UNIONVILLE, Tenn. – Since Community hired Centennial assistant Hunter Ferrell back in early April to replace long-time head man Robbie Davis, Ferrell has been working to implement his vision and standards for the Vikings’ basketball program in time to be competitive during June’s camp season. 

As the calendar winds down in June in preparation for the July dead period, Community wrapped up its third of three summer camps last week at Page High School, taking on York Institute and Camden Central. Before that, Ferrell took the Vikes to Lebanon to kick off the camp schedule before visiting MTSU two weeks ago, ensuring his new team was able to tangle with quality competition in game settings.

“June has been a good mix of practicing and then playing game after game after game where you have to have a short memory of the game you last played,” said Ferrell. “It’s been really good to spend a lot of time with the guys, get to know them better, and for them to get to know me better and know what I want. It’s been a productive summer.”

After preliminary tryouts, Ferrell ended up settling on 20 kids to compete in both varsity and JV games at these camps, although that number eventually fell to 17 for the final week of practice following a couple of injuries. Ferrell says that about half of the 17 are varsity only, a few others are playing in both varsity and JV settings, while the rest are JV only. Of the 20 total, 10 are returning players from a season ago, and Ferrell repeatedly lauded about the upperclassmen’s willingness to adjust to a brand new coach’s playstyle and standards, even relating his own experience dealing with this situation back when he played.

“I kinda came in knowing and understanding that these seniors and juniors have spent the majority of their basketball career doing something that is different to what I have done, so I’ve come in having a lot of patience towards them and asking them to have patience towards me where yea, we’re going to do things differently, but hopefully you can see why we’re doing the things we’re doing and if you have questions please ask why we’re doing those things,” explained Ferrell. “For the most part they’ve done a really good job of buying in and doing what’s asked of them. At least to me, they haven’t done or said anything that would suggest they haven't fully bought into what we’re doing and what we’re going to be about.”

“I’ve been in their shoes before; my senior year we got a new coach and all the good will and everything I had done the first three years of my career had just gone out the window. I had to impress a new guy and he’s got different roles for me and different things that I’ve done my whole life, but these guys have been super patient and super understanding and really getting after it trying to buy into what we’re doing.”

“When you come in and a coach is completely brand new, there’s a lot of adjustments both for me and for them, but they’ve been really eager and quick learners,” continued Ferrell. “You can tell they really love basketball because they’re here early getting shots up, they’re staying late, they want to be here every time the gym is open, so it’s been a transition because we are playing differently than what they were used to playing but they’re eager to get better. I’ve seen progress from two weeks ago to now; I’ve seen growth, I’ve seen guys figuring it out, and they understand what our standards are and how good we want to be. We are getting closer each and every day to taking that direction to who we want to be in November.”

One of the things that Ferrell is bringing with him is a tough and tenacious attitude on defense, but he also wants his team to push the ball up the floor offensively. With his specialty being on the defensive end, that means he also has an idea of how best to attack a good defense to try and generate high-quality shots on offense. 

“I think the simplest adjustment has really been the tempo that we’re playing at,” Ferrell said. “I think they were initially used to playing a little bit slower, and therefore not having to be in great shape, or not as good of shape as they have to be in right now. I have the luxury where I feel like I have a lot of guys I can put in a game and still be really good which means the guys are getting rest, and I remember in one of our first games, someone said to me in like the third or fourth quarter that ‘we’re wearing them down,’ like the other team was getting tired. In practice we don’t have a lot of down time, we are just constantly going and I’m telling them to do everything faster and everything quicker, like we are going to make mistakes but we’re going to make mistakes going full-speed. I think that’s been a tough transition, just how good of shape you have to be in and what pace I’m expecting them to go at. I think our point guards – Charlie Haskins and Johnathan Lawell – I think have both loved the pace we’re playing at, but it’s also been an adjustment for them because they ask ‘what do you mean we’re not walking the ball up the floor?’, like we’re going. I’m not gonna sit there and harp on them on how we just gave up a basket or be impressed that we got a stop because we’re gonna go. I know that was an adjustment for them, but I think they’re enjoying it. I think even though they are gassed, they’re having a good time just because we’re pushing them hard and they’re seeing progress and seeing why we’re doing it.”

Haskins, who scored 22 points against Cascade in the District 9-AA Consolation game last season at Grundy County, has been one of the key players that the Vikes’ new coach is relying upon during the summer preparation months. As someone who has played significant varsity minutes in both his freshman and sophomore seasons, Haskins has invaluable experience at the point guard position that Ferrell is extremely thankful for.

