The boys basketball team tips off their season at home against John Adams High School on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Led by head coach Matthew Miller, the Bison have a mostly new coaching staff.

Freshman coach Jamee Gerrick is the only returning coach from the 2017-2018 season.

The varsity team adds three new assistant coaches: Terrence Owens, David Krasnow and JV head coach and former Beachwood player John Davis III.

Coach Miller says he’s excited to be coaching with Davis, his former player.

“It was nice to come back and be able to work with John Davis III, whom I was lucky enough to coach during my first year here,” Miller said.

“John is going to make a good head coach in the future,” he added.

After a two-year absence from the team, Coach Miller is back and ready to get to work. He has missed coaching at the high school level.

“It was just tough doing all that’s required for a high school head coach and also to be home with my young kids like I wanted,” Miller said.

He says he’s ready to step back on the court to lead the Bison.

While there is much excitement, there is also a lot of work ahead.

“This year could be looked at as a bit of a rebuild as we only have three returning players with varsity experience,” Miller sad.

The three returning players are seniors Jayson Woodrich, Jimmie Mitchell and Allon Hardin.

There are four other seniors on the roster without varsity experience.

Miller says these four seniors will play a big role in determining the team’s success throughout the season.

“A lot of the expectations will depend on how quickly the inexperienced players get accustomed to varsity basketball,” he said. “They will have a chance to play big roles in our success.”

It won’t be an easy road for the Bison this season, as they have fourteen conference games along with non-conference games against St. Ignatius, Revere, Lake Catholic, Willoughby South, John Adams, Euclid and Cornerstone Christian.

These games will be a chance to show people that Beachwood basketball is still relevant and ready to compete.

Senior Jayson Woodrich, a three-year varsity starter, says the expectations will be high with Coach Miller’s return.

“He has high expectations for us, and we have high expectations for ourselves,” he said.

Woodrich will have to play perhaps the biggest role on the roster as both a player and leader.

But Woodrich feels ready for the job.

“I have had that responsibility the last two years that I played so it’s nothing new,” he said.

Woodrich adds that the goal each season is to reach states.

“We’re just trying to go in there and play our hardest and play our best”, he said.

Besides winning states, the most important thing for the Bison is defending their CVC Conference title.