Last season couldn’t have gone any better for the Pioneer Valley Regional basketball team. The team went undefeated (26-0), won a Hampshire South league title, a Class D Western Mass. title and a Division 5 state championship.
The core of that team is gone, along with the longtime coach. With Scott Thayer’s departure, Seth Kratz takes over the helm for the Panthers. Working with an inexperienced roster there will be a focus on development this season. Pioneer has one player back who played last season.
“Everyone is in a new role, including myself,” Kratz said. “It’s going to be interesting. They had a great run. But again, that whole group is gone. They did their thing and did it well. It’s a new year and a new opportunity for new players. We’ll compete. We are going to play hard.”
One big aspect of the season is keeping up the defensive intensity as the offense figures itself out over the course of the season.
“For us, if we score 55 and hold our opponents to 45 we are still going to win,” Kratz said. “If we keep a team to 50 and under we have a shot. That’s the way I am looking at it.”
Judah Glenn logged minutes for last year’s team. The current roster does have some upperclassmen but most of them do not have varsity experience.
“They’ve been in the program,” Kratz said. “You can tell they have played.”
Glenn is an excellent defender and can create offense for other players. His role will expand this season exponentially.
“We have to change our expectations,” Glenn said. “Obviously we can’t go 26-0. Those guys were different. They played together all their lives. But we also don’t want to lower the standard we hold ourselves to. Part of my job as leader is to maintain that standard.”
Playing with a team that doesn’t have a lot of experience, Glenn said his focus in on facilitating.
“The reason I play basketball is proving everyone else’s talent,” Glenn said. “I think my assist numbers are going to go up. We have strong talent on this team. People that can shoot well. People that can drive. My job is controlling off ball defenders and making it easier for everyone else.”
There is a sprinkling of talent blossoming during the preseason for the Panthers. Some of it occurred behind the scenes with the huge success of the program. Hayden Killeen is a good shooter with size for Pioneer.
“I’ve been watching him for a few years now,” Kratz said of Killeen. “He’s improved every year pretty dramatically. He’ll have the opportunity to take many more shots than he ever has before.”
Matt Richotte is a senior with good size for the Panthers. Richotte can shoot from the outside. Richotte, Killeen and Glenn figure to be the top scorers for the Panthers. The rest of the roster consists of athletic players who lack game experience.
“I still haven’t figured out my starting five,” Kratz said. “It will round into form.”
Aaron Meuse is a freshman who has the skills to contribute on varsity for the Panthers. The Panthers open their season on the road against Renaissance on Friday.