Turn the page to a new chapter for Jim Thorpe boys basketball.

Bryan Bednar takes over the program after last year’s 8-13 record. He brings a resume of coaching experience at Emmaus and Parkland to the Olympians’ roster of 16 players, with five returning players.

Five seniors should see extensive action this season beginning with Ben Goldberg. “Ben is one of our leaders,” said Bednar. “We expect him to contribute to our scoring and to help set up his teammates for opportunities to put the ball in the basket.”

Josh Spruill has experience at the varsity level and can score down low. Bednar hopes that Spruill will be one of the team’s top rebounders.

With high marks for his ball handling skills, Matt Domski will play point guard. “Matt is very good at setting up our offense. He’s also a good distributor of the ball and is quick to the hole when he sees the opportunity to penetrate the defense,” said Bednar.

Seniors Tylieb Bullock-Parsley and Andrew Coolbaugh will also see action from their forward positions and also help with rebounding.

Thorpe will send seven or even eight players into the games so Bednar has solid team depth to help mix and match against opposing players. Junior Aaron Curran steps from the gridiron to the hardwood. “He’s a really tough kid who you could just tell by watching him play that he loves the game,” said Bednar. “We will count on him to add to our scoring.”

Sophomore Pierce Gothard is a “well-rounded athlete” who can shoot from the outside and drive the lane as well. Another sophomore, Ethan Moore, will add rebounding strength off the bench and junior Christian Barile has good ball handling skills and has shown scoring accuracy, according to Bednar.

Many of the Olympians achieved success in summer league play and Bednar believes that should transfer into the upcoming high school season. The team’s identity is yet to be determined, but they are focusing on having balance in both their offensive and defensive style of play.

“We have enough team speed to play up tempo,” Bednar said, “but we are also emphasizing the discipline that is needed to control the tempo when we play the halfcourt game.”

The Olympians’ defensive scheme will be determined on a game by game basis. Playing zone or man-to-man defense depends upon the opponent.

“Rebounding on both ends will be key for us,” said Bednar, “and putting pressure on the ball at half or full court will also be determined by the score of each game.”

With his first year at the helm, Bednar is still evaluating his team talent. Predictions for postseason play and competing for a league title are not yet on his radar, but will come with early team success. His philosophy is centered on aggressive play and endurance which will be important late in games.

“What we know is that we have athletic ability and that is crucial to play well at the high school varsity level. We also know our team has a no quit attitude. They practice had and they will play hard. We expect to compete and to play our best basketball in the fourth quarter, especially in close games.”

If everything goes according to the plan, Jim Thorpe will be competing for postseason play as the team moves into the second half of the regular season schedule.