Going into the 2023-24 basketball season, the Johnston boys find themselves under new leadership. New Head Coach Courtney Henderson comes over from Des Moines Hoover with a lot of experience. I got the chance to talk with Coach Henderson and learn a little about what he’s bringing to Johnston this year.
Coach Henderson tells me he’s going to bring an aggressive play style to the court this year. They’re going to emphasize the defensive side of the game and turn that defensive play into a fast pace offense. While at Hoover, they were playing at the highest level of high school basketball before 5A was created last season, so he has experience against a lot of the teams he will be going against this year.
The big question mark when a new coach takes over is always how their style and how they coach will translate to a new team, and in this case with Johnston, they also have a pretty new roster. The Dragons didn't return much production from their team last year, so a new coach and a primarily new team is a big challenge to overcome.
Coach Henderson feels great about his team though and says he’s very impressed with his new rosters dedication and overall talent. He said he’s growing great coach/player relationships with each and every one of his players, which really motivates a player to want to give their all to the team. He expects seniors Trovary Cavil and Alec Bauer to have huge leadership roles on the team, and help lead them towards some big goals this season.
Johnston is off to a 6-5 start this season, but have won three of their last four games. The Dragons host crosstown rival Urbandale tonight, looking to avenge their loss from earlier this season.