Bison boys basketball opens the season tomorrow night with a home game against Solon. Tipoff is at 7:30.

Last year, the team went 17-8 and made the district semifinals.

“This year is going to be different, but I’m excited.” junior Jayson Woodrich said.

Woodrich, a 6’5 forward, will be a key player this year.

With his size and unique talent on the floor, Woodrich has high hopes for the season.

“The state championship is our main goal this season,” he said, “but we have a lot of work to do to get their first.”

“The schedule this year is very tough,” Woodrich added. “We play a lot of really good Div. 1 teams like St. Ignatius, Solon and Garfield Heights.”

As an upperclassman and one of the top players on the team, Woodrich knows that he has to be a leader both on and off the floor.

For Woodrich, the bonds with teammates are critical.

“At the end of the day, having a better relationship with your teammates can lead to a higher success rate on the floor,” he said.

While the season is just beginning, Woodrich is already aiming for the playoffs and beyond.

Head coach Jon Mannarino acknowledges the team has lost some team leaders from last year and that the team is young, but  he believes there is a lot of potential for this year’s group.

“This year we have 13 players that dress for varsity,” he said. “We have many different personalities on the roster.”

Entering his second year as Bison head coach, Mannarino is preparing the team for a challenging season.

“We have our toughest schedule yet,” he said. “Our approach this season is to play tough each game so that we will be prepared for the playoffs.”

“Our main goal this season is of course the state championship,” he said. “We have to compete at that state championship level if we want to [make it].”

Mannarino hopes that a rigorous schedule will prepare the team to succeed in the post-season.

“It’ll help us prepare more for championship–type basketball,” he said..

The opener against Solon will give fans a taste of what’s to come for the Bison.