HEART OF A CHAMPION: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Jaylin Champion looks for an opening in recent action. Sophomore guard Champion fought through injury to make an impact for PDS down the stretch. The Panthers ended the winter with a 12-13 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Displaying its offensive prowess, the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team ended its season on a high note by defeating Robbinsville 81-70 in a Mercer County Tournament consolation game.

“It was good to see the guys not just get a win, but to see them play well,” said PDS first-year head coach Kerry Foderingham, reflecting on the February 20 contest. “Everyone contributed; we scored the ball well, we shot the ball well.”

Foderingham rued what might have been as the Panthers ended the winter with a 12-13 record.

“We could have done better, there were a couple of losses that we felt could have gone the other way,” said Foderingham.

“I thought that injuries and sickness definitely hurt us a bit this year. Jaylin Champion was one of our best players and he only played in a handful of games. He got hurt in the first week of the season and we were without him for most of the season. Then we had some other guys who were sick and were out at times this season and there were a couple of other injuries.”

One of the toughest losses of the season came when PDS fell 85-67 to Hopewell Valley in the first round of the Mercer County Tournament.

“I thought our guys worked hard in that HoVal game; in the first half, it was a one-point game,” said Foderingham, whose team advanced to the state Prep B semis where it fell 65-55 to Morristown-Beard.

“Kudos to the them, they hit shots. We played good defense but they hit a lot of 3s in the second half.”

As PDS worked through injury and illness, freshman guards Dameon Samuels and Freddie Young Jr. played better and better.

“It gave the younger guys an opportunity to step up; we saw guys like Dameon and Freddie step up,” said Foderingham.

“We started two freshmen for most of the season. Having a .500 record and starting two freshmen with one of your better players being out almost all season, we were a younger team in the middle of the road. Hopefully we will all get better this offseason.”

Junior star and team captain David “Diggy” Coit enjoyed a superb season, emerging as the go-to scorer and floor leader for the Panthers.

“Diggy is a tough kid, he didn’t miss a game all season; he doesn’t mentally miss either, when he is there, he is there,” said Foderingham of Coit who averaged 22.6 points a game and passed the 1,000-point mark in his career this winter.

“He is going to lock in, he is going to score, he is going to contribute. Sometimes a player may not produce every night. He is a guy you can count on to produce every night, which is huge. It was also his first year really leading a team because we lost some seniors from last year. He did a great job leading the team at the offensive end, especially, and with his vocal leadership and his toughness. He is a great influence on the whole team.”

The team’s senior group of Nick Darenkov, Donovan Davis, Luke Franzoni, and Brooks Johnson also exerted a positive influence.

“Those guys being multiple sports guys, other than Nick, were coming out and putting everything out there every day and helping the team,” said Foderingham.

“It says a lot for their character; some kids don’t go too hard because they have other sports. They are awesome; I was lucky to have such great leaders. They were committed the whole season, that is all I could ask for.”

With the core four of Coit, Champion, Young, and Samuels returning, PDS has a good foundation in place going forward.

“It is exciting, any coach knows that is great to have that kind of talent coming back,” said Foderingham.

“They are all hard workers, they work on their games. They play all year round. They are serious basketball guys. Hopefully we get some other contributors next year and some of the younger guys get better.”

Enjoying his first year at the helm of the program, Foderingham sees good things on the horizon.

“The school was awesome, the administration was great and my staff of assistants was a great group of guys,” said Foderingham.

“They know the league and they coached all of those boys last year. It was great to have them there to help guide and let me know the ins and outs about the league. I am looking forward to getting to work in the summer. I didn’t have that summer season coming into this year so everything was new to them when I came in. I am excited. I think the coaches are locked in so we can have a special year next season.”