In what will be his first full season as the Palmerton boys basketball head coach, Joe Egan knows things are going to feel a little different.

After taking over late in the season a year ago, Egan managed to guide the Blue Bombers (15-10 overall; 13-3 Colonial League) into postseason play.

Egan and his staff, however, watched the Bombers come up just short of a Colonial League title and fall in the district quarterfinals to Panther Valley.

Despite some key losses, the Bombers’ mentor believes this year’s program has the potential to be something special.

“We are entering a new era of Palmerton basketball, and I am excited to be a part of it,” Egan said. “Whenever you lose two 1,000-point scorers and all-area players, there is going to be an adjustment period. Since last season, we have seen multiple guys step up and become better basketball players and leaders.

“We will have new faces on the court this season, but the expectations stay the same — we will be a physical basketball team that competes at a high-level night in and night out.”

Everyone knows the former Bombers who wrote themselves into the PHS records books — Matt Machalik (Colonial League Co-MVP, 21.3 points per game) and Brayden Hosier (18.3 ppg).

There are also a few more missing links from last year’s squad in Jacob Grammes, Aiden Leister, Trace Stahler and Zack Anthony.

But, more importantly, there are a couple returning Bombers in Corey Serfass (Sr., G) and Logan Anthony (Jr., F).

Anthony, who Egan calls “a dominant big man (6-foot, 5-inch, 300 pound) on both sides of the court,” only missed action in one game last year.

Serfass, who Egan pointed out was “primarily a defensive specialist last season,” checked in for action during 21 games. Egan has added more responsibilities to Serfass this season, saying, “We will rely on him to be a big contributor offensively.”

Adding to the mix are a few others Egan pinpointed as “others to watch.”

Cameron Pengelly, who compiled minutes in 20 games last season, will play for the Bombers at either the guard or forward position.

“Although our team has multiple years of competing with each other, we lack varsity experience,” Egan said. “We will rely on our more experienced players early on while other guys get acclimated to the bigger stage.

“We are preparing for this by creating as many game-like experiences in practice to prepare our players for the season.”

Looking to compile more minutes on the floor are Mason George (Sr., F), Brady Reph (Jr., F), Jay Carelli (Jr., G), Jared Grammes (So., G) and Kurt Jedrejczyk (Jr., G).

“Our main strength this season is that our program has developed a winning culture,” Egan said. “Our core has been a part of teams that have competed in the state, district and league playoffs.

“We understand what it takes to win at a high level. Our gym is packed with athletes that can contribute to winning games.”