BESS EFFORT: Princeton High boys’ basketball player Michael Bess Jr., left, heads to the hoop in action last season. Junior guard Bess figures to play a key role for the Tigers this winter. PHS was slated to get its 2024-25 campaign underway this week by hosting Hightstown on December 17 and then playing at WW/P-South on December 19. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

With the Princeton High boys’ basketball team featuring a drastically revamped roster this winter, Pat Noone’s focus is getting everyone on the same page.

“It is a totally new ball club, we only have three guys back who had significant minutes last season,” said PHS head coach Noone, who guided the Tigers to a 11-13 record last season. “Overall, it has been a lot of teaching, a lot of learning.”

The PHS players have been soaking up those lessons. “The vibe has been good, the kids have high energy,” said Noone, whose team was slated to get its 2024-25 campaign underway this week by hosting Hightstown on December 17 and then playing at WW/P-South on December 19. “It is a really good group, it has been fun.”

Noone is looking for a really good season from one of his battle-tested veterans, senior guard Travis Petrone.

“Travis provides leadership and athleticism, you can’t underestimate that,” said Noone of Petrone, who also stars at football and baseball for PHS. “His competitiveness coming in everyday is great. Last year, he had a different role; he is a good athlete but we had some guys who just focused on basketball. He took a lesser role bit still banged in some shots.”

The trio of junior Zion Madden, junior Ray Han, and sophomore Michael Frenia will be looking to carve out roles in the backcourt for the Tigers.

“Zion is a very good basketball player and a really good kid, he is learning each day,” said Noone. “Ray is ridiculously fast. Michael is a very good lacrosse player who is super athletic and has been super impressive so far. He is really picking things up.”

Versatile junior Michael Bess Jr. has been picking up his game.

“Michael will be a guard/forward, his progress has been great,” said Noone. “You want to talk about a real gym rat, it seems like he is in there 24 hours a day. He is really well-rounded, good kid all around. He has really stepped up as a great leader, helping the younger guys through practice. At the varsity level, there are different feeling practices. There is not much messing around, he does a great job of letting them know from experience.”

In the frontcourt, junior Matt Ghaim and senior Will Ponder are poised to step up.

“Matt got hurt last season, he has really, really improved over the summer,” said Noone. “He has matured, he has taken big, big steps. He is really good at driving and getting into the paint. He also has the ability to step outside and shoot. Will is another guy in the frontcourt. He is a great rebounder, a great defender, and he is active.”

As Noone looks ahead to the season, he believes that being active on defense and on the boards will be keys to success for the Tigers.

“As usual, our staple is defense,” said Noone. “We will definitely try to turn some people over, we will get some traps in there. We need to rebound. It is about getting better each day.”