With the cold weather beginning in full force, it is clear winter has arrived, which could only mean one thing: basketball season is upon us, and Sallies basketball is looking better than ever. The team has found a somewhat new identity under first-year head coach Mr. Trevisan. They have become a press-heavy team known for their defensive identity and outside shooting. They are looking to win Salesianum’s third state championship, and based on their hot 3-0 start to begin the season, they seem to be on track to become serious contenders this year.

With the new head coach, one would think there was a change in strategy and overall team morale. Junior Charles Parson explains, “Coach Trevisan’s philosophy puts more responsibility on the players to read the situation and react appropriately instead of relying on the coach to decide what to do.” This style of offense allows Sallies to be more creative, and as the season progresses, this idea has worked tremendously well. Sallies opened the season with a tremendous victory in overtime against William Penn at home and a win at Newark Charter. Both games showed how talented and deep-rooted in camaraderie the team is, but nothing was as convincing as the victory against Appomattox at the Silent Night game. This team is ready to play.

Though they had five seniors leave last year, the brotherhood on both the JV and Varsity teams remains strong. “Everyone on the team matters,” says sophomore Liam Kaufman. “We are always clapping for our teammates even if they make a mistake, we always try to cheer them up. We just want to support our team and keep together.” The brotherhood and team pride are stronger than ever, and it is plain, to see it translates onto the court.

So do they feel that the shoes of past great teams are too big to fill? Well, as Parson said, “We don’t fill the shoes of the seniors last year; we make ones of our own.” That could only mean one thing: look out, Delaware; Sallies is here to stay.