BUFORD, Ga. - Hoops season is just around the corner, and soon enough, the Lions will once again be back on the hardwood in Lions Arena. 

The Hebron men's basketball season isn't set to begin until Thursday, Nov. 6, when the Lions take on Rabun County High School at home in the season's opening scrimmage, but they've been hard at work since the summer. From nearly two months of fall-league competition to intense workouts and yoga, it's been a busy few months for Hebron. However, the Lions got a well-deserved break this past weekend, when they took a trip to Top Golf in Buford for a little bit of team bonding.

"After a grueling season of sweat equity, we gave the guys a choice for their team-bonding location, and they chose Top Golf," head coach Derrick Mason said. "That team outing wasn't simply about having fun, it was about building trust and chemistry off the court. Basketball is a game of spontaneous decisions, and when the pressure is high, you have to trust the guy next to you." 

Mason said that players were split into groups of five, with certain players shifting to different groups, so that players would connect with other teammates they might not normally see off the court, a great chance for more experienced upperclassmen to get to know the younger bucks. 

Last season, the Lions had a record of 17-12, advancing to the Elite Eight, and making history with the region championship in program history. This season, the bar has been raised to a new standard, with a young and fiery team ready to take the court. Opportunities like Saturday, is something that Mason believes will help meet that standard. 

"My hope is that events like this allow all of our players to connect on a deeper, more personal level. We want them to discuss passions that exist outside the game of basketball, gain a better understanding of each other's strengths and weaknesses and, most importantly, demonstrate genuine love and support for one another," mason said. "That depth of connection is what will make our teams truly successful." 

After the scrimmage against the Wildcats of Rabun, Hebron will have its first official game of the regular season, that being against Mill Creek in the Meadowcreek Showcase at Meadowcreek High School on Saturday, Nov. 8.

However, Mason's concern isn't just focused on the varsity team, but the entire high school program, including the young junior varsity and ninth-grade teams. Mason believes in the importance of comradely between his three teams, a brotherhood. 

"A lot of great things happened (Saturday) that made me feel really good about the current state of our program," Mason said. "To watch the older players mentor and joke with the younger ones, the coaches laughing and competing with the student-athletes, and the guys compete fiercely during the coaches challenge, only to eat and laugh together afterward; that's when I realized that the brotherhood is truly being forged."