Olympus boys basketball coach Matt Barnes is in a familiar spot as he enters the season. His team has some new faces and some varsity players looking to expand their roles. 

And his Titans are defending state champs. 

Last season, Olympus captured its fourth state title in the last nine seasons. Olympus went 24-3 overall and defeated Region 6 rival Alta (with which it shared the league title) in the Class 5A state championship game. Most of the Titans’ firepower from last season is gone, including the team’s top three scorers from 2023-24. The only returning starter is senior Gavin Lowe, who averaged 9.7 points per game a season ago. He also chipped in 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists an outing. Barnes will look to Lowe this season for more leadership and production. 

This isn’t the first time Barnes has opened a season as defending champions with a mostly new cast of starters and contributors. This season, Barnes will turn to five seniors and a junior to round out the lineup and complement the returning starter, Lowe. Seniors Tyler Goldsberry (guard), Luke Owen (forward), Jack Evans (guard), Malakai Philip and Nate Watson (center), along with junior Caden Jackson, a guard, will see the most time. 

As the season began, Barnes was unsure exactly what the starting lineup would look like. Which players start and how much court time they see might depend on certain opponents and game situations. He said the early season games will give these players a chance to prove themselves. 

“Early on, we will see who can perform when the lights are on,” Barnes said. “Can you guard, rebound, make shots? We have a lot of good kids in the program. We’re excited to see who steps up.”

Many teams bringing back just one starter wouldn’t have high expectations coming into the season and might struggle, especially at the beginning of the season. But the Olympus program, being one of the best in the state, always has lofty goals. 

“We’re optimistic this season,” Barnes said. “Every year, there’s pressure to perform and high expectations.”

By winning four state championships since 2016, Olympus has drawn every opponent’s attention. Barnes and his players understand this, and they see it as a welcome challenge. The Titans know that every night, the team they face will want to topple them. 

“We get everyone’s best shot,” Barnes said. “We can’t take a night off.”

The new-look Titans have a challenging schedule that will show Barnes right away what the team is made of. Olympus started off Nov. 26 at home against Northridge, followed by another home contest, Dec. 3 against Bingham. Olympus also has three road games in a row against Class 6A teams—Davis on Dec. 13, Syracuse on Dec. 14 and Fremont on Dec. 20. The first Region 6 game will be Jan. 3, 2025, at home against West. 

In league play, the Titans will have some formidable tasks. Olympus has developed a rivalry with Alta, which became a region opponent to the Titans last season and shared the league crown with them. A year ago, Olympus and Alta split the regular-season series before the Titans prevailed in the state title game 69-61. Two seasons ago, Alta defeated Olympus in the state semifinals before winning the championship. The Hawks also replace a lot of starters from last season, but Barnes expects some epic battles between the two teams this season. 

“We have a lot of respect for Alta,” he said. “Our league will be good.” Barnes pointed out other Region 6 foes Highland, Brighton and Skyline as tough tests coming up. Olympus will also face East and West in league play. 

Though the bulk of Olympus’ lineup has limited varsity experience, the players have been a part of the Titans recent success, so they understand what it takes to play at a high level. The players are also aware of the program’s proud tradition and expectations that come with being a champion. 

In addition, Barnes said players such as Jackson, Goldsberry, Owen, Evans, Philip and Watson “had a good spring and summer” in preparation for the high school season. Plus, Lowe brings big-game experience to the team and been an important contributor for some excellent Olympus teams. 

Barnes said he’s confident Olympus will be solid offensively, something that is almost always the case with the Titans. Last season, Olympus averaged 75.9 points per game. No team in the state scored more than the Titans. The biggest challenges Olympus will face, Barnes said, will be its lack of experience and its lack of size. The Titans will be smaller than most teams they face. 

“Our biggest questions: can we grow up fast and can we guard bigger teams,” Barnes said. “Our nonregion schedule will be an opportunity to gauge where we are.”

The last time Olympus entered the season as defending champions was in 2022-23 when it reached the state semifinals and finished with an overall record of 24-3. In 2018-19, the Titans were also defending state champions after finishing 27-0 the year before. That defending champion squad went 23-3 and lost in the state semifinals. 

Coach Barnes enters his 28th season as Olympus head coach. He has amassed an impressive record of 528-127. In addition to Barnes’ five state titles, he has put together 12 seasons of 20 or more victories. He has never had a losing record and only twice had suffered more than nine defeats in a single season.