The Fort Dale boys’ basketball team is hard at work preparing for the upcoming season, and expectations are high.

“We’ve got six seniors on this team, and so it’s a veteran group,” said head coach William Johnson. “We’ve got a lot of kids that have started since their sophomore year, so they’ve got experience.”

The Eagles lost a couple of players from last year’s team, but the Eagles have depth both outside and in the post.

Dustin Till, Luke Hutcheson and Hunter Armstrong will be key inside for FDA, and Shanks Simmons and Wesley Burkett add an outside threat.

The Eagles will also feature Stephen Till and Todd Burkett as upperclassmen on the team.

“We’ve got a good, talented group, and we’re developing a winning attitude,” Johnson said. “We’re excited about the year, but we’ve got a long, tough schedule ahead of us.”

The boys have also had a short time to practice because of how late in the season the football team played, since many players also take to the gridiron.

“We had a tough loss to end the football season, and sometimes jumping into something else helps you forget that – especially if you start winning,” Johnson said.

Saturday’s scheduled game with Tuscaloosa Academy has been rescheduled for Jan. 30, so the Eagles will open at Wilcox Academy on Monday.