After leading the boys basketball team through four seasons, from 2012 to 2016, head coach Reginald Morris is back at RUHS, replacing previous head coach Nick Welch. 

Morris is “appreciative” to be back at Redondo and to have the opportunity to coach the boys through their upcoming season, following a preseason with a total of nearly 500 points for the athletes. 

“It’s like being back in a really comfortable environment. I’m glad to be given a chance to relive the experience and to make new experiences,” Morris said. 

Although Morris has not done “anything drastic” to change the program, he intends to focus on building teamwork and trust among the boys. 

“What I want is for everybody to come together and work as a team. Every team needs to make sure that they’re working together towards a common goal,” Morris said. 

According to junior point guard Liam Smith, Morris also values the effort the boys demonstrate, and challenges them to push themselves to their limits. 

“He wants to see us going all out on every play. He’d rather see us dead tired and have to pull us [from the game] because of that than pull us because we’re making mistakes that are reflective of us not hustling,” Smith said. 

Under Morris’s coaching, the focus and concentration of his athletes have improved due to his emphasis on consistency during games, according to Smith. 

“He wants us to be focused on doing the right thing every play, whether that’s moving our feet, getting to an open spot, or just [playing] with purpose,” Smith said. 

Concentration, responsibility and attentiveness are other key values that Morris seeks to enforce, which he achieves partly by ensuring that the team is “held accountable.”

“I want to make sure that the players make each other better and that they work hard as a team,” Morris said. 

According to Smith, Morris strives for the team to learn not only how to collaborate effectively with each other, but also how each member can improve their game and strategy. To enforce this, he focuses on increasing the “coachability” of the team. 

“If we make a mistake, then [Morris] wants us to be able to learn from that. He wants to be able to tell us something, [so we can] listen and then implement it,” Smith said. 

Currently, the team’s biggest strength is their cooperation and spirit, according to Smith, which allows them to motivate each other throughout each game and grow as a team. 

“We all trust and support each other. If someone makes a mistake, we’re going to pick them up, we’re going to let them know, and we’re going to help them make sure they don’t make the same mistake again,” Smith said. 

Based on the team’s ability to improve themselves and each other, Morris anticipates yet another successful season for the boys. 

“We still have a lot of work to do, but the guys have really good attitudes and good work ethics. So we’re just looking to see what seeds we can sow and see what we can accomplish by the end of the year,” Morris said.