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The LaKenya Knight era of Charles Henderson Lady Trojans Basketball begins Tuesday night as the 2023-2024 season gets underway.

Knight comes to Charles Henderson after spending 15 years at Jeff Davis High School, the last six as the head boy’s basketball coach. Knight is stepping into a position that was held by the winningest coach in CHHS Girls Basketball history, Dyneshia Jones, who guided the Lady Trojans to a pair of State Championships and eight Final Four appearances, including last season.

Knight is no stranger to success, either, as she won two state championships with the girls team at Jeff Davis and holds an overall coaching record of 430-244 with five area championships and three Final Four appearances.

Charles Henderson will have to overcome the loss of some key veterans from last year’s Final Four squad, including perennial All-State guard KK Hobdy.

“We’re thin in numbers,” Knight said of this year’s team. “I know (Charles Henderson) has always sort of been thin in numbers and that’s never stopped them, so it’s not going to stop us. Practices have been going great so far.”

With veterans like Deanna Gosha and Hobdy no longer with the squad, All-Messenger forward Harmony Hubbard is one of the returners. Last season, Hubbard averaged 9.4 points, four rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, along with shooting 37 percent from the three-point line. Seniors Madison Ousley and Ta’Keiya Brockton have also earned plenty of playing time over the last few years. An eighth grader, Kamari Strozier, has also caught the eye of Knight.

“She’s coming up from middle school and plays really, really hard,” Knight said. “Some of the things she does well you can’t teach. Her rebounding and the way she plays on defense, I think she’s going to be a good player for us.”

Knight is focusing on coming together as a team early in the season.

“This is a new group with new coaches,” she continued. “We have to play as a team and get our camaraderie together and vibe together. Once we get that taken care of, everything else will fall into place. We have to make sure we know each other, that can be a big asset.”

Being able to play together is the primary goal for this year’s Lady Trojans.

“We have to be able to play together, that’s what we’re working towards,” she said. “They have to get used to me and I have to get used to them, that’s the biggest thing. Trying to get them to buy into me and my coaching and get them to do the small things, that’s our goal.”

Charles Henderson opens the season on the road tonight at Pike Road and travels to Montgomery on Nov. 14 to face Carver.