When the Whitehall boys’ basketball teams hits the floor for the 2015-16 campaign, a lot of new faces will be looking to make their mark when the season gets underway this month.

It’s not like last year when a senior-laden team got all the way to the district finals. This team will have just one senior on the roster when they tip off this Friday at the Wilson Tournament.

Their lone senior is Andre Diokmedian, a versatile player who’s been a varsity member for three years. They also return Mikey Esquilin and Logan McGinley, two reserves that saw extended minutes last season, with Esquilin averaging 8.2 ppg before an injury sidelined him.

Esquilin, a sophomore, and McGinley, a junior, along with the senior Diokmedian, will form the foundation of this year’s Zephyr squad.

Esquilin, a dynamic player who can score both inside and out, will be someone they’ll be counting on to lead the way offensively this season. Esquilin grew a few inches since last season, and that will aid him in his drives to the basket among the bigs.

“He’s obviously a very important cog to what we do offensively and defensively,” said head coach Jeff Jones who is entering his ninth season at the helm.

McGinley, a junior, also gives them an experienced option, having been a varsity member since his freshman season. He also gives them some size inside and is someone whose game is defined by hustle.

While that’s a relatively small cast of experienced players returning, Jones said that the majority of the new varsity players have been in their program a number of years, helping to ease the transition.

Jones said at this point his starting line-up is still to be determined, but he has a number of players who will by vying for spots as they prepare for the new year. In the backcourt will be Esquilin and Diokmedian, along with juniors Jackson Buskirk, Kayden Walschburger and Kasai Harrison.

Jones said that Buskirk has impressed during practice, while Walschburger opened some eyes during the summer, and Harrison has demonstrated his ability to hit shots from the perimeter.

The interior will feature junior Charles Hudson, an explosive wing player who had a solid summer season for the Zephs. Junior Devin Martinez is another player vying for minutes inside. He’s yet another Zephyr who stood out this summer, especially on the glass where he was relentless under the boards during their games. Another junior who should see some minutes is Eric Johnson who will give them size underneath. Additionally, junior Zach Gilbert will give them a presence both inside and out, a player who can mix it up in the paint, while also possessing a soft touch from the perimeter.

“He shoots the ball well, someone who can step out to the three-point area and make threes,” said Jones. “We’re looking for good things from Zach.”

The team will also feature newcomers Nick Herman and Jordan Harrington both juniors, along with sophomore Braxton Marrero, all of whom will give the Zephs depth off the bench.

Jones said that this season they’ll be doing a couple of different things defensively, noting that this year’s roster gives them some flexibility to run a variety of defenses as opposed to last year when they were primarily running the match-up zone.

Additionally, the athleticism of this year’s team will see them running quite a bit, with Esquilin spearheading the break. Jones said that Esquilin is a superior ball handler, one of the best in the league who also sees the floor real well, and that will hopefully translate to some fastbreak points.

That style of play is enhanced by wing players like Hudson who can run while also having the skills to finish.

“That’s right up his alley,” said Jones.

Jones expects that transition offense will be a part of their game this season, something they did with success over the summer in the Stellar Tournament, especially against Bethlehem Catholic which they won 60-45.

“Hopefully we’ll get some easy buckets that way,” said Jones.

The Zephs open up this Friday against Wilson Area High School in the Wilson Tournament.

Jones is joined by assistant Corey Frantz and junior varsity coach Jamison Barnhart.