The 2024-25 season was a turbulent one for the Gray Collegiate boys basketball team. 

Playing under a new head coach, in a new classification against new competition left the team scrambling. The talent was there, but the identity that empowered the program’s 2A dominance was not.

So, after one season serving as an NCAA assistant at Georgia Southern, Gray coach Dion Bethea is back behind the wheel, running the show and hoping to re-establish the culture he created. 

“Last year, they didn’t do anything,” he said. “ The championship culture was kind of blown up, so we're just trying to make sure we build that culture back to the way it was and making sure everybody buys into it.”

The War Eagles finished (19-8) overall and (12-2) for second-place in their region during their lone season under Carlos Powell. The team finished behind North Augusta and was eventually knocked out of the playoffs by the Yellow Jackets. 

Powell resigned after last season, and Bethea stepped right back into his role. He brought back with him new experiences and lessons he learned while coaching at Georgia Southern. 

“ I learned a lot basketball-wise while I was there,” Bethea said. “The staff was great, and just being around those players and stuff. I brought a lot of that stuff back with me.” 

Basketball wasn’t the only thing that brought him back, though. His family was a huge motivating factor as they stayed behind while he went off to the college game. 

“My wife and kids, it was a struggle being away from them,” Bethea said. “Even though it was a two-hour, 30-minute span, it was a lot to put on my wife to kind of hold everything down while I was away.”

Now that he is back, the work on reshaping the team has begun. It starts with maximizing the roster and getting his players acclimated to his system.

The War Eagles are extremely talented from top to bottom and loaded with difference-makers. Players like Levi Ball, Jayden Rowe and Desmond Harrington excel at multiple skills on both sides of the ball, giving Gray plenty of weapons to unload on its competition. 

Ricky Littlejohn and Mahki Tyler are also consistent contributors and can light teams up if the defense loses focus. 

“ They've been meshing pretty well,” Bethea said. “This team has a chance to be one of our best teams since I've been here. They shoot the ball real well. They pass the ball real well, and those guys have a lot of basketball IQ.” 

Gray’s season got off to a shaky start, losing by 24 to Ridge View in the opener. But since then, Bethea said the team is playing good ball. 

The War Eagles began this week (8-2) overall and won eight of their next nine after the Ridge View loss. 

“ I'm so used to us being really, really solid defensively. We got some areas that we’ve got to clean up there, but offensively, we are shooting the ball a little bit better and with more confidence,” Bethea said. “The guys are getting better and better every day.” 

Because of Gray’s current region placement, the War Eagles begin region play before the holiday season. For Bethea, this came with some positives and a few negatives. 

On the downside, it gives his team less time to prepare before these critical competitions. But on the bright side, the last time he was here, Bethea didn’t have a region to play against. 

During Gray’s final season of 2A play, its entire region refused to play the team in any athletic competitions. This meant the War Eagles won by forfeit, but had to mush together an inconsistent and disjointed schedule to get playing experience before the playoffs.

“I feel good about it. I know a lot of coaches in this region, and they’re looking forward to playing us again,” Bethea said. “We’re Gray Collegiate Academy. We’re going to get everybody’s best shot.” 

Gray made great headway in its goal of winning the region title. The War Eagles are (2-0) in region games this season, including a 64-56 win at home against North Augusta.

That advantage will only last if Gray takes care of business in its other games, including a rematch against the Yellow Jackets on the road. 

That game won’t come around until Jan. 27. Until then, Bethea knows he has to keep the team focused on its goals, both short-term and long-term. It all starts with winning the region, but the ultimate target is reviving the dynasty. 

“What I’m expecting from them is a lot more togetherness, playing faster and making great reads,” he said. “Of course, like I told them, since I’ve been here, it’s been championship or bust.”