This year’s edition of the Jim Thorpe boys’ basketball team is all for one and one for all.

There are no superstars or no big scorers, but with a varsity roster that will rotate eight or nine players on and off the court, it is the formula the Olympians hope will result in more than their seven wins from a year ago.

“We think we can wear teams down with our depth,” said Jason McElmoyle, who begins his seventh season at the helm of the Olympians, “And we make up for our lack in size with our athleticism.”

Five players on the 10-man roster are seasoned seniors, starting with point guard Caiden Hurley.

“Caiden is a three-year starter who understands our system and commands the offense,” said McElmoyle. “He’s bigger and stronger this year, and that will help him with scoring in traffic.”

At the shooting guard position is senior Chris Connelly, who comes off the soccer and football fields to start in the backcourt where he led the team in three-point shooting last season. McElmoyle likes Connelly’s size and quickness.

“Chris is tall for a guard and very athletic. His motor keeps running, and he has the potential to put up some pretty big numbers for us. Last year, he came on as the season progressed. He played an outstanding game against Tamaqua with a big scoring night that helped us get them into overtime.”

Versatile sophomore Kaiden Herron will start with Hurley and Connelly.

“He’s very athletic and scrappy,” said McElmoyle. “Kaiden can go inside and play outside, and he’s very aggressive going to the basket.”

Senior Jared Marykwas will bring experience and leadership into the Olympian starting five. His improved shooting should add to the team scoring totals.

“Last year, we struggled to put the ball in the basket and we played 11 games that were decided by just three points,” said McElmoyle. “This season, we expect to score more, and Jared will be an important contributor.”

Senior Sonny Ivey rounds out the starting lineup, another agile athlete who has shown good shooting skills in team practices.

The Olympians also boast four players who will come off the bench, but can also be starters on any given night.

Junior David Richards and senior Tanner Gilliar have scoring touch from the outside, while athletic sophomore Andrew Warner can supply quality minutes, and junior Derryl Fisher comes off the gridiron with toughness and speed.

“We have a revolving door from the court to the bench and back to the court, and that will help us with different matchups depending upon who we are playing,” McElmoyle said.

The Olympians, who began with one win in their first nine games before winning six more in the second half of last year, believe their revolving door will swing some of those losses into their victory column during the 2020-2021 basketball season.

“That’s how we think we can wear teams down, by putting fresh bodies on opponents who can get tired if they’re playing most of the game,” said McElmoyle. “This is the most motivated group of players I’ve ever had.

“They took the initiative to put a team together to play in a summer league. That will certainly help with our chemistry going into this season.”

Indians hungry for a winning season