The Charles Henderson Trojans are just five days away from kicking off the Doug Branson era.

Branson takes over as the varsity boys basketball coach, taking over for prior head coach Shelby Tuck.

The Trojans begin the season on Monday afternoon when they take part in a tournament in Scottsboro.

“One of the kids came by my room this morning (Tuesday) at 7:30, stuck his head in and said ‘six days coach,’” Branson said. “The kids are fired up, we’re all excited about it. We are less than a week away. All that running up and down the floor is about to come to fruition. Let’s see if we can do something with it.”

The Trojans were able to hit the floor on October 15 for the first official day of practice. They took the first month of the season and worked on skill development.

“We just worked, worked and worked,” Branson said. “We didn’t have a summer together. It was a lot about getting these young men getting to know my terminology and the way I say things. It was us trying to learn together.”

Many of the players will be playing together for the first time this season, so team chemistry will be a must for Branson for the Trojans.

“Team chemistry is something that is really big for us,” Branson said. “We’re trying to come together as a group. The first game is November 19; I don’t know how good we’re be, but I guarantee we will be a lot better in February.”

When the Trojans hit the court next Monday, Branson believes the strength of the team will be its defense.

“We’re going to get after people,” Branson said. “We’re going to guard. I can bank on that. We’re going to play defense and guard people. If we can turn people over and get some easy buckets, that will make our offense that much better.”

The Trojans will be able to put their skills to the test beginning on Monday in their tournament in Scottsboro. The Trojans will play games over the course of three days beginning on Monday.

“We’re lacing it up for the first time and we’re playing a 6A school that has already beaten somebody by 30. We are jumping into the fire. It’s absolutely going to give us a chance to see where we are at and where we have to go. We’re come back a better team regardless of what our record is.”

The Trojans will take on the Class 6A Mae Jemison Jaguars in game one on Monday.