When the Northridge boys basketball team exits the locker room, there is always one sign the Jaguars walk by before they take the court.

"Let's hunt," the sign reads.

"Let's hunt" began as the Jaguars slogan for the 2023-24 season when first-year coach Barry Sanderson brought in Bebo Patton to speak to the Northridge team prior to the start of the season, where Patton first introduced the idea. Since then, it has stuck, with the Jaguars incorporating it into their everyday routine.

"In the past, Northridge has been a school that has been hunted and did nothing about it," center Jack Sanderson said. "We kind of want to put our foot down on that and go after people. We don't want to be the ones being hunted; we are going after you every night."

Going out and hunting their prey, or opponents, is exactly what the Northridge team has done this season. Under Sanderson, the Jaguars are off to a 22-3 start, with their three losses coming to Homewood, John Carroll Catholic School and Central-Tuscaloosa.

Sanderson took over the Northridge program last April, but he is quite familiar with the area. He is a Tuscaloosa native, the son of former Alabama men's basketball coach Wimp Sanderson, and his son, Jack, plays baseball and basketball for Northridge, signing to play baseball at Auburn next spring.

Sanderson also spent the last six seasons coaching at Tuscaloosa Academy, where he went 120-36 and won two AISA state titles, along with coaching the Knights in their first season in the AHSAA where they made it to the sub-regionals.

Before that, Sanderson spent 20-plus years as an assistant coach in college basketball. He started as a student assistant under his father at Alabama, and eventually moved to become a graduate assistant at Texas A&M before serving as an assistant coach for various college basketball programs around the country, including Georgia, South Carolina, Lipscomb and Arkansas-Little Rock.

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With that history, Sanderson knew many of the kids he is now coaching at Northridge, whether it is through his son Jack or his past coaching experiences.

"I've known these kids for a long time, and I've known the potential for these guys," Sanderson said. "It was a thrill for me to come over here, not only to coach these kids I have known forever, but also to coach my son for his senior year."

When he came to Northridge, though, Sanderson said he wanted to build a winning culture in the Jaguar program. He started establishing that immediately after he got the job, bringing two of his senior leaders to his house — John Walker and Jonas Wilkin — to discuss the upcoming season.

"I wanted to let them know I put a lot of stock in my seniors, like I'll ask them if we need a day off and trust that they are going to tell you the right thing and what's best for the team," Sanderson said. "I wanted to establish that early, and I think they really wanted to win and took my message back to the team early. When you get your seniors to buy in, I think those things help tremendously."

Since then, the Northridge team has been bought in. The Jaguars got things started this summer, and with only one of their players playing football, they were able to hit the ground running and get an early taste of what it is like to win.

"We have put the work in every single day," guard Jonas Wilkin said. "Coach always says on Saturday's and Sunday's that these schools aren't working. We are out here running, nobody else is, we know we put in the work, so we go out and execute."

Now, Northridge is on the hunt for its first area title since 2021, something that is well within its reach after a 56-44 win over Paul W. Bryant on Tuesday night. The Jaguars close out the regular season next week with a rematch vs. Paul W. Bryant and a matchup against Bibb County.

"We are going after the next opponent every week in practice," forward John Walker said. "We are looking at that game and by the time it's here, we are ready."

Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: AHSAA basketball: A look at the 2023-24 Northridge boys basketball team