Last season was a strange one for Byrnes Basketball.
The Runnin’ Rebels started the 2024-25 season in dominant fashion, winning 23 straight games against some of South Carolina’s top teams—including Wren, Fort Mill, Daniel, Dorman, and Riverside.
After starting 23-0, Byrnes entered the MaxPreps Top 100 National Rankings. The Runnin’ Rebels were the toast of high school basketball in the state.
For head coach Layne Fowler and crew, everything was going right.
Until it wasn’t.
After that 23-0 start, it all fell apart for Byrnes. The Rebels stumbled to the finish line, concluding the season with losses in three of their final four games. A second-round defeat at Blythewood put the nail in a season that, in Fowler’s words, could’ve been so much more.
“Full transparency, as a coach, I was really disappointed in myself for how last year ended,” said Fowler. “I wanted to be able to get us out of that tough run we had at the end of the year. As a coach, you have to make sure the team always stays hungry, and there’s an edge.”
Fowler’s disappointment in last season’s ending was shared by his players.
“I think we just got complacent,” said Byrnes star junior point guard Colt Fowler. “Once we got to 23-0, it’s like we thought it was just going to be a walk in the park.”
“We got way too comfortable,” said senior small forward/shooting guard Sukhi Singh. “We got to that point in the season, and we felt like we were on top of the world. We lost focus a little bit.”
Byrnes enters the 2025-26 season with high expectations and renewed focus. The Runnin’ Rebels are ranked No. 2 in Class 5-A Division I to begin the year. With some of the returning talent — and a big-time new addition entering the fray — it’s little wonder why Byrnes stock is trading high.
Colt returns after a stellar sophomore campaign that saw him average 18.3 points and 11.3 assists per game. Known collectively as one of the best distributors and rim finishers in SC at the PG position, the now-junior was a finalist last season for SC Gatorade Player of the Year.
Singh averaged 12 points on 50 percent shooting in a breakout junior season last year, and he’s poised to finish his career strong. Junior Fabian McClintock adds strong paint presence at the forward position, and according to Fowler, has been developing his outside shooting ability this offseason.
But there’s a new face in Duncan this year that’s caught some headlines in summer and fall ball.
Kamden Hack — the 6-foot-4 junior transfer from J.L. Mann — adds elite athleticism following the graduation of Jamari Cullen last season.
“Having Kamden here has been amazing,” said Layne. “He’s a super athletic kid, can guard multiple guys, can shoot the three, can finish lobs, and he fits the Runnin’ Rebels culture and style perfectly. When a kid comes in from somewhere else, you never know if he’s going to fit the culture, but Kamden is a breath of fresh air.”
“Once I got here, everyone was super welcoming to me,” said Hack. “Everyone’s locked in. Getting to play with Colt was huge, too. It takes the weight off of me knowing he’s such a good ball-handler and can give everyone the chance to score.”
Byrnes tips off the season on Tuesday against a talented defending state champion in Keenan.
Expect the Runnin’ Rebel trademarks in 2025: high-octane offensive production, pushing the ball up the court with pace, eye-candy ball movement, plenty of three-point shooting, and an unmistakable swagger.
Just don’t expect their season to end so early this time around.
“This whole summer, this whole offseason, we’ve just been putting in the work,” said Colt. “We’re motivated by what happened last year.
“I won’t let us go down in the second round this time. I promise you that.”
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