Cape boys’ basketball looks to 2025-26 season

Cape head coach Steve Re is smiling all the way to daily practices just thinking about the upcoming season’s team.

Re, in his 24th year of coaching, returns four of five starters from last year’s squad. Returning are starters Jameson Tingle, Geordan Downing, Ozmeer Batson and Stephen Sivels. Braxton Figgs will be the fifth starter this season, with Quardell Richards, Tre Batson and Mikey Thompson also returning. 

New players include Lamar McCoy, David Barns and Lawson Whaley.

“Lawson has been a great surprise,” said Re. “He brings great energy, intelligence and length, and he may find himself working into the rotation.”

The Vikings finished 15-8 overall last season, falling to Sanford 54-44 in the quarterfinals. They had won four in a row going into that game. 

“I think there’s a lot to look forward to,” said Tingle. “We got a bunch of guys back, having only lost one senior. Not only does this help the physical side of basketball, but also our mental side. Having so many guys back, our chemistry is the best it’s ever been, and our basketball IQ has improved as well. So we’re looking to run the table this year and hopefully make it to the Bob [Carpenter Center].”

“We are returning four starters, so there's no lack of varsity experience,” said Figgs. “Our bench is much deeper this year, so we'll have a big rotation without a skill dropoff. Our schedule is going to be super competitive too, with top 10 matchups in conference, like Dover and Smryna.”

“We are looking to build off the great run we ended the season with last year,” said Re. “Once we get fully healthy and everyone back together, I anticipate competing at a very high level while maintaining the terrific chemistry we had last season. We play one of the hardest, if not the hardest, schedules in the state, so we need to dial in and mature with our approach all year. This group has been together for a long time now, so I believe we are ready to take another step forward.”

The Vikings hosted St. Elizabeth Nov. 21 for a pre-season scrimmage. They played five eight-minute quarters. 

“Today, I got to see a bunch of guys that will come off the bench get a ton of minutes,” said Re. “We did a solid job competing and getting some experience for the rotation guys. We have more depth than in years past, so those guys really got a great experience today. If we can get healthy and consistent, we have a real chance to make some noise this season.”

“I think the main goal overall was focusing on executing the same thing we did in practice and not worrying about who scored or what the score was,” said Richards. “I feel like once we get deeper into the season, things will start to click for everyone and we will be back on track just like we were last year. It’s just the little details we need to fix.”