GETTING HIS SHOT: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Adam Stewart puts up a shot in a game last winter. Junior guard Stewart figures to be a key performer for the Panthers this season as he moves into the starting lineup. PDS tips off its 2023-24 campaign by hosting Delran High on December 14. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Losing six seniors to graduation, including its three leading scorers, the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team is undergoing a youth movement by necessity this winter.

With three freshmen, five sophomores, and two juniors figuring to get a lot of minutes this season, PDS head coach Eugene Burroughs is looking forward to seeing his team develop over the course of the winter.

“With a young group, there are going to be some ups and downs, they are going to have some good days and bad days,” said Burroughs, whose team tips off its 2023-24 campaign by hosting Delran High on December 14. “They don’t know what they don’t know. We have some good pieces and some good skill level. I think the athleticism piece is there and the ability to score a little bit is there. It is going to be fun to see them mature as a group.”

Burroughs is expecting some good things from two of his more experienced players, sophomore Jordan Owens (179 points in 2022-23) and junior Adam Stewart (85 points).

“Jordan has been great for us, I think his role has shifted a little compared to last year,” said Burroughs. “Last year with the seniors that we had, he was the recipient of a lot of the passes that came from them. It worked well. It was good that he wasn’t a ball-dominant guy — he could sit there and shoot threes. This year he is a kid that guys are going to know who he is and what he does. It is treat to see his progression. Adam played off the ball a lot for us last year, I think he will be involved in ballhandling more.”

Two promising freshmen guards, Gary Jennings and Julian Davis, figure to have big roles in their debut campaign.

Gary will be one of our primary ball handlers this year, he has a good IQ,” said Burroughs. “He is still learning to play the position. He has a good feel for the game and a good skill set. I am excited to see him grow this season. Julian has traditionally been a wing player. He is a guy who can be a ball handler. I think his skill set allows him to do that with his size and skill and quickness.”

Freshman Onyx Oschwald and junior Abdoulaye Seydi (22 points) will give the Panthers an inside presence.

“We have one guy, Onyx, who is about 6’1; he is a bigger guy,” said Burroughs.

“He will be around the basket. Abdoulaye will be in there, he can screen and roll to the rim.”

Other players who could get in the rotation include sophomores Danny Rozenblat and Aiden Luciano.

“Danny may see some time for us — he has really improved his ballhandling, shooting, and his confidence,” said Burroughs, noting that seniors Thomas Poljevka and Sebastian Rzeczycki are also in the mix. “Aiden played well in our scrimmage, he is a kid who is going to help our program. He is a skilled guy. He was 3 for 3 from three in our scrimmage.”

With the energy that his young players are bringing, Burroughs is hoping that translates to scrappy play at the defensive end.

“I think our ability to defend is important, we have some athleticism; in our scrimmage, we were flying around which was great to see,” said Burroughs. “I think as we grow a little bit more with the details of how to defend, it is something that is going to be the next level for us. I think the group will take a jump, this will happen the more games we play and the more teams that we see.”

Burroughs is looking to speed up that growth with some hard coaching.

“For me as a coach, it is about trying to just push them and get them to play at a level that I know they can,” said Burroughs. “This group is open to being pushed, which is great because I am pushing them. I think they have a chance to potentially have a good year.”

It will take a group effort for the Panthers to have a good year.

“Our success this year is not going to be dependent on one person; it is truly going to be a team effort for us to have the season I feel we can have,” said Burroughs. “Everyone will have to contribute in their role and their roles are all different. With that being said, we have some pieces that I think can be very competitive in the CVC (Colonial Valley Conference) this year.”