The Olympic Heights varsity boys basketball team is looking at its 2017-18 season as the one in which they turn the program around as they will be looking to improve on their five-win season last year.

For the past several years, the OH basketball program has not been a very competitive one. Four seasons ago, the last season before Coach Matt Ryder took over head coaching duties, the team won a total of three games. The next season, Ryder’s first, the team doubled that total to six wins, but last season, the team only managed total of five wins.

This season, the team is looking to at least win 10 games, possibly 15. That would be a big jump for this squad, but Ryder believes this number is attainable as he calls this year’s squad “the longest and most athletic team he has coached.” By “longest,” Ryder is referring to the wingspan of his players.

Players also believe this team has something special. Senior guard/forward Alex Kaye explained that “this team understands that basketball is a team sport and each player plays for one another.” In the past, the OH program has had a few individual players go on to play at the collegiate level, but it looks to be that this is the most team-oriented squad that there has been in a long time.

This team looked good at times during this year’s preseason Spanish River Tip-Off Classic Tournamnet played over the Thanksgiving Break. They lost their first game of the tournament by double digits to Chaminade-Madonna High School, but were within one point at times during throughout the game.

In their second game, the Lions were winning by double digits at half time and through most of the third quarter against Flanagan High School, but lost in the end when the team looked to tire and started launching deep three pointers.

The Lions played well in the tournament when they were moving the basketball and looking for open shots. Starting shooting guard Ryan Rubin played two good games having knocked down four triples in the second game. It is also noteworthy that starting point guard Evan Botwinik sat out both games due to illness.

Olympic Heights Varsity Basketball looks to start this season off right with opening night on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at Boynton Beach followed by a game at St. John Paul II Academy on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The Lions home opener is on Friday, Dec. 1 vs. Spanish River.