2025-26 Boys Basketball Preview: Cougars ready to get defensive

It’s not often that a team can win the district title but still feel like they didn’t perform to the level expected.

But that’s how Morgan County coach Reece Griffith summed up the 2024-25 campaign, after the Cougars three-peated as district champs but lost in the first round of the region tournament with a 12-15 record.

“A coach never really wants to say he feels like he underperformed last season, but I feel like we didn’t perform up to what the standard was for Morgan County,” Griffith said. “But this year we return four guys, and I feel like we can build on what we were able to do there in the district finals against Elliott. We can really take that moment and carry it into the season.”

The Cougars return their top-four scorers from last season: Asher Gamble (15.9 ppg), Eli Bradley (11.2), Parker Trusty (10.9), and Grayson Hampton (10.4).

Griffith sees Hampton, who led in rebounds last season with 4.7 a game, as being the voice of leadership on this year’s squad.

“I really look at Grayson Hampton as being our vocal leader right now,” Griffith said. “As far as that growth from last season, Grayson Hampton really took a big leap forward. I expect him and Parker Trusty to kind of take on that senior leadership and just let it trickle down to the younger guys.”

The work for the 2025-26 season started in March for Morgan County, as Griffith said guys were looking to get back at it the day after their loss to Russell in Morehead.

“From Day 1, actually, as soon as the season ended, they were trying to get back in the gym even when I would call an off day,” Griffith said. “They’d still be in the gym working and it’s working toward building camaraderie with each other, especially on the defensive end because we know that’s our biggest growth area heading forward.”

The main area of concentration for this year’s team is trying to build a defense that gives other teams fits.

“Everything is going to be a defensive focus,” Griffith said. “We know we can do well offensively and with the 3-point shot. We have five kids on the floor at all times that could put the ball on the floor or shoot it from 3. But we have to make a little bit more buy-in on the defensive side of the ball.”

Once the season gets underway, Griffith knows it won’t all be highs. He wants his team to be able to learn and grow from the downs, and especially see them get back up.

“The challenge every team has is how are we going to respond when the adversity hits,” Griffith said. “I thought at times we did that very well last year, and at times, we didn’t do it as well. But with that year of experience under their belts now, the obstacles could be just how we handle adversity.”

With basketball in his blood, Griffith is looking forward to the season getting underway and knows that for the team to be successful this year, they have to transfer their hard work onto the hardwood.

“I’m a competitor myself, and I just like being out there every night and competing, whether it’s in practice with each other or whether it’s when the lights are bright,” Griffith said. “I enjoy the rigor of the season. I enjoy just about everything basketball brings to the table. We have worked in the preseason in the summer in the weight room, trying to get stronger and not only be able to do the fundamentals defensively but have the strength to stand our ground and not give space into the paint. Like I said, it’s all going to be defense-focused this year.”