While most teams are trying to figure out who fits in where and how they can fill holes from graduation, the Northwestern boys basketball has just the opposite problem.

The Tigers didn’t lose any players to graduation, and also add Luke Hallman, who went down with a knee injury, back to the rotation for a team that finished 12-11 last season and made it to districts.

“Experience is going to be huge for us. Last year, we lost about five or six games by two or three possessions and this year, we’ve got more experience that can help us in those close games and maybe turn some of those games into wins,” explained coach Billy Hallman. “We’re going to be deep and they all want to play together, so it’s up to me to make it all mesh. That’s a good problem to have though.”

Last year’s team had four players — Sam Yadush (15 points per game), Deven Bollinger (12 ppg), Luke Hallman (11 ppg) and Devin Thomas (11 ppg) — all average double digits in scoring.

After losing Hallman, their big man – 6-1, 240 pounds – the team lost six of its last 10 games down the stretch.

“The rehab was pretty easy. It was just a matter of working on it and getting ready for the season,” said Luke Hallman, a junior. “I’m definitely ready to play, the knee feels good.”

While they didn’t lose anyone from last season, this year’s team features five seniors – Colten Hagadus, Derek Holmes, Sam Seyfried, Devin Thomas and Yadush – who all look to get playing time. There’s also sophomore Nick Henry, who will be be looking to do the same with the Tigers this season.

“He’s been really good in practice,” said coach Hallman of Henry. “He was a little banged up and we held him out the first week, but now that he’s healthy, he’s fitting right in. Other than that, it’s really going to be juniors and seniors for us this season.”

Yadush is taken aback a little when he thinks about this being his senior season and knowing that graduation will start to break up a group of players who have been growing together for a long time. That growth, though, is exactly what he believes will be a key for the team.

“It feels a little weird,” said Yadush of being a senior. “It’s definitely exciting knowing we have a lot of the same people as last year and have a lot of experience. The chemistry is definitely there. We’ve all been playing together since we were about eight or nine years old and have been winning a lot since we were younger, so we look to keep that going.”

Billy Hallman pointed out that his team isn’t the only Colonial League squad to not lose players to graduation. He noted that Notre Dame (18-9), Moravian Academy (21-7) and Southern Lehigh (12-14) also didn’t lose any players. Hallman knows that perennial favorite Bangor will be tough again, and looks to Palmerton and Northern Lehigh as two other teams that will make the Colonial League difficult.

“It’s going to be really competitive this year,” said Hallman. “There aren’t going to be any nights off, which is good because it doesn’t allow us to let up at all.”