Kenston Forest School’s varsity boys basketball team is in the midst of an unusual roster shake-up eight games into the season after a promising 5-3 start to the 2017-18 campaign.

For a mixture of reasons, the Kavaliers have experienced several departures or temporary absences of players from the team.

“We had eight, then we went down to seven, then we went down to six,” Kenston Forest Head Coach Scotty Atkins said. “Then with the two departures, it brought us down to four.”

The coach briefly alluded to the possibility of the team not being able to continue, but he expects to get some players back to hopefully keep the Kavaliers’ season alive.

Tyler White has transferred to another school, and Atkins said it is possible Kenston Forest will also have to press on without Javon Carter.

A couple of players have had to depart the lineup for academic reasons, but Atkins expects to have these players back in the new year.

Six-foot-five-inch center Kenny Underwood missed some time due to the flu, but Atkins said he is healthy again.

With the departures and absences, “it changes our whole dynamic, so we’ve got a lot of work to do here to start the new year,” the coach said.

Before a couple of recent blowout losses in December when the Kavs were without Underwood and 6-foot- 4-inch Josh Coover, Kenston Forest began the season 5-1.

Atkins gave some insight into what has gone right with the team this season.

“The team is really building some good chemistry,” he said. “The group we have, individually, are completely different basketball players. They bring a different style to the team, and they mesh together very well.”

He noted that in several games, everyone on the team scored.

Giving his estimate on what the starting lineup will look like in January, Atkins started his listing with freshman point guard Moe’Wuante Morrison. He described him as the team’s leading scorer and likely its best defender.

Atkins expects the rest of the lineup to feature shooting guard Jah’Tavious Houston, forward Chance Whitehead, Underwood and Coover.

The Kavaliers are scheduled to return to action Friday at Richmond Christian School. If the Kavs are able to play, tipoff will likely be around 6:30 p.m.