The 2021 season was an incredible one for Cleveland boys basketball. The Warriors finished the regular season 20-4, winning the PIL for the first time in 60 years and ranking third in Oregon. The team was knocked out in overtime of the quarterfinals to Mountainside, but the overall season was a big success. Ranked No. 4 in the OSAA 6A division, the Warriors look like a strong team this year.

This season will be different, as there are many changes this season. Coach Dondrale Campbell, instrumental in the Warriors’ run last season, took the head coaching job at Grant High School. New coach Sam Glasgow, a CHS graduate, will succeed Campbell, hoping to follow up the strong results from last year.

The Warriors are returning much of the talent that powered last year’s team. Seniors Christian Green and Jackson Cooper were key pieces last season. They return this year, along with fellow seniors Sean Chris Tresvant and Jamel Pichon. While the core of last season’s team comes back this year, the Warriors will miss the trio of Daniel Suhr, Lawson Vella, and Stephen Treat, who graduated last year.

One of the most important changes is the implementation of the shot clock. Adding the shot clock this season will see changes, possibly increasing scoring this season. Oregon is the 12th state to adopt the use of a shot clock. Coaches and players had been lobbying for a shot clock to be in play for various reasons. The 35-second shot clock debuts this season. No longer will teams hold the ball at the end of games, hoping for a final shot to go in. We will see if this will change the style of play for Cleveland this season.