This year, the new basketball season came with a new head coach: Benjamin Widner. Widner took over the head coach of boys’ varsity basketball from former coach Scott Nemecek.

Widner played basketball at the University of St. Francis. According to Widner, he likes that basketball is a fast paced game and that it requires the players’ hard work.

“[Basketball] is a game that requires total teamwork [to be] successful,” Widner said.

This year is Widner’s 13th year in the basketball program, although this is not his first time working with varsity; Widner was a varsity assistant coach for eight years with Coach Nemecek and Coach John Meyers. Widner also coached the freshman team for several years.

According to Widner, he realized that his new position would be a challenge because he is now in charge of the basketball program as well as the freshman and sophomore teams.

“I think the biggest change for anybody is the amount of time spent doing things unrelated to actually coaching the boys,” Nemecek said.

Even with all of the responsibility, according to senior Matt Siegel, Widner has added great depth to the team as a whole and with individual players.

“The team’s depth was always there but Widner has the ability to bring out the best in us,” Siegel said.

This season, Widner has not changed his expectations of the players. He expects all of the players to work hard and maintain good attitudes, character and grades while being the best players they can be.

“[Widner] wants the players to take leadership and responsibility for the team,” Captain Justin Busiel said.

Along with leadership, Widner sees importance in finding internal intensity and motivation.

“I want to be able to teach and to coach and to refine basketball skills, the way they play together, but I want the motivation to come from them,” Widner said.

According to Nemecek, Widner is a very patient coach and is very good with making quick decisions.

“He knows when things are reasonable to try and do and things that would be unreasonable to try and do,” Nemecek said.

According to Nemecek, Widner exhibits qualities that show he cares immensely about the players and how the team is doing.

“I value the relationships with the kids,” Widner said. “I want the players to leave the program and say, ‘I learned a lot, I was challenged, and I am better off because of that program.’”

According to senior Trey Dahiya, Widner has been a driving force from freshman year until now and still quotes him from freshman year.

“[Widner] gives us the responsibility to do what we have to do,” Dahiya said. “[The team’s] favorite quote from him is ‘Great teams extend [their leads]’ which we have used for the past few years.”