SAHS is coming off a 21-13 campaign. They won the National Trail Conference regular season title with a perfect 8-0 record and captured their sixth regional title in nine years.

But with the graduation of Kyle Stewart, Craig Croy and Colton Fearday, 75 percent of the team’s scoring will need to be replaced.

“Sometimes, it takes a while to figure out how to replace that,” Rincker said. “It’s definitely a gap we’ll need to fill.”

Rincker has some experience and talent returning, but this year’s team will play a different style than his teams normally do.

“This will be the fastest I’ve ever allowed a team to play. At times, it might look like reckless abandonment,” Rincker explained. “This team is lanky, athletic and versatile. We don’t have anyone I’d consider to be a post player. We’re basically a position-less team.

“We’re going to need to play fast and I’ll have to learn to live with mistakes to get the desired results we want,” the coach added. “We need to be disruptive and we need to wear down the other team. We’re deep enough we can play at that pace. We’ll use eight or nine kids consistently. Our depth has got to be a factor for us.”

The projected starters are seniors Griffin Sehy, Michael Martelli and Jonathan Willenborg; junior Max Koenig; and sophomore Brock Fearday. Sehy started every game last year and the other four all saw ample playing time on the varsity.

Sehy and Koenig are excellent shooters that Rincker said need to step up and increase their output this season, while maintaining their defensive and rebounding responsibilities. Fearday earned his way into the starting lineup at the end of last season.

“I think he has the ability to pick up some of the scoring load we need,” Rincker noted. “Brock has a lot of tools to be a real good basketball player.

“Griffin, Max and Brock need to step up and be consistent scorers for us,” the coach added. “I believe they will have ample opportunities to do that. If we play fast, with our depth, we’ll just rely on whoever has the hot hand that night.”

Junior Adam Rudibaugh and Collin Westendorf, along with sophomores Brady Hatton and Ryan Schmidt, also figure to see a lot of playing time.

Rudibaugh, a part-time starter a year ago, is currently out with a should injury. Rincker hopes to have him back by January. Westendorf battled injuries a year ago, but is healthy now. Hatton and Schmidt, at 6’4” and 6’3” respectively, give the Bulldogs some size.

Another pair of sophomores -- Sam Link and Will Fearday – could also provide some much-needed depth.

“Our depth and versatility are certainly strengths for this team,” Rincker said. “It has made our practices very competitive. We’ve got some young kids that are still learning, but we’re getting better every day.”

Matching up with teams that have a strong post presence will be challenging for this group of Bulldogs.

“It’s not that we’re short, but we don’t have a traditional post player,” Rincker noted. “We don’t have anybody that weighs over 200 pounds. But we’re still going to have to battle inside and work hard to rebound the ball.”

Staying healthy, being in great shape and playing together will be keys to success, according to Rincker.

“Playing together and trusting each other. We’ll need that this year as much or more than ever,” the coach noted. “And we’ve got to be in shape. We want to wear teams down, and to have that mindset, we’ve got to be in shape.”

Rincker believes Altamont will be the team to beat in the NTC this season.

“But overall, the conference is up,” he added. “There are so many good coaches in this league, you have to be ready to play every night.”

The Bulldogs will play four games this week in their tournament.

“As I said, I don’t really know what to expect. But I’m anxious to get started,” Rincker said.