NIAGARA, Wis. — The 2019-2020 boys basketball season for the Niagara Badgers will have a different feel to it. The reason for that, is long time head coach Jim Hoogland has stepped away from the sidelines after many years at the helm. The Badgers struggled last season finishing with a 2-21 record and a season-ending loss at Suring in Round 1 of WIAA Regionals.

Graduated players include Landen Kaldor, Austin Tripp, Ethan Sweig and Anthony Hansen. Returning letter winners are seniors Tristan DeJardin, Logan Carlson and Josh Weber. Juniors Charles Swanson, Ty Collins and Logan Bath were letter winners as sophomores.

“Most of the kids have put in a lot of work over the summer, and I am excited for the season and am expecting it to go better than last year,” said first year head coach Steve Derwinski. “We have a lot of work to do and a long way to go, but the effort from the kids is definitely there thus far and they really like the game.”

Derwinski noted that the seniors had a significant amount of playing time as juniors and that most of juniors put a lot of time in over the summer as well and have improved.

“Overall, I believe that his team should be a lot more competitive than last year,” Derwinski said.

With Derwinski the JV coach last season, and now taking over the varsity reigns, Ryan Allred was hired to be the JV coach. Allred was formally a bench assistant to the girls program the last couple of seasons.

The Badgers open up the regular season hosting long time non-conference rival Florence, on Tuesday, Dec. 3, with a 7 p.m. tip-off. Niagara’s first Marinette-Oconto Conference game is Friday, Dec. 6 at Coleman.

SENIORS– Tristan DeJardin(G, 5-9), Josh Weber (C/F, 6-2), Logan Carlson (G, 5-7), Charles Schaefer (F, 5-10), Sladen Dunlap (C/F, 6-3)

JUNIORS — Dawson Lincoln (G, 5-8), Charles Swanson (G, 6-0), Ty Collins (F 6-0), Logan Bath (G, 5-10), Anthony Oslund (F, 6-1), Michael Kelly (G, 5-9)

FRESHMAN — Edward Swanson (G, 5-10)