The Emmaus High School boys basketball team had a successful season last year, winning the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference regular season crown and earning the number one seeds in both the conference and District 11 Class 6A tournaments.

But with the yearly goal of winning championships at the forefront of their minds, the Green Hornets fell a little short. They were defeated by eventual champion Central Catholic in the EPC semifinal round and then were upset by Liberty in the district semifinals.

Like every year, the program, led by head coach Steve Yoder, lost some talented players to graduation. But the Hornets will also have back some key members from last season’s squad, and in numbers.

“I believe we will have tremendous depth this year, with some quality experience coming back,” said Yoder. “However, it will take some time to establish roles and rotations.”

Some of the key returning players include Will Barber, Jametric Harris, Teague McCourt and Raf Terrero. There are also some talented newcomers expected to contribute, including Matt Volquez, Mike Rooney, Jack Csensits, Dan Rohlsen, Chase Witesell, Owen Hafner, Aidan and Pacey Santos, Jacques Curley-Katrishan, Matt Deschenes, Tyler Nunez and Lawson Vasquez.

“This is a group of young men that are eager to practice and eager to improve,” Yoder said. “It may take a little more time to get up to speed, with all the new players and roles, but it is a team that I believe will embrace that process and compete every night.”

Emmaus begins the 2023 regular season this weekend at the Wilkes-Barre Tournament. The Green Hornets take on Holy Redeemer on Friday evening with a game on Saturday against an opponent to be determined to follow. The conference opener is slated for next Wednesday night at Northampton and the home opener is scheduled for next Saturday afternoon in a non-conference game against Abington Heights.

The first four games of the year are on the road, including eight of the first 12. The busy schedule continues in December as the Green Hornets will play 10 games in a span of 21 days before Christmas.