To say the expectations for Freedom’s basketball team this winter aren’t high would be an understatement. The Patriots come into the campaign with an experienced group featuring one of the best players in the league in senior guard Nick Ellis.

After floating with a 10-13 season a year ago, the Pates appear primed to compete for titles this season, which is exactly what head coach Joe Stellato is expecting of his group.

“Nick Ellis was all-league last year and should be one of the best players in the league this year,” Stellato said. “We have some seniors who really improved and worked to make us contenders in this league. You cannot win with just one great player, it takes a team, and if we play as a team, we can win a lot of games this year.”

Outside of the 6-foot-3 Ellis coming back, the Pates also return Jalen Fletcher (senior, guard), Aaron Levy (senior, point guard), Krishna Mangroo (senior, guard), Jaden Tillett (senior, forward) and Joe Dew (senior, guard).

Newcomers include Dominick Leininger (senior, forward), Cristian Morot (senior, guard), Trent Vandever (senior, guard), Jaden Wilson (senior, forward), Dylan Alvarez (junior, guard), Jackson Parker (junior, forward), Orion Richardson (junior, guard) and Nate Sletvold (junior, forward).

“I expect big things from Fletcher, Levy, Tillett, Mangroo, Dew and juniors like Richardson, Sletvold, and Alvarez,” Stellato said. “They are pushing these seniors and should have a role in helping us to reach our goals.”

With Stellato having this experienced senior group at the helm, he’s confident they can play a variety of ways to win games with their ultimate goals of winning the division and taking the EPC and District 11 crowns.

“Having these seniors at the varsity level for three years now, I was able to add more than I have ever added before,” he said. “We are coming into this season with a lot of different ways we can beat you, we can play physical half-court defense, we can play full-court style and run the floor, or we can take some time off the clock and execute. I am really excited about this season. This group of players are gym rats and have spent hours and hours in the gym to put us in a position to compete for a championship and that is what we are going to do.”

Freedom opens the season this weekend at the Wilkes-Barre Tip Off against Mid-Valley on Friday night.