A four-win season last year for Pleasant Valley really didn’t define the Bears.

PV lost a number of close games (six by less than 10 points), and its 4-17 record wasn’t a true reflection of the team.

“We were very happy with our overall wins and losses,” Pleasant Valley head coach Bob Hahn said. “Even though we only ended up with four wins, we looked at it. We were only losing by an average of six points a game, and out of all the teams we played and all the teams with losing records, we had one of the highest point differentials of the year.”

Hahn took over the program in 2019, and has seen an increase in tryouts for the team.

He was thrown for another loop when COVID hit, and now gets to experience a full third season with the Bears.

“The time has been difficult in the sense for every coach because of COVID,” Hahn said. “I basically had one year, and then the next year was already hitting COVID, and trying to develop a program over that time is not easy. But it hasn’t been easy for any coach.”

Pleasant Valley was more competitive last season, and the Bears are in a tough Eastern Pennsylvania Conference North Division with fellow Pocono schools Pocono Mountain East and West, East Stroudsburg North and South and Stroudsburg.

“We were very happy to see that we competed in every game, Hahn said. “We’re hoping that this year not only are we just competing, but we’re going to take that next step and finish off those games to be able to get a couple more wins.”

An increase in wins this season is possible for the Bears, as the team has a lot of returners coming back.

Seniors Jarod Moore and Patrick Moore (no relation) played a lot of minutes last year and put up some big games for Pleasant Valley. Jarod led the team in scoring a year ago, averaging 13.25 points per game, and reached the 20-point plateau on three occasions. Patrick, meanwhile, finished at 8.95 per contest, and hit double figures nine times.

“It’s an interesting combination this year because we have a lot of returners, but a lot of the guys who are returning, there’s only a couple that had real big minutes in games last year,” Hahn said. “We’re really looking forward to (the season) and we’re positive about the guys we have coming back, the energy and their work ethic.”

Practices have changed at Pleasant Valley, as Hahn has instituted some organizational changes in the program.

“We make sure we do everything as a team,” Hahn said. “We walk out of the locker room as a team, we enter the gym as a team and when we close practice, we walk out as a team. We’re making sure we’re very organized down by the minute.

“We’re putting time on the clock, and when that clock buzzes, we’re on to the next drill. We’re trying to get them very used to that clock. As the season goes, they’re used to looking up at the clock, seeing how much time is left and doing what they have to do.”

Pleasant Valley opens the season with Blue Mountain at home, followed by another home game against EPC rival East Stroudsburg South to start conference play. The first road game for the Bears will be on Dec. 9 at Pocono Mountain East.

Looking at the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, the league looks to be more competitive than ever this season.

“The EPC is going to be tough this year, and that’s what everyone also says,” Hahn said. “We’ll be very good; the problem is the EPC is going to be very good. Even though we may have raised our level, other teams have raised their level, too.

“A lot of teams in our division just re-load. The EPC itself has gotten a lot better. Every game is going to be tough. There’s not one game on the schedule that’s going to be a sure win, and we really have to work hard for them. Credit to all the coaches and everything they’re doing. It’s a very competitive league, that’s for sure.”