Head Coach Dwayne Paul and his squad prepared for the challenges in winter with a renewed focus and determination. With his second year as coach, his aim is to improve from last year’s 8-10 record.

With the team’s current standing, sitting at the ninth seed of the KSHSAA 6A West Subdivision as of Feb. 16, the team is already heading in a forward direction from last year after winning seven games thus far.

“The main thing [this year] is maximizing our potential,” Paul said. “We had a lot of potential from the jump, and so it was showing a lot of people outside our team of who we are.”

Paul said this year’s roster blends experience with fresh talent, featuring a dynamic freshman duo, Jayden Williams and Brendan Barrett, along with five returning seniors, five juniors, and two sophomores. Paul said how he admires the relentless dedication his players have shown and the progress they’ve made in building a successful program.

“I’m proud of where we are, and we’re continuing to take steps forward,” Paul said.

Amidst KSHSAA’s decision to add a shot clock during the 2024-2025 season, most of the challenges faced by the team were on the basketball court. Senior point guard Korbin Dowdell said a lot of the training this year was focused on being in control of the game.

“We want to play faster and just speed more teams up. We want to dictate the pace of the game,” Dowdell said.

Reflecting on the changes to the program this year, senior power forward Everett Essman said that one of Paul’s aims is to hold players accountable for their mistakes and motivate them to become more well-versed.

“It taught me dedication,” Essman said. “If you want something, you have to grind for it. You have to go out and earn it.”

For Dowdell and his senior teammates that have been a part of this program since their freshman year, he said it meant more than just playing the sport they loved. From adhering to changes in the coaching staff to coping with the loss of experience to their team, Paul said he recognizes their dedication and believes in their charge to bring fruition to this program.

When speaking about the future, Paul said he is excited for what it will present. Having his eyes on talented youthful basketball players in the 7th, 8th and freshman class, Paul believes the rise in prospective talent will eventually return in favor for the program.

“When it comes to players, Free State is in good hands,” Paul said. “Free State Basketball has a chance to go in a positive direction because the city is good.”

As the varsity team approaches the middle of their season, they will face much tougher competition from schools of the east region. Their next matchup will be away, against hometown rival, Lawrence High School on Feb. 21.