TAKING THE FLOOR: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Chase Lewis handles the ball in action last winter. PDS will be looking for junior guard Lewis to trigger its offense as it looks to get off to a good start under new head coach Tim Williams. The Panthers were slated to tip off the 2015-16 season by playing at Solebury School (Pa.) on December 8 and at the Pennington School on December 10. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Tim Williams plans to speed things up this winter in his first season as the head coach of the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball program.

“I would like to play as uptempo as we can, sometimes that is a little controlled by the depth,” said Williams, who is the PDS Director of Athletics and served as the head boys’ hoops coach at the Louisville Collegiate School for nine years before coming to New Jersey in 2011.

“We have a little bit stronger depth this year; we should be able to do some more things both offensively and defensively to push the tempo. We won’t be as much in the half court and we are going to try to open it up a little more the best we can. We will be fast and we will be quick and that is one of the reasons that I wanted to push the tempo a little bit more so we play more to our strengths instead of letting folks line up and try to
hammer us inside.”

Williams believes junior guard Chase Lewis can set the pace for the Panthers.

“Chase is going to be a staple; he had a great summer,” said Williams, whose team was slated to tip off the 2015-16 season by playing at Solebury School (Pa.) on December 8 and at the Pennington School on December 10.

“He has worked really hard in the gym but also in the weight room. He looks more fit and he looks strong. He looks more confident on the floor so we are looking for some good things from him this year. He has a great motor, he will lead us for sure.”

A trio of junior guards, Paul Franzoni, Hassan Ladiwala, and Mark Washington, are poised to make a strong contribution this winter.

“They have provided some nice continuity and have made the practices really spirited,” said Williams, noting the freshman guards David Coit and Craig Wrenn will also see action in the backcourt.

“They are progressing and the biggest part is the energy they bring. All of them really just want to prove themselves. We have a lot of guys in that wing guard position; there is a bit of a logjam there but it will give us a lot of depth.”

Senior forward James Fragale brings energy and toughness in the paint.

“Fragale played a lot last year, he started a number of games and he will do the same this year,” said Williams.

“He is a big, strong kid and he is another kid who had a really good off season in the weight room. Although lacrosse is his main sport, he has committed himself to basketball as well. We have been real happy with what he has been doing.”

Williams is also happy with the work he has been getting from junior transfer John McArthur and sophomore Nick Darenkov.

“McArthur gives us some height at 6’5 and he is going to be asked to play a little bit out of his comfort zone for us, being a little more of an inside presence,” said Williams.

“Darenkov is still physically coming along, his attitude is great and we have been working with him. He is the tallest kid on the team so we are definitely going to find minutes for him wherever we can.”

The addition of senior forwards Jonah Tuckman and Amir Melvin, who both previously played for the PDS JV program but took a hiatus from hoops to focus on lacrosse, has helped bring a winning attitude to the squad.

“I was unsure about what they would bring to us after being away for a little while but they have brought a good work ethic mentality and both of them have been strong leaders on the floor,” said Williams.

“They use the experience and success they have had with the lacrosse team and have helped infuse that energy into our practices so I have been really happy with them.”

In Williams’s view, the energy that the players have displayed collectively so far portends success this winter.

“Things have been real positive, it has been really encouraging to see the way the kids have picked up things,” said Williams, the successor to Paris McLean, who guided the program for the last eight seasons.

“They are like a bunch of sponges, they do whatever we ask them to do. They go right to it and have a lot of enthusiasm. I have heard from a lot of people around who poke their head into our gym and tell me there is a lot of energy in the gym and that is exactly what we are going for.”