The Pike County basketball team is coming off a disappointing 6-16 season last year, but head coach Doug Holland, in his second stint as Bulldog coach, is looking to turn things around in Brundidge.

Holland stressed his main goal as coach is to mold players in to quality young men. “Our players are students first,” Holland said. “We want our players to be true student-athletes. They have to go to class and remain disciplined on and off the court. If they don’t meet the standards that we set to be a Pike County athlete, then they won’t be on the team.”

While Holland did not call the upcoming season a rebuilding year, he did say that his team was young.

“We have a young, athletic team,” Holland said. “The main thing we want to see happen is for the players to come together and play as a team. We want the kids to buy in to the system that we run in the athletic department. If the players can do that, then the overall record will improve.”

Holland has found success at Pike County in the past. He was the coach of the 2009 Bulldog team that finished 21-6 and advanced to the regional tournament that lost to Headland.

Even with such a young team, Holland has set some lofty expectations for the Bulldogs. “Our main goal as a team is to win the area,” Holland said. “We’re going to take it one game at a time. Our first area game is on Jan. 5. We’ll be working hard to get ready for Abbeville, Barbour County and [Montgomery] Catholic.”

It will be tough for the Bulldogs to knock off area favorite Barbour County, who finished last season ranked sixth in 3A, and rival Abbeville, but Holland said he believes his Bulldogs are up to the task.

In addition to the six area games, the Bulldogs schedule features non-area match ups with Andalusia, Luverne, Dale County, Goshen, Houston County and Samson, as well as two tournaments.

Pike County will take part in the Daleville Thanksgiving Tournament Nov. 21-23, and will once again play in the Goshen Holiday Tournament in late December.