COIT TOWER: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player David Coit dribbles around a foe in a game earlier this season. Freshman guard Coit has given PDS a burst of energy and some good playmaking as it has gotten off to a 3-3 start. The Panthers are next in action when they play at Princeton High on January 4. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

With Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team trailing the George School (Pa.) by 10 points with just four minutes remaining last Wednesday, David Coit was not about to give up.

PDS freshman guard Coit scored two buckets to help bring the Panthers to within four at 47-43. But George held off PDS from there and was able to pull out a 54-49 win.

“I was definitely feeling it just by pushing,” said Coit, who ended up with 12 points for the evening.

“I knew I was going to keep attacking; coach [Tim Williams] told me to keep attacking and putting the ball up. We were thinking just keep going hard, box out like everything is the last second. Coach says play like you are down 18 the whole game.”

In reflecting on his transition to high school basketball, Coit acknowledged that it hasn’t been an easy process.

“At first it was hard, I was trying to get the feel of it,” said Coit. “My teammates and coaches definitely pushed me to the limit and more. They keep pushing me and keep staying hard on me, it is good now.”

Coit prides himself on pushing the pace for the Panthers. “My role is to bring energy and keep going hard and even push the leaders as they push me,” said Coit.

In the loss to George, PDS got pushed around as they were outscored 12-4 in the third quarter to dig a 43-31 hole.

“We started out slow on the defensive end, they got offensive rebounds,” said Coit.

“It was offensive rebounds and our energy on defense; we didn’t have the energy so that is what you are going to get.”

While PDS head coach Tim Williams liked the energy he got from his players, he acknowledged that they were deflated by a poor shooting night.

“We talked about it before the game because we we did the same type of thing when we played Solebury; we got down and then all of a  sudden we roared back,” said Williams.

“We talked about it before the game and said let’s play like we are 15, 18 points down from the start. I thought we did; I thought we started off very well but it took some wind out of our sails when we were missing shots and just didn’t build a lead.”

Williams likes the way Coit has started his PDS career. “David adds some nice energy and he is a great offensive player,” said Williams. “He has meant a lot to us, he is a tremendous playmaker.”

Junior guard Chase Lewis, a three-year starter for PDS, and junior transfer forward John McArthur have meant a lot to the Panthers as well.

“Chase does a little bit of everything,” said Williams, whose team went 2-1 at the Devils Winter Hoops Classic at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia over the weekend, beating George 57-43 in a rematch and then topping New Foundations (Pa.) to take fifth with Lewis and McArthur both earning All-Tournament honors. “John got some rebounds, he saved us on the boards.”

In Williams’ view, PDS is getting better and better as it gets more games under its belt.

“It is a lot of new pieces and everybody trying to get used to each other,” said Williams, whose team ends December at 3-3 and is next in action when it plays at Princeton High on January 4.

“I am really happy; we have some great individual pieces. We do lack a little height; we are still learning to play together. We have made progress every practice and every game and even though we lost this game, I thought we made some progress.”

Coit, for his part, believes that things are coming together for the Panthers.

“We are definitely making progress,” asserted Coit. “In the first game we were off track, trying to get a feel. In the second game we came good and this game we came good. It is just the little things that we need to work on and we are going to keep getting better.”