With just under a week of practice under their belts, the Butler County Magnet School Panthers are ready to take to the hardwood next week.

“We will have had six days of practice, but the good thing is that I’ve had these kids for two years,” said head coach Kirk Norris. “They know my system, and they know what I expect. “

The Panthers have three returning starters from last year, Victor Marshall, LaCory Savage and Lamar Crittenden, but everyone on last season’s team saw a good amount of playing time.

“We’ve got six seniors, and I expect a lot out of them,” Norris said. “They were some of the keys to our success last year, and we’re trying to build on that.”

Action kicks off for the Panthers on Monday, when they’ll be hosting a “Meet the Panthers” scrimmage at the school starting at 2 p.m.

Both the boys and girls teams will play intra-squad games, and there will also be some interesting events like a slam dunk contest.

The first game of the season is set for Tuesday night in Georgiana against Flomaton with the B-team starting at 4:30. – Michael Rodgers