bryson Brammer is another senior that will provide key minutes off the bench this year for the Spartans.
“We call him the microwave. He wants to be the sixth man and come off the bench, even though he is good enough to start,” Patton said. “He comes off the bench and he pulls it. Bryson is hot when he walks in the gym and was a big contributor last year.”
The senior trio of Kaiden Huffman, Jude Libby and Chris Sinclair are also expected to be key contributors this year.
“All three play the same position, so it’s really up to them who starts each night,” Patton said. “Gabe Patton is my son and he played big minutes for us last year. He was one of our leading rebounders, but it is up to him how much time he gets.”
Patton is no stranger to various starting line-ups and leaves that issue solely to his players.
“We had 16 different starting line-ups last year. I told them that it doesn’t matter to me who plays that it is up to them,” Patton said. “They earn time and they get to play. It keeps them on their toes and keeps them honest. It gives everybody a shot.”
Greenbrier East lost a heartbreaker in the regional co-final last year. The Spartans have juiced up the schedule this year in hopes of taking the final step to the state tournament in Charleston.
“We don’t have an easy game. The kids don’t get anything out of teams that we know going in we should win. We want to play the teams that best prepare us for the postseason,” Patton said. “We will get a good feel of where we stand and what we need to work on. Definitely looking forward to locking horns with everybody.”
East will open the season on the road with a trip to the Eastern Panhandle. The Spartans will battle Musselman Dec. 9 and Spring Mills the following night.
