The Parkland High School boys basketball team had one of its best seasons in the last decade last year, winning the District 11 title and advancing to the PIAA quarterfinals for the first time since 2016. The Trojans were led by the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference’s best player in junior Nick Coval.

With his success, matched with his team’s achievements, Coval was selected this year’s Parkland Press Male Athlete of the Year.

“Last season was awesome,” said Coval. “We had another 20-win year and we won another district championship along with a deep run in states. We had a lot of fun as a team, and I had a lot of fun being around my teammates every day.

“Winning districts was great. It was one of our goals to start the year and it felt great to defend our championship from the year before. A lot of work and preparation went into it so winning a district title always feels great.”

In 30 games last season, Coval averaged 22.6 points per game and eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark, leading his team to a 20-10 overall record.

The league took notice and voted him with the Most Valuable Player award. The recognition didn’t stop at the local level as Coval was also named to the all-state team.

“Getting the MVP and earning all-state meant a lot to me,” said Coval. “They were both goals of mine coming into the year but they’re also reflective of our team because I would’ve never gotten those awards if we didn’t win. I worked extremely hard to get this type of success. It’s a lot of hours and a lot of sacrifices but it’s worth it.”

The sport of basketball has been a love and passion of Coval’s for as long as he could remember. It’s been a part of his life and he grew up around it, especially with the background and success of his father, Scott, who is the current head coach at DeSales University and a 1,000-point scorer and state champion at Whitehall. He surely put a basketball into the hands of Nick at a young age.

“I’m not exactly sure when I started playing basketball, but if I had to guess I would say around four or five years old,” Coval said. “Basketball means a lot to me. I grew up around the game and I’ve met a lot of amazing people and have had a lot of amazing experiences because of it. It’s definitely impacted my life in a positive way.”

Coval still has one more season of high school basketball left. He looks to lead the Trojans to a third consecutive district title and a longer run in states before heading off to play for a Division I college.

“I look forward to having a lot of fun this coming season,” said Coval. “We’ve won a lot of games and multiple championships in my first three years, but I’ve just had a lot of fun playing with my teammates. I think we’re going to have another successful year next year and we have really big goals, but making more memories with my teammates is something that I’m really looking forward to.”

Parkland High School has helped mold Coval into a successful student-athlete both on the court and off.

“Being a student-athlete at Parkland is awesome,” Coval said. “There’s a ton of support from the community and the school, which all of us appreciate. There’s always ups and downs, but my experience as a student athlete has been extremely positive.”