Their future is now.

An unusual number of ninth graders are playing key roles for area boys basketball teams this season.Palmerton, Tamaqua, Northwestern and Marian all have freshmen in their starting lineups.At Palmerton, freshman Justin Hosier has started every game for coach Ken Termini's Blue Bombers and is averaging 9.75 points a game at arguably the most difficult position to play for someone so young. Hosier plays center."I don't think you will find any freshmen on area teams playing center," said Termini. "Justin is slightly over six feet tall, but he gives away 40 pounds each night to much more experienced players."Despite the obvious disadvantages, Hosier has shown the ability to score inside the lane and also from behind the arc or as Termini explained, "he can stretch the floor.""Justin plays the game with the emotion of a baseball player, and that means he never gets too high or too low,' Termini said. "He's also very athletic, so we encourage him to take the shot whenever he gets a good look."Hosier loves the challenges he faces against older and more experienced varsity players."There's certainly a learning curve for Justin," said Termini, "But his experiences now will pay dividends to our team for four years."Tamaqua head coach Jim Barron runs out two freshmen on the hardwood during his varsity games. Brayden Knoblauch has averaged 9.31 points a game while starting 13 games and Lucas Gregoire has come off the bench to be a key contributer as the Raiders (10-6) make a push for a District 11 playoff berth."I've worked with Brayden since the third grade, so he's got more experience playing basketball than you might think," said Barron. "That helps his comfort level, too. He's a leader on the floor for us."Knoblauch alternates between playing the point and shooting guard positions. Barron said he likes the ball in Knoblauch's hands."He's getting better every game," said Barron. "When he learns to create shots off the dribble and finishes his drives down the lane, he can be a special player for us."Barron described Gregoire as a "long kid" who can score with the ball in either hand."Lucas is good off the dribble," Barron said. "Once he gets some muscle and gets stronger he will get better and better."Northwestern coach Billy Hallman starts two freshmen for his Tiger team this season.Deven Bollinger is a "big contributor" in two ways. He stands 6-4 and is very versatile, playing both the forward and the wing positions. Bollinger was the starting quarterback for the Tigers football team this fall, so he brings his leadership abilities from the gridiron to the hardwood."Deven can play outside or slide inside," said Hallman. "His physicality speaks for itself. When we played Bangor, he got pushed around a little, but he never backed off. He loves to compete."Bollinger, who is averaging 6.67 points per game, comes from good athletic stock. His grandfather was the legendary Dr. Bob Mlkvy, the all-time leading scorer in Palmerton High School basketball history who went on to star for the University of Pennsylvania."Deven is a great rebounder for us and his basketball I.Q. is very high," Hallman said. "He's only going to get better."Also slotted in Northwestern's starting five is the coach's son, Luke Hallman. A "little thicker" in the body than Bollinger, Hallman stands at 6'3" and also plays forward and wing. He has averaged 4.94 points a game this season.Like his classmate, Hallman has a strong basketball sense and brings multiple skills to his game."Luke understands our motion offense. He's good off the break. He handles the ball well and can stretch the floor," Hallman explained. "This is his first varsity sport and he's handling it very well."I've coached both him and Deven since the sixth grade, so I have seen their good chemistry develop that they now bring to our team."Northwestern has struggled to close out games after having fourth quarter leads, but how to finish games will come in the future as Bollinger and Hallman gain more experience.Marian has jumped out to an 12-2 record with the help of starting freshman, Tyler Fritz, who is averaging 10.5 points a game."Tyler is our best three-point shooter," said coach John Patton. "He has confidence in his shot no matter where he is on the court."Fritz also has solid basketball genes from his father, Damian Fritz, and his grandfather, Bob Fulton. Damian was a standout player at Tamaqua High School, while both Fritz and Fulton are former successful high school head coaches."Tyler is becoming the complete player," said Patton. "On offense, he can take it to the hole. He's strong on defense and he's an excellent foul shooter. He's going to get bigger and stronger, and so his game will only improve."Opinions may vary on the idea of playing freshmen at the varsity level just to give them experience. But that doesn't apply to the current crop of freshmen contributors across the area.Palmerton coach Termini put it this way."If he helps me now, he'll help three years from now."And Tamaqua coach Barron added, "They don't get playing time to get good. They get playing time because they are good."*******BRAYDEN IS BALLIN' ... Tamaqua is a perfect 6-0 when Knoblauch hits double figures this season.*******PLAYOFFS? PLAYOFFS! ... Three Times News area teams have clinched a District 11 playoff berth as of Wednesday night. For the boys, Marian Catholic (12-2) is locked in, and is currently the second seed in class 2A. Lehighton (13-3) has also clinched, and is currently seed No. 3 in class 4A. Tamaqua has six games left and needs just one more victory to join them. The Northwestern girls clinched on Wednesday with a Colonial League victory over Northern Lehigh. The Tigers are the only girls program to clinch a D11 berth so far, but Marian and Tamaqua are both on the verge of qualifying. The Fillies need just one more league win while the Raiders need two more overall wins.*******SWISH ... Northern Lehigh's Jada Saeger has shot 92 percent (24-of-26) from the foul line across her last four games. She is the Bulldogs' season-leader from the line, having converted 76-of-98 (78 percent) of her free throws. The Bulldogs' have shot 231 total free throws this year and are shooting an area-best 62 percent.*******SPEAKING OF SAEGER ... Jada Saeger and Jess Olewine combined for 30 of the Bulldogs' 32 points during a loss to Notre Dame on Jan. 23.*******THE SPECIALIST ... Tamaqua's Jamie Zuber has accounted for 25 of the team's 28 total three-pointers through Wednesday. The 75 points from beyond the arc is responsible for over half of her total points (134) this season.