Senior point guard Garrett Wolfe is the lone returning starter. He averaged 13 points and three rebounds a game.

“He’s one of the smartest players I’ve had the chance to coach,” Farmer explained. “He’s a crafty point guard that sees the floor well and handles the pressure. He’s also a very good leader.”

The other four projected starters – seniors Andrew Donaldson (6’1”), Andrew Splechter (6’2”) and Logan Heil (6’3”); and junior Spencer Fox (6’1”) – played some at the varsity level a year ago.

Donaldson is a good-shooting guard that Farmer said was the team’s most consistent player this summer.

“He did a nice job hitting open shots,” the coach noted. “He has also improved his defensive toughness and worked on attacking the basket.”

Splechter was in the starting lineup at the beginning of the season, “but we decided to give him more development time at the junior varsity level. He will help us with ball-handling and decision-making this year. So far in practice, Andrew has been our most explosive player.”

Heil will provide a strong inside presence, but can also run in transition.

“He has learned how to use his body,” Farmer explained. “He can take advantage of a smaller defender down low or step away from the basket and hit a mid-range jumper against bigger defenders.”

Fox played exclusively on the JV team a year ago.

“What Spencer lacks in size, he makes up for in toughness,” the EHS coach said. “Plus, he can guard any position on the floor – from 1 to 5. He’s also worked on his shooting touch during the off-season and is a very good rebounder.”

Gunner Brown, a 5’9” senior guard, and Ethan Jones, a 6’2” sophomore forward, also figure to see plenty of varsity action this year.

“Gunner has done a good job of learning both the point guard and off-guard positions. He can slide into either,” Farmer said. “He plays hard on defense and shoots well. I see him getting a lot of minutes.”

Jones will provide back-up to both Heil and Fox.

“He’s a reliable kid,” Farmer noted. “He takes care of the ball, plays hard and rebounds well.”

Three others – sophomore Brodie Belcher (6’2”); and freshmen Wade Bushur (6’) and Cole Phillips (6’4”) – will probably also see action.

“They will be valuable to us as they gain knowledge of our system,” Farmer said. “They’ve been getting some time in our rotation at practice. They all play hard and will be dependable players.”

The Hearts will kickoff their season against Breese Central at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. It will be the first of four games in the St. Anthony Thanksgiving Tournament.

Effingham will also face another challenging year in the Apollo Conference. Lincoln is the pre-season favorite, but Farmer expects Mahomet-Seymour and Mt. Zion to also have strong teams.

“The keys for us this year are to play bigger than we are, limit teams to one shot and control the backcourt on defense,” Farmer explained. “Offensively, we have to be patient in the half-court, but go hard in transition when it’s available. That can be a great equalizer.”