After hosting practices in the offseason and working to create team unity, boys basketball’s new coach and other team leaders are going into their season facing new challenges.
According to senior Chance Salone, last year the basketball team had one of the best seasons in recent memory when the team won a league championship over Central Bucks South High School.
“Last year was really special, and it was really cool to be a part of something like that,” Salone said. “This year, I think we can keep the same thing going and do even better.”
At the end of last season, former coach Oketah Sackity lef.
This year, coach Brendan Stanton has taken over.
According to Stanton, this transition was “very smooth,” and the players have “been able to adapt really well.”
Before his current role as a head coach, Stanton served as an assistant coach at several other schools in the past, including a stint at Souderton 10 years ago.
Stanton believes that these opportunities in the past have made it easier for him to step into this role now.
“I stopped coaching for a little bit these past few years to make life a little bit less hectic, and I think that has allowed me to see how important coaching is to me,” Stanton said, “but all of my previous coaching experiences as either an assistant or head coach have allowed this season’s start to be a lot less difficult.”
Senior Nate Rusike believes that the new coaching experience has only offered a different perspective on the game.
“Coach [Sackity] was really a good coach, and I was able to learn a lot from him,” Rusike said. “Coach Stanton has given the rest of the team and me different things to focus on and new ideas to improve our individual games.”
Salone agrees.
“I know that I have benefited from just a new look at my game,” Salone said. “That’s always how it is with any new coach, I’m able to have new eyes look at my game and see what I need to improve on.”
Stanton’s biggest concern going into the season is the height of his team.
“What we are going to need to deal with is the fact that we are really small,” Stanton said. “The tallest kid on our team is maybe 6 feet and a half.”