“I think because Charlie Haskins has played a ton of varsity basketball his first two years, I’m stepping into a really good situation for what I want and what these guys are capable of because you’ve got a guy like Charlie who has played instead of stepping in and asking a guy who doesn’t have that experience and telling him to play fast and make those quick decisions…it can be difficult,” said Ferrell. “For a guy like Charlie who’s also a super coachable kid, like he’s taking it all in stride. I’m asking him to do things in a different way than he’s been doing them, but he continues to get better and make better decisions and you can trust a guy like that. I can ask a lot of him because he’s proven it before.”

As a head coach, coming into a new situation with an experienced point guard who is also extremely coachable and willing to learn is a luxury that can’t be taken for granted, especially one with the skill and ability to get to the cup with force that Haskins possesses. A strong point guard that can essentially be an extension of the head coach on the floor tends to be a defining characteristic of really good teams, and Ferrell is hopeful that this year’s Vikings can reach that standard in his first season.

Of course, over the summer, the focus is inherently geared towards the process instead of the actual results of the camp games. Sure, it’s nice to be able to win as many as possible, but the end goal of preparing for the fall and winter months when the regular season begins is the top priority. To do that, you need strong leadership, and that is even more true under a first-year head coach to get everyone to buy into what you’re trying to do. Ferrell made sure to praise numerous members of his team that have left a strong impression as June comes to an end.

“Jaxson Williams is a quieter kid, but he’s one of those older guys that has played a ton so he’s someone you can rely on and do what you ask him to do,” said Ferrell. “He can take coaching and can do a lot of things that other kids can’t do so you can hold him to a higher standard than others and he doesn’t complain about the coaching, he just does what is asked of him to the best of his ability and I think a lot of the guys respect that. Josh Powers is another senior and he kind of does it all. He’s been a kid that I’ve referenced multiple times because he’s kind of what I’m about. He’s gonna take a charge, he’s gonna dive on a loose ball, he’s gonna do all the things that nobody wants to do but we all benefit from, so I’ve constantly been like, ‘Josh is the only one taking charges, is Josh the only one that’s tough enough to help our team out?’ or ‘Josh is six feet tall but he’s getting the most offensive rebounds, what is he doing that you can’t do?’ There’s some pressure when you get called out positively like that, but when you have a kid in your program who you can point to and say we need y’all to do this, that’s just been super helpful.”

“Two other seniors, Mo Berman and Zack Leathers, have also come in and been big cheerleaders for everybody else,” he continued. “They’re not selfish or worried about themselves, instead they have been super supportive of the young guys and have done a great job of taking coaching and doing the things they are asked to do.”

“I mentioned Charlie, he’s been super coachable and has a lot of experience. Johnathan Lawell has been a guy where you just kind of point at him and ask the team if they’re playing as hard as he is. He’s one of the most athletic kids I’ve seen for someone his size, and he’s got to be miserable to play against. Looking at other teams’ point guards when they have to go against him, they just look miserable. His effort is off the charts.”

“Logan Reed is playing a position that’s completely new. I’m asking him to play more on the perimeter when he’s more used to being a back-to-the-basket type of guy, but he’s been super coachable and has played really hard and is learning from his mistakes.”

“The sophomore class has been really impressive, kids like Masyn Hill I’ve bragged on numerous times just because of his willingness to do whatever is asked of him. I’ve got kids like Maddox Thompson and Karson Boyce who are both bigger kids but are going up against stronger and more athletic guys and continue to stick their head in there and grab rebounds and do some of the less glamorous work. Everybody has done something in the summer that is worth bragging about because they’re doing such a good job about doing what is asked or doing what is hard. Rising water lifts all ships; we are all competitive and pushing each other to get better.”

“I’m just super impressed with how much the kids have been willing to learn and try to get better. I think a lot of times a new coach can come in and there’s some pushback or some eye-rolling, but really all I’ve experienced here are kids that want to get better and work hard and see how good they can get, and as a coach that’s all I can ask for,” he concluded.

Up next for the Vikings comes the July dead period, and then preseason workouts are set begin once the 2025-26 school year starts.

The Community Vikings tip-off the 2025-26 season for Ferrell’s first year manning the sidelines on the road at Hickman County on November 18th.