The new Whitney M. Young Jr. Job Corps basketball team has only existed for a couple weeks – but they’re already finding their stride.

The newly minted team defeated Charleston Job Corps Center in their very first game last weekend, pulling a 40-36 victory in a close, fast-paced and challenging maiden voyage. But in the end, a four-point lead carried the new teammates to victory.

“There was a couple practices that was really rough,” said coach Devin Holt. “But this is why we practice. This is what we do…These boys played hard. They love basketball, they were dedicated, and they came to play.”

Narkee Jones, who won his place as MVP among the team, said that spirits were high following the victory and the players were proud.

“I’m happy that my team got this win,” Jones said. “It’s not just me. Without my team, I would be nothing.”

Though this was this team’s first time out on the court, they carried on a storied tradition of Whitney M. Young’s basketball program.

“Our team, over the past decade, has been pretty solid. We’re always in contention for the top two, if not top three, of the division,” said Charles Higgins, who was head coach of the team for a year and assisted for seven. “In that time, we won two division titles and we’ve also gone a couple times and played at the national championship game by invitation.”

COVID halted the team’s progress, however, putting a pause on the program right at a triumphant moment.

“We were going to host the regional tournament in 2020,” Higgins said. “We were third at the time in the division, and we were hosting the district tournament to see who was going to be the district champ.”

However, COVID restrictions have now loosened at Whitney.

With no more need for masking, social distancing or crowd limits, and with other Job Corps centers expressing interest in facing off against Whitney’s team, it was time to go.

“Everyone was nervous,” Holt said. “We didn’t know how it was going to be, we didn’t know who we were going to play…a lot of things were rough, a lot of things were over our heads. It was if, ands, or buts. But regardless, at the end of the day, a game had to be played.”

But of course, a furious back and forth handed the Chargers a win – the first win as this team, and the first win as Whitney’s team for two years.

“We came out, we played the game, we got the win,” Holt said. “I am proud of the hard work and dedication the team did. They could have gone out there, played by themselves, not really played as a team, but they played as a team. They communicated. They worked with each other. And that’s how you win a game.”

Holt take a moment to show respect for Whitney’s first opponents from Charleston Job Corps Center.

“I give them total respect for the game that they put on,” Holt said. “They have good players…They have a good team, they have a big team, those guys, they love playing basketball as much as we do.”

There’s no rest for the weary, of course. There will be more games against other centers. But they’re up to the challenge.

“It’s just going to be more hard work and dedication,” Jones said. “We’re just going harder every time. This was the first game, it was butterflies, it was nervous, but we’re going to get better.”