Boyertown boys’ basketball team wants to be more than just an ‘average’ team

It’s been since the 2006-07 season that the Boyertown High boys’ basketball team has had a winning record. In fact, that was a 20-win season - a feat the Bears would like to repeat. But it’s been a struggle for the Boyertown boys since then. They have hovered just below the .500 mark ever since.

Nobody could say they’ve had bad seasons. They get their share of victories every year. But the goal is to do better than average. The Bears want to get back to being a championship contender and being the team that everyone is afraid to play.

They’re got off to a good start, winning two of their first three PAC-10 games, beating both Owen J. Roberts and Perkiomen Valley.

“We’re getting better each and every game,” said Head Coach Mike Ludwig. “The kids are working hard to improve individually and as a team. Our goal is to compete for a PAC-10 Final Four berth and qualify for the district playoffs.”

Mike Mansur has been the big point scorer for the Bears. After his first nine games this season, he has scored 152 points, good for a 16.9 points per game average. He can score from anywhere on the court, including from beyond the three-point line where he has drained 22 buckets.

Kyle Dennin is second on the team in scoring, averaging 8.1 points a game with Ryan Corcoran third with a 7.9 points a game average.

Sophomores Corcoran and Dennin represent the future of the team while Mansur heads a senior class that includes Ethan Shalaway, Connor Dunn and Dylan Coughlin.

“Our seniors are doing a great job of leading our younger players,” said Coach Ludwig. “We have a real solid senior class. Each one of them has a key role on the team.”

Scoring points has not been a problem for the Bears. They are averaging 53 points a game, with a lot of players contributing on any given night. It’s on the other end of the where the Bears need to improve.

“We need to continue to improve ont he defensive end of the floor,” said Ludwig. “We need to take pride in getting defensive stops and holding the other team to one shot on each possession.The Bears are allowing an average of 60 points a game to the opposition. That’s hard to win when you’re allowing that many points each night.

If they can hold the opposition on the defensive end of the court, this team has the offensive firepower to get to the PAC-10 Final Four. The are a very versatile team with players who can produce points.

Coach Ludwig is also very happy with attitude of his players. “We have shown a very positive attitude in the face of some adversity on the court,” said the coach.

After six straight years hovering around the .500 mark, it can be difficult to break out and win enough games to make the league playoffs. The danger is that the players begin to believe that average is good enough.

Coach Ludwig isn’t worried about that with this group of players. He likes that way they work and try hard to achieve their goals. But it’s wins that they need most. A two or three game winning streak will do much to keep that positive attitude the team has had early in the season.

The Bears are now getting into the heart of the PAC-10 schedule and it won’t be long before we see if this team has what it takes to make the playoffs. Now we can see if this team has the potential to have another 20-win season.