Derek Clark will have his work cut out for him this season.

The Lexington boys’ basketball coach returns only one starter from a team that won just eight games a season ago.

And that player, sophomore guard Cash Dierking, turned his ankle in practice and could miss some playing time, Clark said Nov. 25.

“We’ll have to play well every night to have a chance to win,” he said.

The Bulldogs, who compete in the Quad County Conference, hit the road for three games to open the 2025-26 season, beginning with Dickson on Dec. 2, followed by Dibble on Dec. 5 and Cache on Dec. 6.

Clark has yet to solidify his 15-player roster.

“We’re still looking for which guys are going to step in and be role players off the bench,” he said.

Lexington will have to have Dierking, who scored a team high 12.5 points per game in 2024-25, on the floor to be successful.

“He handles the ball well, gets to the rim pretty well,” Clark told The Purcell Register. “He can knock down the 3-ball if you leave him open. He’s an all-around inside-out guy.”

Three others who saw playing time last season — Reece Beason, Jordan Faulkenberry and Cale Garver — will have to step up their games going forward.

Beason is a sophomore guard who can “really shoot the outside ball,” Clark said. “He’s  going to have to be more of a scorer for us ... his role has definitely changed.”

Faulkenberry, a senior forward, can play inside or outside, according to his coach.

“He’s short but a bigger kid so can back you down inside,” Clark said.

Garver is also a senior who will play either power forward or center.

“He defends pretty well in the post,” Clark said. “He’ll have to do a lot of the rebounding for us.”

Junior guard James McMillian is another player Clark is counting on to come through for the Bulldogs.

“We’re hoping he can come in and handle the ball for us,” he said. “That way, Cash and Reece can play off the ball.”

Offensively, Lexington likes to spread the floor, attack the basket, and try to get to the foul line, Clark said.

Defensively, “our expectation is just to get better every day and continue to improve throughout the year.”