A few years ago, Whitehall’s Cole Rozycki thought it was a good idea to follow his friends’ venture into basketball. His height also helped him make his decision.

“I started playing basketball in seventh grade because my friends were all going out for the team and I was already six-foot-two,” he said. “I started just by shooting around outside and once I made the team listening to everything my coaches taught me.”

Rozycki took over the center position this winter from former starter and graduated A.J. Hines, and the sophomore has been making steady strides. He had a season- and career-high 10 points in the Zephyrs’ 68-45 victory over Hazleton. Rozycki scored 10 points earlier in the season against Neshaminy.

Zephyrs’ head coach Jeff Jones has been pleased with Rozycki’s dedication and his dedication in making the transition.

“Cole is learning more about the game every day,” stressed Jones. “He has only been playing since seventh grade, but he’s really smart and picks things up really quickly.

“His work ethic is impressive. He’s one of the first guys in the gym every day. That goes for the weight room, too. He has embraced the sport and shows tremendous promise for the next two-and-a-half years. He is a great teammate and will continue to get better with each passing game.”

During the offseason, Rozycki realized that he had to take the next step in his career. He battled through some adversity, knowing that a starting spot was in the offing this season.

“Over the summer, I was working on my shot and getting stronger,” recalled Rozycki. “But I got hurt so I couldn’t do much. This year I had to learn to make decisions faster and try not to force anything offensively.”

The Zephyrs have gotten off to a slow start this season and sat at 4-8 at the time of this article.

Rozycki, though, believes he can continue to excel in the second half of the season and the whole team can turn around their season.

“Right now I feel like I’m finally getting comfortable,” he said. “Every game, I’m going to learn more and get better.”