Mix and match – and take advantage.

This year’s edition of the Jim Thorpe boys’ basketball team hopes to become a nightmare for opposing coaches’ game plans.

By returning key players who contributed to last season’s 14-8 record, eighth-year head coach Jason McElmoyle likes this team’s ability to score from different areas on the court as well as create mismatches against opposing defenses.

“We have a roster of very good athletes who are not designated to play certain positions,” explained McElmoyle, who’s tenure at JT has had his teams qualify six times for the postseason.

An athlete who plays bigger than his size is Derryl Fisher, one of a half dozen seniors on the roster. McElmoyle will count on Fisher to improve his nine points per game average from last year.

“Derryl is a big part of our team,” the coach said. “He doesn’t take a play off and will mix it up against bigger defenders in the paint.”

Kaiden Herron, a 6-2 junior, was last year’s team MVP, scoring a dozen points per game. McElmoyle believes Herron will win many of the one on one battles when he has the ball.

“Kaiden can be too big for guards to cover and too quick and athletic for bigger defenders,” he said.

Senior David Richards, at 6-5, can play backcourt or forward. He’s got a good outside shot, knocking down just under 40% from three-point range last year, and McElmoyle says that Richards does “a lot of the little things well,” like setting screens and diving for loose balls.

Junior Andrew Warner, who was injured much of last season, will bring athletic quickness and a knack to find the ball. McElmoyle describes senior Colby McHugh as a “solid player” who also can create mismatches.

“Colby is a leader on the floor, hustling all the time and he has the patience to make that extra pass to set up a good scoring chance,” the coach said.

In previous years, the Olympians have lacked considerable size that helps down low and in the paint for both scoring and rebounding. This season, size can make a difference.

Along with Herron and Richards at the perimeter, two newcomers come off the gridiron and hope to establish their presence around the baseline. Bryson Heydt and sophomore, Noah Rosahac, both 6-5, are both agile and athletic and McElmoyle is excited about what both can add to his team’s offense and defense.

“Noah can get up and down the court and will definitely help us in the paint. Bryson is very coachable and is picking up our schemes very quickly,” he said. “They both have some rust to wear off, but we really like what we see from both so far.”

Thorpe will have a 13 man varsity roster to begin the season so there will be plenty of game rotation possibilities. Senior Christian Bradley is a good defender who can cause problems inside opponents’ passing lanes. Junior Jasper Di Soto will help out in the back court and is quick off the break from defense to offense.

Since McElmoyle has been at the helm of the program, most of his teams have been flying under the radar and yet they have still achieved winning records and qualified for the playoffs.

This year, there is a sense that this could be a special group despite the usual lack of Schuylkill League preseason hype.

“We have a core of good experience,” he said. “We’re more athletic than we’ve been in the past and we believe we can get up and down the court, but also slow it down to play our half-court offense when the tempo of the game should dictate that.”

The Olympians will apply their standard pressure defense on the ball to get turnovers that can make scoring chances from the transition from defense to offense.

McElmoyle also likes that his players are taking constructive criticism from each other during practices, which is building a solid team chemistry. As far as any team objectives, he had this to say.

“We’re simplifying our goals by just focusing on the game in front of us and we’ll see where that takes us.”

Where that will take this year’s Jim Thorpe Olympians just might be above the radar and within the elite company of the teams who are perennial favorites in the Schuylkill League.