It’s just two days until the Coronado Islanders boys’ basketball team hits the hardwood for the first regular season game of 2024-2025.

When the boys in green and white take the floor against Mar Vista High School on Thursday, November 21, they will be a group looking to rebound from a disappointing and frustrating 2023-2024 season that saw them go 6-23 and finish last in the Eastern League with a 1-7 conference record.

This team will have big shoes to fill production-wise. With the graduation of players like second-team all-league member Tekur Velazquez and leading rebounder Noah Kalasho, Coronado will need players to step up in both the backcourt and the frontcourt.

However, with a crop of young talent and returning young varsity players, there is belief that this season should be a step forward for the boys’ basketball program.

Loxly Johnson will be a focal point for this Islanders team this season. Even with missing bits of last season, Johnson was very impressive in 2023 and put together a strong offseason that included a quality showing at the Boys Cali Live 2024 showcase tournament this past July.

The six-foot guard plays larger than his size and has been a force in the paint. In his most recent pre-season showing, he scored 14 points while grabbing four rebounds and two steals. He’s an explosive athlete and player who is a spark plug for this Islanders team.

Also expected to help in the backcourt will be freshman Ah’Mahn Oliver. Playing from the win, Oliver, a freshman at 6’2, can shoot well from beyond the three-point line, an area of the floor Coronado struggled from last season. His length should also help out closing out a perimeter defender.

The Islanders should also expect impact from Austin Brown and Kannon Seals. While both players are on the shorter end, it certainly has not slowed them down in games played this fall. Both Brown and Seals are excellent spot-up and catch-and-shoot shooters from beyond the arc, capable of taking charge on the floor and disrupting the game defensively with steals.

Now, in the post/ below the rim, the Islanders may need to be a bit creative. They aren’t a huge team. That said, sophomore Aiden Roberts, who stands at 6’4, should see the floor and provide Coronado with a presence inside.

On the defensive side of the ball, expect Coronado to continue being aggressive as they have in seasons past. This group has thrived on generating steals to help generate extra possessions.

As mentioned at the top, Coronado’s regular season will kick off this Thursday, November 21, against Mar Vista. Following that game, the Islanders will quickly turn around and participate in the Fifth Annual Thanksgiving Regional Rumble against teams such as Hoover and Olympian High School.

Those games will provide a good early season litmus test for the Islanders to give them a sense of where they sit among others in San Diego County.