Now in his second year as Cathedral High School’s basketball coach, Matthew Hall is ready to take what he learned last year even further.

The Green Wave is small in numbers this season — capping at a nine-player roster — but Hall said he is up for the challenge.

“My hope is for a steady growth,” he said. “We are just very young since we don’t have a ton of kids.

“The actual in-game teaching and adjusting was the biggest thing I had to learn. As much as I had to practice coaching, doing all of that in a game was so much different. I really had to learn to deal with them and their different personas — trying to get them together as a team.”

Senior guard Ty Tobias will lead the Green Wave as a four-year player.

“He loves basketball,” Hall said. “He’s a great kid, and I know kids look to him to be our leader.”

Alongside Tobias, sophomore J.T. Taylor will add a spark to the Cathedral offense as its leading scorer so far, Hall said.

“I think he will learn he is a leader, too,” he said.

As the Green Wave looks to piece together what it can, Hall said his plan is for his team to be the best it can be toward the end of the season.

Cathedral will not play in a district tournament this season as part of a four-team district, so its two games with each district team are crucial, Hall said.

“We don’t play them until the last two or three weeks, which is good because in reality those are the games that really matter,” he said. “That’s what we are relying on for our seed in South State.”

To get to its peak, Hall said he hopes his players learn to be confident in their abilities.

“We need more people to score. We have some players that can shoot,” he said. “Sometimes they are a little apprehensive to let it fly. I need them to be a little more aggressive and not be afraid. It’s not going to go in unless you try.”

Hall also said he wants Cathedral do develop a headstrong attitude.

“I like to play with a style where I see kids diving on the floor for balls and getting dirty,” he said. “I tell them its OK to bleed in basketball. I want our guys to play extremely tough.”

The Green Wave will be back in action tonight when it travels to St. Aloysius.