Twenty-two games; 12 players; six weeks with a new coach and two new captains: the start of a hopeful season. After a tough season last year, the boys’ team has high hopes for this upcoming season. The boys’ basketball team begins their season, led by a new head coach, Tim Morgan. Tim Morgan has been coaching basketball for 22 years. He views the team in a good way. They are leading each other and believes they can make it to playoffs. “[If they] play together as a team, they definitely have the potential,” Morgan said. Freshman Patrick Baker is excited about the new coach; “With a new coach, I think everyone is excited to see if Freedom can build the program back up to what it used to be.” Senior Michael Gilbert thinks he is a good coach as well, but doesn’t completely agree with all the running they have to do. “He knows we have little time before the season starts,” Sophomore Andrew Teny said. The team is a smaller than normal, but that hasn’t discouraged them. With 12 players, the only two freshmen have taken the court as varsity players. “Being a freshman on the varsity basketball team is a great experience. I’m very excited for my first high school season to start,” Baker said. But that also means to get play time, both freshmen, Patrick Baker and Jacob Schwab, have to work extra hard to be able to play. In discussion of playoffs, they all have the hope of getting there. Senior Kyeem Moon’s main hope is to be a playoff contending team. “I think we have the skill [to make it to playoffs],” Moon said. Teny said that their goal is to go to playoffs just to show the schools around here that they can and did. The team is led by captains Nick Talerico and Connor Yarzebinski. The team began their season with a two-day tip-off tournament Dec. 9 and 10 at Riverside High School. Six teams from the surrounding area participated in this tournament.