Parkland must replace 10 grads
The Parkland High School boys basketball team finished one win shy of a trifecta in terms of goals and championships.
The Trojans finished the year 26-6 overall and 15-1 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. They won conference and District 11 championships and were one victory shy of winning it all, falling in the PIAA state championship game by just two points, 53-51, to Central York.
The season was a magical and one of the best in program history.
That team was led by a large group of upperclassmen. Head coach Eddie Ohlson will need to replace 10 seniors that graduated after last season, including Nick Coval, Jayden Thomas, Luke Spang, Robbie Ruisch, Zaire Smaltz, Eddie Paz Romero, Owen Rogers, Connor Johns, Michael Toth and Josh Pulver.
“We are a young group with little varsity experience,” said Ohlson. “We expect a learning curve to start the season but hope to be very competitive later in the season. We are still working on learning all the players and figuring out what their roles will be for us this season.”
The excitement from last season should filter into this team and the guys that are back looking to complete the mission.
“These guys that are back were around a strong group of seniors and learned a lot about our culture,” Ohlson said. “They are ready to step into new roles and keep the winning tradition going and keep us right where we finished last year.”
Some of the top returning players this year include Scottie Bauer, Blake Borcoman, Derek Giegbefumwen, Chayce Taylor and Blake Nassry. A key group of newcomers that will compete for playing time include TJ Lawrence, Cam Hines, Nas Adams, Ryan Kerney, Javian Porter, Tyler Beck, Bear Jacobs, Lamar Bonner, Jude Ruisch and Alex Barerra.
“I’m very pleased with this year’s team and how hard they are working,” said Ohlson. “They really want to improve their games and take on coaching really well.”
Parkland’s regular season began this week with the opening game, a conference game, at home against Allen this past Monday night. The Trojans host Freedom Thursday night.