The roster might have undergone some reconstruction with a solid group of seniors graduating, but as the Indians turn the calendar to the 2022-23 season, coach Cody Coleman has a group that he believes will continue to improve.
“I believe our biggest strength is our senior leadership,” says Coleman. “We have eight seniors on the team this year, and several of them contributed major minutes last season.”
Leading that charge is senior Preseason All-State selection Anfernee Hanna, who is the lone returning starter off a team that made the Sweet 16 a year ago. However, others such as Lincoln Hall, Diego Crotta, and Vlad Popescu are among that senior group Coleman eluded to.
“We will continue to build and grow as a program,” adds Coleman of the outlook for the Indians. “Our biggest challenge is finding a balance between playing at a fast pace but also playing under control.”
Another challenge for Tallulah Falls is the reshaping of the region, which due to the recent realignment and reclassification, now includes Rabun County, Elbert County, and Commerce among others with TFS.
The Indians, who are just two seasons removed from their first-ever region championship, won 20 games, were ranked #2 in the state at one point, were the region runner-up, and made the program’s third-ever Sweet 16 last year, are hoping for more this time around. The offense will dictate in many ways what this team can do.
“We want to play fast in transition and push the pace to set the tempo of the game,” states Coleman.
Hanna will be looked to as the go-to scorer, as he averaged 17 points per game, posting 441 total points (fifth-most in school history) last season. The guard/forward stands at 697 career points, as he closes in on becoming just the fourth TFS player to reach 1,000 points.
Aside from the four seniors listed above, the roster includes seniors Joey Lamm, Lazar Grujanic, and Krystian Jankiewicz, as well as juniors Zakhar Valasiuk and Sam Ketch, and sophomores Teryk Tilly and KC Respress.
TFS opens the season with a #8 state ranking, and will tip off on November 8 at home in a scrimmage against Stephens County. The official season-opener comes on November 12 at home against Mt. Paran.
