When he reviewed his anticipations about the past two seasons, Catasauqua head boys’ basketball coach Eric Snyder was rather optimistic.

“I saw us with at least 30 wins,” said the veteran coach. “We really came together well during the summer, and I could see us making the district playoffs last year and this year.

“But for a number of reasons, it was a different story. This year was a frustrating and disappointing year, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort.”

This past season, the Rough Riders ended their season with an overall 9-13 record, but they were in the hunt for a district playoff berth throughout the final weeks.

Snyder noted late-season losses to Salisbury and Palisades severely crippled the Roughies’ shot at the postseason.

“We had beaten Northern Lehigh and Lehighton, and we were on a good roll,” he said. “Moravian Academy hammered us, but we bounced back with a win at Northwestern.

“We were still in the hunt, but the losses to Salisbury and Palisades really hurt. We should have won both of those games. There was a chance that we would have gotten into districts through percentage points, but we should have taken care of things when we had the chance.”

The Roughies will have starters juniors Damian DiPaolo, Cole Schiffer, Ty Reitz and Derek Troxell back in the fold next season. Troxell lead the team averaging 17 points per game, while Cole Schiffer tallied nine points per game, and DiPaolo scored eight points per game.

“Troxell was very consistent for us all season,” said Snyder. “He made his share of big shots for us. Schiffer and DiPaolo can drive the lane well, but they both have to shoot better from the outside. Reitz was forced to play center but he is better suited for a forward. He has a nice shot and handles the ball well for a big man.”

Snyder sees sophomore Donovan Keys and junior Mason Hess both seeing time down low next season.

“Keys played a lot the last third of the season,” said Snyder. “He is physical, aggressive, and smart. Hess played pretty well, too, and he really knows the game. Both of them are around six-foot, but they can handle themselves down there.”

Snyder is optimistic that incoming freshman Nasir McLean can log some varsity minutes next season.

“He (McLean) was the quarterback on the junior high football team, and he was a leader on the basketball team,” said Snyder. “He is impressive and very calm and confident out there. He could play a substantial role on our team next year.”

With a full cast returning, Snyder hopes his unit can further mature and develop for the kind of season he envisioned.

“They certainly have potential,” stressed Snyder. “We need to shoot better and play with more urgency. If we can take a step forward, we’ll be in good shape.”