Team Preview: Apex Friendship Patriots

It's year eleven for Coach PJ Lowman and he's coming off a 24-win season. Coach Lowman will likely hit the 150 wins mark this year during his 11th season at the helm. The consistency within the program has built a culture that will only get stronger. Last years 24-win mark was the most in the Lowman era and the Patriots will look to build off that momentum with a talented group.   The Patriots opened the season winning 14 in a row and were dominant in the process. They went 9-1 in road/neutral games and all five of their losses were by two possessions or less. That includes an OT loss to Laney, who was a participant in the Elite 8. Still a bit of a young group, the expectations have been set, and the staff are excited about the process.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Returning Star Duo</h2>    The heart and soul of the Patriots is returning with intentions of elevating his game to an even higher level. He's coming off a superb season and has been scorching the nets this summer against quality opponents. Look no further than his 30+ point outing a few weeks ago against one of the top players in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='3483142' first='Christian' last='Hargett']. It's not just a one game sample for Jackson as he's had multiple 20+, 25+, and 30+ outings throughout the summer.   Jackson possesses a good mixture of playmaking and scoring from every level. Add that to being one of the smartest players on the floor and you get the unquestioned leader for the Patriots. Consistency in which he plays with is something to marvel at, along with how hard he plays possession after possession. From his timely shot making to the underrated rebounding, Jackson should have more notoriety this year for how effective he is. Not bad for a guy whose best sport isn't basketball.     On a team filled with snipers, Knox brings a different dynamic. While he's an excellent shooter (especially off the catch), his bread and butter is inside the arc. Knox can get to his spots consistently with minimal resistance. From mid-range pull ups to wrong foot floaters, the scoring package is well-rounded. The ball handling has improved since his freshman season and he's more comfortable handling pressure. That improvement alone has drastically improved his overall skillset.   With the enhanced ball handling, his downhill attacking has been even harder to stop. Early in his career, a lot of his rim finishes were off the ball. Now when you watch, he's able to break down defenders off the bounce and be multiple in his paint scoring. Playmaking is the next step in the process and with the talent around him, I expect that to improve this year. Defensively he's disruptive in passing lanes and a constant communicator off the ball. The summer has been a little rough as he was dealing with an injury but he's back healthy and will be ready for a leap this year for the Patriots.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Versatile New Addition</h2>    A huge addition to the Patriots roster this season comes in the form of a versatile two-way wing. Ian joins the Patriots via Green Hope where he led the Falcons in rebounds, assists, and blocks. He was 0.2 points away from being the leading scorer but had to settle for second place in that category. This type of versatility blended with his size allows Coach Lowman to get creative with lineups and put an immense amount of pressure on defenses.   Ian is an inside-out scorer that does not need high usage to be effective. He excels in doing the small things like screening, diving for loose balls, and rim running. I would expect Coach Lowman to run a lot of halfcourt action through Ian at the free throw line. During his summer at Sw15h Elite, he was highly effective in those half-court actions on a consistent basis. Defensively is where I believe his biggest impact will come. He averaged 2.3 STOCKS (steals + blocks) and can guard smaller players on switches which is ultra important. His rim protection and rebounding will lead to extra possessions for the Patriots. Overall, Ian is a homerun newcomer that will raise the ceiling of the team this year.    Depth is something that Coach Lowman was most excited about when we were discussing the roster. The future is bright for the Patriots but as for now, they have more than enough to make a deep playoff run. I believe the team can play 8 to 9 players with minimal drop off. Each of the projected bench players brings something valuable and different to the team, which makes them tough to prepare for.   Ryan Dobbins is a flamethrower from outside that is an excellent off ball mover. He is comfortable playing with or without the ball and doing whatever is needed to impact winning. Connor Sousa is a freight train that is hard to keep out of the paint. The aggressive lefty provides the toughness and rim finishing to balance the sharp shooting on the team.   New addition to the state and the team, Austin Brown could be the best shooter of the bunch. He's got a good frame and is deadly from college range. Coach Lowman also is excited about the development of [player_tooltip player_id='3677432' first='Cade' last='Terrell'], another versatile piece that will help the Patriots at some point in the season. Mix that altogether and you have a team primed for another 20+ win season.

It's year eleven for Coach PJ Lowman and he's coming off a 24-win season. Coach Lowman will likely hit the 150 wins mark this year during his 11^th season at the helm. The consistency within the program has built a culture that will only get stronger. Last years 24-win mark was the most in the Lowman era and the Patriots will look to build off that momentum with a talented group.