MANY – The playoffs.
If the Many boys basketball team had one goal circled for the 2025-26 season, it was to see their name in the Division III Non-Select playoff bracket when pairings were announced.
The Tigers did just that, and almost a lot more.
The No. 22 seed nearly pulled off the road upset at No. 11 Green Oaks, who won in overtime 58-53 this past Friday.
“We felt like we could compete with teams in this division, and we felt good about our game plan,” said head coach Taylor Lee. “Going up there is a tough, hostile environment, and we got down 14-3 early.
“But these kids fought back, chipped away at the lead to trail by six at halftime, and then forced overtime. Overtime didn’t go our way, but we were in the fight. The feel of that atmosphere and an overtime playoff game should be a springboard for us next year.”
But before thinking about where Many is going, one has to understand where they’ve been.
The year before Lee arrived, the 2022-23 team won just two games – the first and last games of the season that bookended a 17-game losing streak.
Lee doubled that win total in 2023-24 and bumped it to 11 wins this past season.
“I knew it was a tough job when I took it,” Lee said. “The year before me they struggled, but having (turned programs around) before, I had confidence we could do it again.
“We’ve been in the process of becoming competitive again, and these guys have put in time and hard work. We had a lot of key guys coming back this year, and we knew we needed to take steps forward and prove ourselves. That meant competing in district play.”
That set the stage for this season, which still included a young corps of guys led by junior point guard Kellen Cox.
Many went from being largely uncompetitive in District 3-2A to winning two district games in 2024-25 (sweep of Lakeside) to finishing in a tie for second place this season.
The Tigers, who accumulated a 17-11 record this season, split season series with Mansfield and Winnfield and played district champion Red River close in one of two meetings – a nine-point loss.
Cox led the district in scoring for the second straight season, and he returns with almost everyone from
this season, including key contributors like Cruz Manasco, Trevor Rials and Tyrion Hall.
The turnaround may be complete, but Many wants to push its ceiling past just a playoff entry.
“We want to really compete for a district title, and we know this district is tough, but we feel we have a real shot at that,” Lee said. “We want to host a first-round playoff game and win a few playoff games as we continue to move this program forward.”
It’s not like the blueprint hasn’t been there at all – both at Many and at Lee’s previous stops.
Many did advance to the quarterfinals in 2022 and claimed a No. 3 seed in 2021 (second round) in the consolidated Class 2A setup.
Lee brought a quiet confidence to Many having taken his last two programs to the Top 28 – the Dodson girls and the Ebarb boys. He took Ebarb to the state title game and collected the Class C Coach of the Year in 2021.
The program he took over at Dodson – two wins the season before he arrived.
The Many program needed to be rebuilt upon Lee’s arrival in the 2023-24 season, tapping into the historic Many and Sabine Parish basketball roots at a school where football has been king for the past two decades.
“There was a time before (the football success) where Many was considered a basketball school, and those roots are still here,” Lee said. “Sabine loves its basketball, and Many is no different.
“The crowd support this year was the best in years, and part of that is putting a good product out there but it’s also about kids who buy in and want to work.”
The basketball wins have returned to Many, and Lee wants to bring playoff basketball, district titles, and hopefully state titles back before he’s through.
“Someone might look at us in warmups and think we don’t look all that good, but these kids play so hard and compete,” Lee said. “To have some continuity with the same coach, same corps group of players, a group that’s willing to work and be coachable – it makes a difference.
“We’re going to continue to put that work in day in and day out.”
Matt Vines
Communications Specialist, LSUS Public Relations
Louisiana State University Shreveport