<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3Z46qX_1GwBqBRe00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3Z46qX_1GwBqBRe00" width="980" height="653" ></figure>The Vestavia Hills High School boys basketball team was 0-3 last November. By February, the Rebels were area champions.That turnaround is the backdrop for a season in which Vestavia Hills returns its two leading figures and a senior class that has grown up together in the program.“Last year we started the season 0-3 and it was a rough November,” assistant coach Ryan Binkley said at the Under the Lights Basketball Media Day on Oct. 19.The Rebels finished 24-7, beat Hoover 52-50 in the Class 7A, Area 6 championship game and lost a one-point game to Sparkman at the Northeast Regional. Along the way, an injury to a key senior forced head coach Patrick Davis’ staff to rebuild the team’s identity around the players who are now its seniors.Johnny Towry, a 6-foot-7 forward, and Adrian Peterson, a guard, are entering their third varsity seasons alongside guard Luke Stubbs.“Those three guys just bring a maturity to our team that I think is really exciting and really fun to have,” Binkley said.The offense runs through Towry, who spent the offseason extending his 3-point range and working on making the right read rather than forcing plays. Peterson’s focus was on finding better shots and creating open looks for teammates.“I’m not going to remember what the score was for most of these games when we’re older, but celebrating in the locker room and the bus rides, blasting music, just having a good time,” Towry said of what he’ll remember most about his time in the program.The seniors anchor the roster. Henry McKinnon, in his second year in the program, is expected to play heavy minutes, Austin Nelson played well a year ago and Collier Floyd is the voice of practice, always talking and communicating. Junior Jake Cesnick earned time as a sophomore, and junior Jamari Presley has the active hands and ball-handling to relieve pressure against a full-court press. Peterson named Presley as the player ready to take a step forward. Junior Rob Friloux brings 6-foot-4 length, and juniors Price Caudell, Hudson Mote and Jack Cowan and sophomore Clayton Floyd complete the roster.Binkley said that with the 35-second shot clock now mandatory, the Rebels want to play with pace and recognize what a good shot looks like earlier in a possession. The defensive plan is to keep mixing things up.“Defensively, we talk about weaponizing our intelligence,” Binkley said. “Our kids are really smart and do such a great job at taking in what we give them, and we give them a lot.”The AHSAA’s latest reclassification puts Vestavia Hills in Class 6A, Area 6 with Spain Park, Hewitt-Trussville and Oak Mountain, and area play opens Jan. 8 at home against Hewitt-Trussville.The Rebels open the season Tuesday at home against Bob Jones, then play Shades Valley and travel to Hoover before hosting the 48th annual Sneaky Pete’s Rebel Classic over Thanksgiving week against Leeds, Albertville and Shades Valley. December brings Mountain Brook and Homewood at home, the annual Kentucky trip against Henry Clay, Lexington Christian and the Berea Holiday Classic field, and the Metro Tournament at Samford after Christmas.“This group has a maturity, has a toughness that they just come in and they do the right things every single day,” Binkley said.</div></body>

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The Vestavia Hills High School boys basketball team was 0-3 last November. By February, the Rebels were area champions. That turnaround is the backdrop for a season in which Vestavia Hills returns its two leading figures and a senior class that has grown up together in the program. “Last year...

Rebels bring back experience, maturity after area title run

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The Vestavia Hills High School boys basketball team was 0-3 last November. By February, the Rebels were area champions. That turnaround is the backdrop for

Rebels bring back experience, maturity after area title run

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