The Eastside boys’ basketball program is looking to maintain its playoff culture in 2024 as head coach Dorrian Randolph heads into his fifth season as the Eagles’ head coach.
Since Randolph took over the program in 2020, Eastside has had a 61-34 record and the team has made the postseason every year.
Eastside now resides in Class AAAA with a new region. Despite this, the goals are still the same for Randolph and the Eagles.
“The goal is to continue a consistent championship culture that encompasses a lot of things from on the court to off the court — in the classroom and even the young men being responsible in their communities,” Randolph said.
The Eagles are fresh off a 12-15 season in which the team was eliminated in the first round of the Class AAAAA playoffs by Chapel Hill.
Even with the result, the program still accomplished many of its aspirations both on and off the court, and Randolph believed it to be a culmination of how far the team has gone.
“When I took over, we started from scratch,” Randolph said. “Now we have built a consistent team and are really excited for this year. Last year, we were able to get all six of our seniors in school. To me, that’s the important part.”
Out of the seniors that departed, Eastside is losing three of its top four scorers from 2023 — Trebor Edwards, Larry Rivers and Jason Carter.
The team’s second leading scorer from a year ago, Marion Eubanks Jr, is set to return alongside players such as Josiah Johnson and Damien Davey.
A lot of Eastside’s 2024 goals surround establishing a deep run into the playoffs that surpasses the school’s best season on the court under Randolph in 2022.
“Outlook for the season is always the same,” Randolph said. “I tell these guys, the best we have ever done in the state is the Sweet 16…we are trying to exceed that. Our goal is to go farther than we have ever been. Whatever that entails, that's what we are working for.”
The sentiment is shared by players such as Johnson, who played a big role in the Eagles’ region tournament games from a year ago.
“What I am looking forward to this season is to get a lot of wins and to bond with my brothers and become a better leader,” Johnson said. “The goal and expectation are to win our region and get past the first round of state, because we made it to state last year and the Sweet 16 the year before that. We just want to make it further than that. Just win and dominate.”
Eastside kicked off the season with a 52-46 win over Lithia Springs that saw Damion McDonald and Johnson lead the way with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Eagles go through a non-region slate of familiar foes such as Alcovy, Rockdale County and Social Circle before diving into region play.
