Elder Basketball has some great young talent this year. The Panthers are looking to improve on last year’s tough 3-18 season. The team is led by returning seniors Tevor “Retro” Ginn and Alex Lind. The team has only one other senior on the team, the towering Jake Hilvert. The rest of the team is made up of juniors except for the sophomore sensation Brad “TrizzleB” Miller. Returning from a stellar last year is Taylor Lee. Panther fans expect him to repeat last year’s great performance, and this year he will have a partner in crime in Devin Pike. They both come in at 6’6” and look to form a great tandem down low. Last year Devin transferred to Elder sohe wasn’t eligible to play, but it was rumored that he was phenomenal. That is one reason why Panther fans can’t wait to see him play. Jake Hilvert will also provide Elder with some big plays late in the game. Elder has incredible depth in the guard position with returning varsity players Alex Lind, and Thomas Autenrieb. Autenrieb is coming off a broken foot suffered during the football season, but when completely healthy, fans can expect big things from him. Michael Murphy will play a big role in the point guard position especially while Autenrieb is still not 100%. The shooters on this team are automatic. Leading the sharpshooters is Brad “TrizzleB” Miller. Craig “Bert” Roberto, “Who” Mike Jones, and Kyle Koppenhoefer. All can hit from anywhere on the court, and Elder will need big shots from these guys to win those close GCL games. The defense for the Panthers is tenacious. Trevor “Retro” Ginn is known for his incredible effort and crazy good defense. “Retro” sets the tone for the Panthers tough defense. Justin “Jimmer” Tebbe and Austin “Cip the Rip” Cipriani are juniors who have followed the lead of “Retro.” “Jimmer” will be providing the Panthers with shut down defense all year long, but unfortunately Cip suffered a stage three ankle sprain last week and will be out for two-three months. This is a huge setback for the Panthers, but look for a few guys to step up their play and make sure the defense doesn’t slip. The Panthers lost their first game to a tough Princeton team 70-62. Brad “Trizzle B” Miller put up a team high 23 points, but the Panthers could not keep the lead. Friday Night the Panthers bounced back and took down Purcell-Marian 68-55. This week it seems like Christmas has come early for Panther fans because the Highlanders and the Bombers both are coming to the Pit. The Highlanders come to the Pit on Tuesday Night, which looks to be a full house of rowdy Panther fans. The Bombers come on Friday night and the cheering section will not let up a bit; you can count on an electric cheering section from the Panthers. The Panthers look to do big things with the incredible talent they have this year.