By Zachary Pike
For the Observer
Headed into his second year, Beulah Coach Curtis Noble looks to continue the turnaround of the Bobcat basketball program.
After going 5-23 in 2015, Beulah improved to 14-11 in Noble’s first season. Noble had previous success as the head coach at Manchester High School in Georgia, where he compiled a 53-13 overall record in four seasons.
Noble said his main focus at Beulah has been to create a winning culture and attitude within the program.
“That was the main thing, changing their mindset. Getting kids to understand what it takes to win,” Noble said. “We have four guys from last year’s team that got significant playing time. So, we are relatively young. We have a great outlook for the team. They know what I expect from them and we have a system in place. I think they will get us out to a good start to the season.”
Noble said his team will be entertaining to watch, employing a fast-paced offensive attack and aggressive, opportunistic defense designed to cause pressure and create turnovers.
“I like to play up tempo. We press a lot,” Noble said. “We run a lot of different presses to try to throw the opponent off guard. We want to turn defense into easy offense. We do run set plays when we have to but most of the time we want to keep the tempo going as fast as we can. We want to create by taking it inside. We have this philosophy that you play to your strengths.”
Beulah returns four players with significant playing time, and will rely heavily on the leadership of senior guards Tez Turner and David Fell. Rising junior Ty Williams is also expected to be a major factor at forward for the Bobcats. Noble said he expects big things from his group as the Bobcats prepare for their Nov. 17 season opener.
“I can see so much improvement. They actually know now what I expect,” Noble said. “The expectation is measuring up and that is great to see. Now they know what it takes to succeed and we can use that going forward.”
Beulah’s first game of the season is against Loveless Academic Magnet Program (LAMP) Nov. 17th at 7:30 p.m. LAMP is located at 3440 McGehee Road in Montgomery.
The Bobcats’s first home game of the season will be Nov. 28 as the Bobcats host Loachapoka at 7 p.m. Beulah is located at 4848 Lee Rd 270, Valley, AL 36854.