The Andalusia Bulldogs basketball team was already testing out the new wood on the court at the high school as preseason practice began on Oct. 14.

Andalusia coach Richard Robertson said the team is working on the basics right now.

“We’ve been working on the fundamentals, skills, conditioning and mental toughness,” Robertson said. “We do that in the stadium on the bank. I’ve been having these same guys since the first of school, but all we could do was condition and run. We just now started practice with the ball.”

Despite having a long spring and summer conditioning program, Robertson said there is still work that needs to be done.

“We’ve got some that still have to make up some work before they can play,” he said. “I’ve got a schedule going for them and if they don’t do it or they miss something for some reason, they are not eligible to play. If they miss a workout, I just add another one to their schedule.

“That’s the way we used to be years ago when we played and were a major contender,” he said. “We were really tough physically and mentally. Not that we aren’t doing the same thing, we just have so many that are not in here right now.”

The Bulldogs have been working on a schedule that does not include the full practice time. Robertson said that will change once the season starts.

During the summer training session, Robertson said he saw 30 players try out.

“We have everyone in here that went through our spring training and summer program except the ones who are playing football,” Robertson said. “When we left out of here in July we had about 30 players training. I don’t expect that many back.”