The start of the basketball season is still more than five months away, but teams from Lexington County are using their summer off from school to get together and compete.

Summer workouts are an integral part of team building for high school athletic programs, and basketball is no different. Coaches have the opportunity to work with returning players and see what any potential prospects bring to the table.

“You get a chance to see the other kids that are trying out, give them opportunities to play against some competition, as opposed to just having tryouts,” White Knoll head coach Willie Thomas said.

This opportunity is crucial for those prospects. Just showing up and working increases the chances of making the real team in the fall.

“We got a lot of kids that didn’t come this summer, so obviously they’re not making sacrifices,” Thomas said. “Tryout time, if they equal these guys out here, I’m going to keep these guys here.”

This past week, four teams in the area began their workouts and had their first summer exhibition at Chapin High School. Gray Collegiate, Brookland-Cayce, White Knoll and Chapin played a match against different teams from out of the county.

It was the first look at new Gray Collegiate coach Carlos Powell. The War Eagles’ team featured new and returning players from their 2024 state championship team, including L.J. Britt and Quan McDuffie.

Gray faced Orangeburg-Wilkinson and narrowly lost, but the measurement of success in summer is different. Wins and losses don’t count towards any record, so games are about improving and filling gaps before the real season.

Powell had been in charge for less than a month, and the team had just two practices before competition. He was not bothered by the loss and instead focused on what he and the team could learn from the match.

“We aren’t winning a championship in the summer. It’s about the guys getting better,” Powell said. “The guys that are here are getting better, getting the reps that they need to be successful at the end of the year when they really need them.”

Powell’s transition to Gray has been smooth so far. He said players are responding well and the process continues to play out.

“I lost my voice like the first day because the intensity, we were having so much fun,”  Powell said. “I love where we are. The process of growing, I’m all about that.”

Powell credited his assistants with helping him hit the ground running. He has retained most of the former staff, keeping a familiar and championship-winning culture in the program.

“That was one of the goals, keeping those guys around, with the culture that they have here. They are great and those guys know the ins and outs of a lot of stuff,” Powell said. “We’re going to have some fun this year.”

Chapin, White Knoll and Brookland-Cayce are also using the summer sessions to get better. All three teams will go into the 2024-25 season looking to advance deeper in the postseason where they were eliminated in the first round.

Thomas is entering his second year at White Knoll and is looking to continue shaping the program into a winner. He led the Timberwolves to a 4-4 region record, which tied for second, after consecutive 0-8 seasons in 2022 and 2023.

“They got to learn when we’re trying to build a program, you got to do what we expect you to do. If not, then we have to find somebody else,” Thomas said. “But I feel good about the kids we have. We’re still young, so that means we have time.”

These four teams are not the only basketball programs gearing up around the county. All summer teams will practice and participate in competitions just like this to prepare for the upcoming season.

“It’s a chance for them to get that experience and that game experience,” Powell said. “Building on this, leading to the school year and on into December,  I know this is going to be very, very vital for them.”