L.T. Lockett

is a soft-spoken individual.

His coach,

Rick Francis calls him a "quiet leader - one who leads his team by

example." Perhaps this is why teams are taken aback when he explodes

on the court.

Lockett is

the leading scorer for the Patriots and has been a member of the Sandy

Creek varsity squad during all four years of his high school career. He

is also soon to be a Western Carolina Catamount. Lockett signed a letter

of intent Monday morning.

"I got

interested in their program while attending a summer camp," said

Lockett, who looks forward to contributing to the team. "I work hard

everyday, can bring leadership at the point guard position and just hope

that I can make the team a better team."

Coach Francis

knows that Lockett will be a great additon to the Western Carolina program

as well. "He is definitely a scoring threat," he said. Lockett

has been the leading scorer in every game for the Patriots this season,

most recently netting 35 points against Salem High School.

Both the coach

and the player are excited about the prospects for the Patriots this season.

They are in a new region and classification and have faced a vast array

of new opponents, including Westlake, Salem and Rockdale County.

"There's

some added competition this year," said Lockett. "We're seeing

some different strategies and getting some different looks." Francis

agrees, stating that teams like Creekside, Jones County and Westlake are

some very strong teams.

Complementing

Lockett's presence on the floor this year are juniors William Belton and

Corey Adams. Both players have been on varsity all three years but are

now more mature physically and mentally. "If a team decides to try

to shut down L.T.," Francis said, "these two guys will hurt

them."

The Patriots

are currently 8-2 and will travel to Heritage Friday and Fayette County

Saturday. Game times are at 7 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively.

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