By Matt Smith
Last season the Del Val League operated with three schools in a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Academy Park was the only public school in the county that didn’t play sports during the 2020-21 school year. And Chichester didn’t garner enough student interest to support having a varsity team.
“This year feels like my first year coaching with us being off so long,” said AP coach Ron Bright, who begins his fifth season. “The chemistry with this team is better than any of my past teams, so I am excited to see how it all comes together.”
Senior forward Jada Kinlaw and junior guard Semaj Young are technically returning players on varsity. Senior guard Jade Wilson, senior forward Halayjah Solis-Morgan and senior center Akirah Hill are among the newcomers that Bright is hoping will grow into solid varsity players.
“We will have four seniors and two juniors in the rotation but only two players have varsity experience. One sophomore and four freshmen will also see varsity minutes,” he said. “This will be a young team that will have to win with defense and athleticism. Not having a season last year really hurt getting players varsity experience.”