Nov 28, 2018 3 min read

Last year was the season Tim Tessmer and the Trinity High School boys coaching staff were waiting for.

The Hillers were filled with talent, size and experience and met a majority of the high expectations placed on them, including the program’s first 20-win season and advancing to the second round of the PIAA playoffs.

So where does Trinity go this season, when no starters return and its height – twin brothers Jeff and Zach Ecker, who each stood taller than 6-6 – is replaced with young faces, many of them never seeing time at the varsity level?

It will start with Tessmer keeping the group hungry and the standard high.

“Obviously, you can’t replace the size we had, and when you graduate that many guys and starters, everything is up for grabs,” he said. “We aren’t holding them to the same expectations (as last year’s team) yet. They are inexperienced, but as they get experience and as they start to learn, we expect big things.”

The Hillers won 13 of their final 14 games in the regular season and finished the year at 21-6 after a pair of heated losses to Mars, the eventual WPIAL Class 5A champion, that ended their district and state playoff runs.

“They saw what that group did last year,” Tessmer said. “They are waiting for their turn and trying to make their legacy. They want to get the opportunity to play in front of those crowds in big games.”

The only player returning for Trinity to play in both of those games is Michael Koroly, who came off the bench to play meaningful minutes as a sophomore. Koroly is the younger brother of Christian, who graduated from Trinity in 2013; and Joey, who is now playing football at Washington & Jefferson College after a successful high school career.

“He is totally different and has his own style,” Tessmer said. “They do have some same qualities, like embracing a leadership role. Last year, all he had to do was go out and knock down wide open shots. It was a pretty easy role and he relished in it. He has to do a lot more for us this year and will barely be coming off of the floor. He just has to step in and grow into that role.”

Other players who will be inserted into prominent roles include Jake Hancher, a 6-4 senior swing guard who saw some playing time last year, junior shooting guard Noah Johnson, Dylan King and Jordane Adams. Sophomores Michael Dunn and Kaden Kolson also will compete for time.

“Right now, we have about 10 guys we feel comfortable with,” Tessmer said. “Our identity is going to be similar, trying to guard man to man. We might try to turn it up a little more and trap when we can. Offensively, all these guys practiced against (the starters) the past two years. Scoring was not an issue. They can put the ball in the hoop.

“It is just a matter of committing to play defense. Basically, getting these guys to play at a certain level is going to be key. They don’t know what it takes right now to play at the varsity level.”