Despite losing four seniors from last year’s squad, Whitehall head boys’ basketball coach Jeff Jones is optimistic about his club’s chances this winter.

His team’s performance during this summer has helped him give more credence to his claim. The Zephyrs finished last year’s abbreviated season with a 4-13 record.

“I’m very pleased with what we have done,” said Jones, whose team has competed in the Cedar Beach Summer League as well as several tournaments. “We have had some guys who have missed games because of football commitments.

“But we have been doing plenty of good things. We have a nice blend of seniors and young guys who have really meshed well.”

Jones has looked to senior guards Ian Werner, Bryce Bashore, Tommy Buskirk, and forward Damonte Foreman to set the pace during the summer.

“Werner, Bashore, and Buskirk have stepped up for us, and they logged some good minutes for us last year,” said Jones. “Foreman gave us some good minutes, and he will be a big part of our team.”

Jones also has positive feelings about junior guard Ray Jackson, who started several games last season, and junior forward Gavin Kneller. Senior guard Gavin Fasolka should be a regular contributor, and sophomore Gavin Roberts should help up front. Fellow sophomore Luke Keppel is expected to force from beyond the perimeter.

Freshman center AJ Hines has had rave reviews in the early going. Jones is excited to have a legitimate post player.

“We have been working on ways to get him the ball and his moves on the block,” said Jones. “We haven’t had a pure big man in w while, and he has good footwork. We working on having him kick the ball out, which will really help our guards.

“We like what we have seen from him so far, and we believe he can help us.”

Aside from their games twice a week in the Cedar Beach League, the Zephyrs were working out three days a week.

“We have a five days a week deal,” said Jones. “We’re getting some quality time from our guys, and it has been good for our younger kids. We also had a good camp with plenty of young players.

“We have a 20-minute running clock in our workouts to help get us some more of a game feel. We feel we are getting better, and we’ll see how things will go over the next couple of weeks.”