There is change in the air for the Columbus Wildcats as they prepare to start a new boys’ basketball season. In addition to a new head coach in former Highland head man Marcus Hall, Columbus will have replace all-conference forward Tim Hills-Carrier, last season’s leader in shooting, scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots.

One of the leaders of this year’s squad will be younger brother Ellis Hills-Carrier, who made a solid impression in his freshman campaign by averaging nearly seven points, four rebounds and two steals per game.

Seniors Juan Chairez and Ryan Coil also return and will have more elevated roles after combining to average nearly eight-and-a-half points and eight rebounds per contest.

With so many otherwise new varsity players, Hall tells KCII Sports that he’s giving every player a chance to show what they can do, and it’s resulted in an infectiously positive attitude.

“When I first got the job,” Hall says, “I did a deep dive, but from that point, I’ve given the players a clean slate and viewed them through a new lens to prove themselves and give everybody a fresh start. The overall aura around the team tells me that there’s a lot of potential there to have a good culture and find some winning ways.”

Columbus will start the boys’ basketball season December 3rd by taking on the Lone Tree Lions.