Versatility and balance.

Those will be two philosophies that will either make or break Northampton’s basketball season this winter.

The Konkrete Kids have eight experienced seniors, all of whom can play more than one position on the floor. They don’t have a predominant player like they have had in the past, but they have a core that can score inside as well as hit their share of three-pointers.

They already responded with a 73-55 victory over Catasauqua in their opener in which Zac Gula had a team-high 22 points supported by Donte Rodriguez’s 15 and Issac Harris’s 10.

“We have a veteran group,” said Kids’ head coach Coy Stampone about his club. “They have a great chemistry and know each other well. We had a very good summer.

“We came to practice this winter and picked up on things like we never left.”

Gula, Rodriguez, and Spencer Cole all are three-year starters and have set the pace since the summer. Fellow senior Jake Christman also will be counted on for his experience. Gula, Rodriguez, and Christman will serve as tri-captains.

They will look to guide the Kids forward toward the East Penn Conference playoffs and the Class 6A district championship. The Kids begin the year two years away from being in the district championship.

“Those four are good players to be around,” said Stampone, who begins his eighty year at the helm. “We have enough guys here who were in the championship game a few years ago.

“Gula is a guy who can know down threes when we need them, and Christman can play every position except the point in our matchup zone defense. Rodriguez and Cole are both guys who can get it done inside and outside.”

Harris made a big splash as a freshman and sophomore Lucas Lesko is expected to make an impact after a solid year on JVs last year.

Junior 6-6 center Jon Altomare improved his play during the summer and his size and presence should be a major factor.

Stampone once again envisions an ultracompetitive EPC race especially in the Skyline Division. The Kids will look for a three-peat as champions of the Salisbury Holiday Tournament in late December.

However, it will come down to versatility and balance.

“We have a handful of players who can lead us on any given night,” added Stampone. “We’ll need a balanced effort every night, and we have the ability to do it.”