The North Callaway boys are reloading this season after a successful season.

Following the program’s first district title since 1999, the Thunderbirds will feature a roster without the seven seniors from a year ago. Still, they hope to break in this roster on the way to at least another winning season as they’ve done in six of the previous seven years.

Head coach Matt Miller said the varsity roster of about 10 kids will have seven playing their first “meaningful varsity minutes” right when they step on the court in the first half. North Callaway has three seniors returning from last year, including second- and third-leading scorers and reigning all-conference players Sam Pezold and Isiah Craighead.

“We’ve needed all the practice time we could get, but they’ve been very coachable and have absorbed everything thrown at them,” Miller said.

Paul Russell is the other returning varsity senior that doesn’t have as many minutes as Pezold and Craighead but will definitely spend more time on the floor this year. Miller said Russell brings a nice shot from the perimeter as probably “the best spot-up shooter in the gym” and “one of the highest basketball IQs.”

Miller said he’ll be counting on the three seniors, especially Pezold and Craighead, to lead the Thunderbirds this season. Pezold has been starting since freshman year, and Craighead has played varsity basketball since sophomore year.

“They’re versatile, Miller said. “Isiah can guard all five spots on the floor, and Sam can guard multiple positions on the floor. Offensively, those two will bring the ball up for us some. They’re not true point guards but will be doing a lot of ball handling. They’re great passers, and they’re great scorers – they can score inside and outside.”

Because of them, Miller said the team chemistry has been good so far. Admittedly, he said North Callaway lost some size from previous years as the program’s junior varsity team is taller, but that means the Thunderbirds will be quicker.

“We’ve got a lot of team speed at all five spots, a lot of athleticism and we should be versatile on the offensive end,” Miller said. “We’re trying get up and down a little bit and move the ball, and our ball movement has been awesome.”

Miller said a starting five will be tough to figure out as the Thunderbirds will have to mix and match with the other seven varsity players, such as the five juniors Erik Blair, Chance Cunningham, Levi Drake, Clayton Moore and Caleb Sheets.

When it comes to the potential and goals for this year’s Thunderbirds, Miller said the goals haven’t changed all that much from maintaining a “championship attitude.” That attitude resulted in a district championship a year ago, and this year is still to be determined. Miller said he hasn’t mentioned the district title from a year ago once in practice so the team this year can put “their own stamp and own imprint” on the program.

“I just want to believe in the process and have these guys come with positive attitude to the gym every single day,” Miller said. “I don’t know we’ll be champions on the scoreboard at the end of the day or the end of the season, but we can have a championship attitude and effort every day of practice.”