Paoli High School’s boy’s basketball team is starting up. The team will consist of four seniors: Trey Rominger, Wilson Windhorst, Andrew Kumpf, and Jason Beavers.
Rominger, Windhorst, and Kumpf have all played basketball since their freshman season and Beavers has played since sophomore year.
Rominger believes that they have really good potential this year.
“I think we have a lot of potential this year and we can go far in the tournament,” said Rominger.
Varsity Boys Basketball Coach Dusty Cole is looking to Rominger to lead the team as a captain. Currently, Rominger is out due to a quad injury and is expected to return by the end of December.
“Trey is a returning captain and a four-year starter, so we expect a lot out of him. Trey is not a big vocal leader but leads by example. Trey is mentally and physically tough, and his toughness rubs off on those around him. Trey is also a very humble teammate. He does a nice job treating all of his peers as equals. Trey also plays with a ton of poise. He can handle the ups and downs of a season as well as any player I have coached. No matter what situation arises, he is always even-keeled,” said Coach Cole.
Windhorst believes their team’s skill and depth should allow them to add many wins to their record this season.
“I think we have potential to win most of our games this season and I think we can compete with many good teams we may go up against,” said Windhorst.
Cole refers to Windhorst as a sponge.
“Willson is a perfect example of a kid who has steadily and gradually gotten better throughout his career. I love the way he approaches practices and games. His goal is to improve every day. Willson is like a sponge; he takes everything in and applies the information to improve his game. Willson is a great leader because of his commitment to the program. I can count on Willson in all aspects of our program. He is great with the younger kids, he will do anything that is asked of him, he is a great teammate and an extremely hard worker. Willson is also tough! He simply doesn’t have ‘bad days.’ He has never missed a day of school or practice. He will not make excuses, and can take a good chewing as well as any player we have,” said Cole.
Kumpf thinks they have the potential to go far as a team.
“I feel like we have a lot of potential and I feel like we can go pretty far as a team this year,” says Kumpf.
Cole thinks Kumpf has shown a remarkable ability to overcome adversity.
“Andrew has shown great ability to overcome adversity. He has dealt with injuries throughout his career, yet he continues to work hard and be there for his teammates. He was a big part of our Sectional Championship team two years ago, and his tournament experience will be valuable later this season. Andrew has shown some perseverance, and hopefully, the younger kids have taken notice,” said Cole.
Beavers has a lot of confidence in the team and thinks the team as a whole looks great.
“I think we look great so far and I have a lot of confidence that we can make a push to the state semifinals or even further and achieve something we haven’t done in a long time,” said Beavers.
Cole says that Beavers’ role will differ from the others, but when asked to, he will do his part and help them succeed.
“Jason just started playing basketball a few years ago. He has worked hard to get to where he is now and can now compete against our varsity guys and hold his own. Jason’s role differs a bit from the others. Jason will be tasked with leading and bringing energy on the bench and also leading younger guys in practice. Jason is a great communicator on the floor and he knows his limitations. He has made great sacrifices to be a part of the team and he is willing to accept any role he is given. He is in a difficult position because he may not play every game, but he cares about the team and his teammates. He is going to put those guys before himself and do whatever he can to help our program. When his number is called, I have no doubt he will do his part and help us succeed,” said Cole.
Tonight at 6 p.m. the Rams will face the West Washington Senators at home.
