Nick Baumbaugh, in his first season as Chelsea head coach, impressed Class 6A, Area 10, taking the Hornets all the way to the Sweet 16.
Now, with seven seniors gone, he’ll need some of his talented young players to mature quickly to come anywhere close to matching that.
Chelsea 16-16 in 2015, does return some experienced and outstanding guards. Matt Marquet, Aaron Washington and Joe Lanzi are back to provide the perimeter game. Lanzi will run the point while Marquet, the outstanding football quarterback, and Washington will be the go-to scorers.
There’s no one inside to replace Darrell Foster, so it will have to be done by committee.
Baumbaugh still thinks he has the talent to win back-to-back area titles, something Chelsea has never done. Oxford and Pell City are the other teams in the area.
Chelsea will participate in the UMS-Wright Christmas Tournament in Mobile and the Shelby County tournament in mid-December, as well as hosting its North Shelby Tipoff tourney around Thanksgiving.