By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

HEAD COACH

Andrew Olesky

13th year

139-143 overall

THE TEAM

   • Coaching Staff: Tommy Bissler, assistant; Matt Hill, assistant and JV.

   • 2022-23 Record: 7-16 overall; 4-10 Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference.

   • Returning Lettermen (4): Preston Gedeon, jr.; Nick Edic, jr.; Aidan Hill, jr.; Cade Rock, jr.

   • Lettermen Lost (4): Jackson Sommer, Max May, Vinnie Grandizio, Carter Bates.

SEASON OUTLOOK

The G-Men have roster versatility this season, which could provide an opportunity to find success in a multitude of ways.

To get there, though, Olesky believes that his team must learn from its experiences from last year’s seven-win season.

“As always, we strive to put our players in the best position to succeed, and we are hopeful that we will be able to utilize each player’s skill-set to take advantage of matchups.

“If we are committed to each other on offense and defense, we can have a successful season.”

GUARDS

Gedeon returns as the team’s leading scorer. He averaged 18.3 points per game last season and made tremendous growth as a player from the beginning of the year to the end.

“He is a high-motor player with a love for basketball,” Olesky said. “He has the ability to score inside and out, and he has the ability to impact the game in many ways.”

Hill is a solid all-around player, who made significant strides on the court a year ago before an injury sidelined him.

“We are looking forward to his continued growth, as his impact on this year’s team will be large. He will wear many hats for us.”

Senior Eric Geddes returns to basketball after taking last year off. Despite that, he is still a very experienced player, with a strong skill-set and top-level leadership skills.

“His value goes beyond statistics.”

FORWARDS

Edic is the leader in the frontcourt, returning after a season in which he scored 7 points per game.

“Nick is a tremendous all-around player, who helps the team with the intangibles that cannot be measured in stats.”

Damian Tourville, a junior, jumps up from the JV team a year ago. He is expected to see quality minutes.

“He is a team-first player, whose athleticism will have an impact for us.”

Newcomer Vincent Yukich, a senior, is a powerful player in the post.

Junior Tyler Lutz is described by Olesky as a “heady, hard-working player, who will fill a valuable role.”

CENTERS

Rock is a long and athletic post player, who will have his “fingerprints all over our team this season,” according to Olesky.

“Cade is a unique player, who will be expected to score down low, alter shots defensively and be a leader on the boards this season. His leap from his sophomore season will be exciting to see.”

CAUSE FOR CONCERN

“Although we return a nice array of players, who gained valuable varsity experience last season, we are still a younger team. We are hopeful that the mixture of youth and experience will provide a fun season.”

LEAGUE OUTLOOK

“The MVAC is a quality conference. Each team is equipped with many talented, quality players and a great coach and coaching staff. There will be no easy nights in our league and it should make for a fun and interesting season all the way to the end.”