Oak Mountain aims to improve

On paper, the Oak Mountain boys basketball team had a dismal 2014-2015 season. 

Over the course of the winter, the Eagles accumulated an 8-20 overall record, collecting only one win, a 62-51 defeat of Thompson, in Class 7A, Area 5 play. 

What goes overlooked, however, is the number of games the Eagles had a plausible shot of winning. Despite racking up a staggering amount of losses, more than a few of those could have ended up in the win column, as the team lost seven games by five points or less.

Although other intangibles certainly factor in, the simple math suggests the team had the potential of going 15-13 instead of 8-20. 

This year, the Eagles will aim to reverse their fate, converting those could-have-beens into momentous wins. 

Led by 6-foot-4 senior Thomas Youngblood, a dual-sport athlete who also starred in the Eagles’ secondary during football season, the team will look for improvement in perhaps the most talent-laden hoops pocket in the state.