FORT SMITH -- Charleston coach B.J. Ross couldn't help but smile when asked about his team's talent heading into next season.
It was clear why Tuesday during day two of the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith basketball team camp. Charleston, Springdale Har-Ber, Fort Smith Southside, Lincoln, Farmington, The New School, Greenwood, Bentonville West, Dardanelle, Payson-Seymour (Ill.), Muldrow (Okla.), Midwest City (Okla.) and East Newton (Mo.) all were in attendance preparing for next season during the more than 7-hour event on three different courts.
Ross got a good look at his team against much bigger schools with the deep talent the Tigers will take into their season. He liked what he saw.
"We have probably the best depth we've had in a long time," Ross said. "We have four out of five starters back. We feel like we have some guys that will make improvements and guys that are moving up that will play well. We are excited about it."
Back to lead the team is Brandon Scott, who has earned all-state honors twice in both basketball and football. He averaged about 24 points per game, finished second on the team in rebounds and led the team in steals.
"He is so easy to coach it is boring," Ross said with a laugh. "He is always doing the right thing. If he isn't doing the right thing, he is correcting it. You never have to tell him. He has had a great summer. He is under the radar for some people."
Ross said he loves the strides he is seeing from Scott this summer. He has added 15 pounds, is jumping higher than ever and has already shown that athleticism with some dunks in summer team camps. But the quality Scott has shown the most growth in: being the best leader he can be.
"One thing that has made him a better player now is that he is more vocal," Ross said. "As a freshman and a sophomore, he had good upperclassmen to do that. The last year and now, he is being more of a leader vocally. He plays with his hair on fire and sets the tone for everyone."
Scott will have plenty of talent around him. Brevyn Ketter, who missed the last seven games of the season with an ankle injury, averaged 14 points and returns for another key weapon on offense. Bryton Ketter, Reese Merechka, Sebastian Gaona, Tyton Jones, Drake Dodson, Colton Rucker and Jackson Soller also are expected to make a big impact.
"It feels pretty nice having all this talent around us," Scott said. "These guys have been around, but they are finding their role and doing it well now. This is their time. When I have somebody to rely on, it makes things easy."
Charleston put together a strong season and finished 13-10 last year with a 10-4 record tied for first in 3A-4 conference play. But the season didn't end the way they wanted it. The Tigers had a shot at the buzzer but couldn't overcome Elkins in regional play, having the year end before the state tournament.
"We didn't want it to be over like that," Scott said. "I feel like we played really well in our final game. The way it ended, it sucked. But it has really motivated everybody. We know we can do it and we know what it takes to do it. We just have to do it every night."
The old cliche among coaches is that basketball is a game of runs. Last year for Springdale Har-Ber, its entire season was a game of runs. The Wildcats were 12-3 after the initial 15 games of the season, but they then lost a key piece to the team and dropped four of five conference games after that.
Har-Ber was able to right the ship with a playoff victory, its first since 2018, against Fort Smith Northside. They also were able to beat conference champion Fayetteville in the final week of the regular season. The Wildcats now look to take that momentum into the next season albeit with a different group.
"We have a lot of underclassmen and juniors that have stepped up," Har-Ber guard Kaleb Forguson said. "Last year was a rollercoaster. We had our ups and downs. But we bounced back in the playoffs. We learned a lot from that season."
Har-Ber didn't know until last Friday it would be heading to Fort Smith for the team camp. It couldn't have come at a better time for the Wildcats. Nate Kingsbury, a starter from last year, was able to make the trip after previously being unavailable in other team camps.
The Wildcats bring plenty of depth back at the forward positions but will look for players to step up at the guard spots. Tuesday was a nice chance to get better looking for the right players with new roles, Har-Ber coach Tommy Deffebaugh said.
"I lost a whole team," Deffebaugh said with a laugh. "This was a bit of a quick notice on this event. We didn't play well at our last event, so this was a nice opportunity for us to get better and bounce back. We'd much rather do this than practice. We are getting better."
Heading into season five with Greenwood, coach Donnie Husband feels a shift in momentum for the program. The Bulldogs were able to make it to the state tournament for the first time since 2018 last year. They now look to build on that with three returning starters in Peyton Presson, L.J. Robins and Aiden Kennon.
"We have a really good core coming back," said Husband, who was recently inducted into the Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. "We got some good guys around our three returning starters with bench depth. We are now reestablishing roles. We feel good about what we have right now."
The Greenwood basketball program has seen its ups and downs over the years. It has one winning season in nearly a decade, but after last season's breakout 11-18 season with a berth in the playoffs, Husband believes Greenwood is only getting better now.
"Things seem to be going in the right direction for us," Husband said. "We have had some good junior high teams over the years and that is carrying over. It's tough because kids have to make a lot of sacrifices to play three sports. It's a lot of work. But kids are seeing the benefits of basketball. It is paying off for us. We still face some bumpy roads, but we feel good about the program."
There was a lot of learning going on with both coaches and players for Lincoln at the team camp. That happens when the coach was hired just a month ago. But the Wolves couldn't be more excited with the progress being made playing Tuesday against tough talent.
"We are still figuring things out right now," Lincoln coach Josh Ferrell said. "The team is buying in. Everybody shows up to team camp and practice. We are working hard and we will get there. It's the start of the process. They are playing hard and that's all you can ask for."