High Point boys prepared for season

SUSSEX BOROUGH — There’s no doubt about it, the High Point High School boy’s basketball program trained hard during preseason practices and scrimmages to help ensure that they are well prepared, now that the regular season has arrived.
Something that may separate the Wildcats and indeed guide them to yet another winning year is that they have an ample amount of experienced senior student-athletes on the varsity roster.
Those upperclassmen include Jack DeGroot (senior, guard), Tom Gilmore (senior, guard), Andrew Martinez (senior, guard), John Numann (senior, guard) and Luke Steinman (junior, guard).
Veteran High Point head coach Jesse Strehl mentioned that DeGroot, Numann and Gilmore will be among the team leaders this winter.
“Jack lives, sleeps and eats basketball," Strehl said. “He has great passion for the game. John is an emotional leader, he gives great energy to the team. Tom is calm, confident and steady."
The Wildcats tallied an overall record of 15-10 and advanced to the NJISAA North 1 Group 2 Sectional Tournament last year.
Stehl would like to see the team get better step by step this winter.
“[We want to] show improvement throughout the season, learn about the game, come together as a team, do the right thing on and off the court and have some fun competing every day," Strehl said.
High Point plays in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division along with Hackettstown, Lenape Valley, Vernon and Newton.
“We are in a very competitive division this year,’’ Strehl said. “We have great respect for the other teams and coaches-Newton, Hackettstown, Vernon, and Lenape Valley. There are not going to be any easy games. Newton and Hackettstown have always been tough games for us, but Vernon and Lenape have some really good young players coming up and we are going to have to come to play every night."
The Wildcats are scheduled to compete in a Holiday Tournament hosted by Wallkill Valley on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28. They are slated to begin 2017 with a road game at Vernon on Jan. 3. They have a home game versus Jefferson scheduled for Jan. 9.
“The team is looking forward to participating once again in the Pretty in Pink Classic to raise money to help in the fight against cancer," Strehl said. “The game is going to be held on January 21 against Newton. It will be played at High Point High School."