Joe Patti

As the temperature drops, the heat of winter sports rises in the Hereford Zone. A lot of students enjoy hitting the gym for a Hereford Hoops game.

“I like going to basketball games because I love the atmosphere of a gym when everyone is rowdy,” said Austin Lehnert (‘16).

Starting November 14, Coach Jim Rhoads and the boys basketball team begin their quest for nothing less than a ring.

The basketball team had nothing but high hopes going into last season, and that case is the same this year.

“It is a great time because it gives you something to do when it is cold outside. It really helps the winter time go by fast,” said Lehnert.

Last year, The Hoops squad finished 19-5, tying the school record. The highlights were big wins against county rivals, Dulaney and Milford Mill. Although they won the division, they fell short to Woodlawn in the county championship at Towson University.

Despite the loss in the county championship, the Bulls still got a spot in the playoffs, where they suffered a tough loss to a talented Randallstown team in the second round of playoffs.

Along with a new season comes new players that can make a difference.

“Our most experienced returning players are Matt Lewis, (’16) and Tripp Nash ( ’16).  Matt was one of our top players off the bench last season and Tripp was our backup center.  Both of them will have to step up and give us more scoring and rebounding if we want to have a successful season,” said Rhoads.

The Bulls also have returning players Griffin Wilhelm (‘16), Matt Benna (‘16), and Mike Adams (’16), who are expected to make some key plays.

Rhoads is also expecting a few “pulled up” JV players to provide valuable minutes of the bench throughout the season.

Although there will be some new faces on court, the expectations stay the same for Rhoads and his players.

“I expect the team to play hard, be disciplined, and continue to improve as the season goes along.” said Rhoads.  To be successful we will have to blend the returning players with the new players that are coming up from JV.  I am excited to start the season. I think we can be a very good team come playoff time.”