As the final buzzer sounded to end the final game of the season against Rancocas Valley, the Minutemen boys’ basketball season had come to a disappointing end.  The minutemen finished the 2013-2014 season with an 11-15 record.  The season was over and the team had to think about the next season.

Going into this season, the Minutemen’s goals are to compete with every team that they play and to represent the school in a positive way.  They hope to make the playoffs and compete for the Group 4 conference division championship.  With hopes of doing so, the team must take into consideration their strengths and weaknesses.  Coach Mr. Matthew Kiser believes that his team’s strengths can outweigh their weaknesses.

“Our strengths are that we have a good group of kids who are very coachable and eager to learn,” Kiser said.  “We are more athletic this season and want to play a little more up tempo, push the ball in transition and press more.”

The concerns are that, with only one returning senior, Jerry Thompson ’15 , the team is not very experienced, and that they lack in overall size.  With the team losing seven players from last year’s team due to graduation, a big void will be left that makes it hard to replace the leadership.  The Minutemen want to focus on improving their team even more in order to make their name in a tough division.  There are several teams that the Minutemen will face that will be big games.

“We have one of the toughest schedules in South Jersey, playing defending Group 4 Champion Cherry Hill East twice and current No.1 in South Jersey, Camden Catholic.”  Kiser said.

Being one of four captains on the team, Jerry Thompson, who is a point guard, knows that the underclassmen look to him for guidance and advice.

“It feels good being a leader on the team,” Thompson said,” They learn from me and I learn things from them.”

Thompson says the team is excited for the game against Williamstown at home because it is a rivalry game against a good team.  He knows that this will be a big game for the team and he knows that they will have to play a good game to beat them.

“Williamstown at home is going to be a big one,” he said.  “It’s a rivalry game and I think we’re ready for it.”

Both Coach Kiser and Thompson believe that Spencer Cook ‘16, who is also a captain on the team, good player to watch for as well as the other two captains, Justin Ortiz 16’ and Najee Wilson 16’.  Coach Kiser and his four captains hope to guide the Minutemen to success throughout the regular season as well as the playoffs and potentially a Group 4 championship.