Young and experienced are two words that don’t often go together.

But they do when it comes to the 2023-24 Lehighton boys basketball team.

Lehighton returns its top six players from a year ago, but that group features five underclassmen, including a pair of sophomore starters.

“Last year was by far the youngest team I’ve ever coached,” said Trevor Miller, who is beginning his seventh season in charge of the Indian program. “But in spite of our youth, I was happy with how we competed. There were a lot of positives that we can build on.

“The key for us will be to keep improving and keep progressing.”

Miller said that was exactly what he saw during the offseason.

“This was one of the most productive offseasons we have ever had,” Miller said. “We were fortunate to have our core group of players together for most of the summer and the fall. I’m really pleased with how we competed on the court this summer, and how much we grew and matured off the court.”

Miller said the on-court development included winning the championship of the Whitehall Summer Basketball League, while the off-court development included huge gains in size and strength.

“Although our roster will feature a lot of the same names from a year ago, we are going to be bigger and stronger,” said Miller. “Since we were so young, a lot of our kids added a few inches in height, and they also put in a lot of work in the weight room, so we should be noticeably stronger this season.

“Everyone in our starting lineup is at least six-foot tall - and although we don’t have any 6-5 or 6-6 players in the post - our front line has a few 6-3 kids, so that should allow us to hold our own on the boards.”

The starting lineup that Miller was referring to is expected to be the same group that finished last season in that capacity. Brayden Johnson (6-1, Jr.) and Cole Dietz (6-0, So.) will handle the backcourt, while the front line will consist of Blake Roberts (6-3, So.), Owen Serfass (6-2, Sr.) and Joe Roth (6-3, Jr.).

“I think we can be pretty good offensively,” said Miller. “Our starting five has the ability to score in a number of different ways. We have kids that can knock down threes, we have players with nice mid-range games, and we have some kids who can score in the paint.

“We want to take advantage of our offensive skills by pushing the ball up and down the court. I think that will play to the strengths we have.”

Dietz led the team in scoring last year, averaging just over 11 points a game. He also had a team-high 54 three-pointers. Roth averaged just a shade under 10 points a game, while Roberts, Johnson and Serfass all averaged around six or seven points a contest.

In addition to the starters, the Indians return last season’s sixth-man in John Light. Also expected to see quality minutes off the bench are Nick Hawk, Talin Fairchild and Yadiel Acosta-Rodriguez. Rounding out the varsity roster are Aiden Solt, Bekim Cokrlija and Dante Kalbach.

While Miller is confident in his team’s ability to score points, he knows the key to its success will be on the other end of the court.

“We’ve really stressed defense,” said Miller. “We need to be better defensively than we were last year, and I think we are on our way to getting there.

“We still aren’t where we need to be defensively if we plan on playing basketball into late February and early-March, but we are getting there. The kids have bought into it, and are working hard to improve defensively.”

Lehighton went 8-14 overall a year ago, but struggled to a 3-11 record in the always-tough Schuylkill League Division 1.

“Our goals are to qualify for districts, and also get into the expanded Schuylkill League playoffs,” said Miller. “We struggled in the league a year ago, so for us to reach our goals, we need to be better in league play.

“That means protecting our home court. There are a lot of tough places to win games at in our league, and we want to make our home court just as difficult for opponents to come into and win. If we are able to accomplish that, I think our goals of playing in the postseason are definitely attainable.”