Decatur boys basketball looks to keep winning with new player mix

Kevon Voyles has one mission in his final year with the Stephen Decatur boys basketball team — win a state title.

Bringing home a championship is often the objective for high school athletes, especially in their senior season. But for Voyles and the Seahawks, winning the state’s ultimate prize isn’t just what they’re setting their sights on — it’s the only thing that will define a successful year.

“I'm aiming for that,” Voyles said. “That’s what we shoot for every year, so this year’s no different.”

The past two seasons, Decatur has seen its hopes of a title taken away in the blink of an eye.

In 2016, the Seahawks pieced together a comeback win in the MPSSAA 3A semifinals to advance to the championship game against C.M. Wright. Decatur took the Mustangs to overtime, but lost by two points, marking an end to their season.

A year later, Decatur was back in the 3A semifinals after winning their regional championship for a second consecutive year, but there would be no back-to-back title appearance, as the Seahawks fell to Baltimore Poly by 30 points.

With key players like Keve Aluma and Gary Briddell heading for the graduation stage, members of the Seahawks wondered if the team would have the weapons needed to return to basketball’s biggest stage come the 2017-18 season.

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“It’s going to be different, but these kids are excited about getting out and continuing to do what we’ve done for two years,” head coach B.J. Johnson said. “We haven’t lost a home game in our gym, so these kids have a motivation of their own not to lose in our gym, but also to not lose in the conference. They’re playing for pride.”

With the season quickly approaching, Johnson and his squad are confident they have the unit needed to finally get over the hump and bring a championship to Berlin.

The team will be led by Voyles, who committed to Division I UMES in November, at the guard position. The senior averaged 16 points and five rebounds per game last season, and led the team with 54 steals.

Other returners such as Tah’Jeem Woodland and Hayden Frazier are also expected to see increased roles, but the player several eyes will turn to at the start of the year is Decatur’s new big man — 6-foot-9 sophomore Churchill Bounds.

As a freshman, Bounds came off the bench in several games and helped take out opposing offenses while making buckets when called upon. Decatur expects Bounds to fill Aluma’s role, and is hoping for big things from him — both literally and figuratively.

“It’s hard to replace someone like Keve, but I think we have someone in his shadow that’s going to be just as good in Churchill Bounds,” Johnson said. “We’ll see how it plays out. Churchill has been working hard in practice and he's just looking forward to getting started.”   

Bounds himself is hoping to live up to expectations, knowing his size will automatically give him an advantage in rebounding and blocking.

With all the hype surrounding him, the sophomore said he’s ready to become a leader for the Seahawks, both on and off the court.

“I definitely want to do what Keve’s done, but I want to go farther and do as much as possible,” Bounds said. “We want to go as far as possible and win a state championship — that’s the bottom line.”

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Johnson said he will rely on his core guys like Voyles, Bounds and Woodland, but coming into the season, Decatur’s head coach wants his bench to contribute on a regular basis, creating a solid rotation for the Seahawks.

Although they have lost talented players, to Johnson, the depth and chemistry the unit has should be enough to get the team back to the regional championship.

“I honestly think we’re a little deeper this year,” Johnson said. “I have faith in our kids, and we’ll see where the chips may fall. We’ve just got to put our best foot forward.”

With the recent success Decatur has obtained throughout the past two seasons, Woodland already knows the Seahawks will have a huge target on their back coming into the year.

“Everybody wants to take us down,” Woodland said.

But the unit believes it has one of the biggest advantages in the Bayside Conference in the support from its hometown fans.

Decatur has not lost a game in its gym since Feb. 28, 2015. In almost every home game, the place is packed with Seahawks fans cheering and shouting for their favorite players.

If Decatur can secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, Bounds has no doubt the energy from the fans will be enough to help the Seahawks make it back to the state championship.

“The crowd definitely gives you a second wind every single time — it pumps you up, and it’s crazy,” Bounds said. “Definitely feel it’s a state championship or bust.”