The Fleetwood boys basketball team is showing no signs of slowing down in the 2023-24 season.
The Tigers have been on the rise in recent years as Fleetwood finished first in Berks III the past two seasons and advanced to the District 3 Class 4A final for the first time since 1990 last season.
Despite the graduation of the program’s all-time leading scorer, Jake Karnish, the Tigers return several seniors looking to further the program’s advances.
“We’ve instilled a culture that everybody’s accepted,” Fleetwood coach Terry Sitler said. “And Jake (Karnish) helped to really build that last year, and we still have that culture. Aiden (Soumas) coming back will be a captain as a four-year starter and Nate Herb is a four-year starter.
“They understand what we expect. So it’s pretty much carrying on the status quo and working on our game to get better. The main thing is building chemistry right now; that’s a big thing for us.”
Fleetwood’s 50-34 win over Middletown in the district quarterfinals was its first in District 3 play since 1990.
The current seniors who will look to take up the mantle are Soumas, an all-division guard who averaged 13.5 points per game last season, and all-division point guard Nate Herb (8.9 points per game). They were team’s second- and third-leading scorers behind Karnish (21.6).
The two hope to add to their offensive production and strive to leave a winning legacy in their final year with the Tigers. Fleetwood finished 22-5 last season after going 16-8 in 2021-22.
“We’re keeping it going from the last two years,” Soumas said on his goals for the season. “We only lost a few games last year, so it’s gonna be really tough to keep that up. I don’t think we come back with as much talent this year, but we have to keep the team morale up and work hard on the court. Every game is different and it’s gonna be a tough season so you have to go in and fight every day.”
For Herb, the connection between the seniors and having faced top teams over the years has prepared this Fleetwood squad for consistent progress. Instilling the ideas of a familial culture and tireless work ethic into the underclassmen has been a top priority for Herb and his fellow senior leaders.
“We’ve had a good group of guys growing up,” Herb said. “We’ve always played in competitive leagues growing up; always played the bigger schools like Wilson and Reading High. All of that has really helped us from when we first came into high school. And I’d say coming closer together as a team and playing really good basketball with our culture is helping with our success.
“Our team is pretty old this year. We have a lot of seniors, and we are including them (the underclassmen) in all the team bonding that we do. Having them experience the stuff that the varsity team has done for years will lead to a better, closer team. Including them in everything helps lead to results and helps with it all.”
In addition, the Tigers believe they have the size and speed to compete throughout the county. Senior center Hunter Svoboda is 6-7.5 and could be one of the toughest threats around under the rim. Mason Musitano, a 6-2 senior forward, adds to Fleetwood’s height as he returns to basketball after not playing for the past two seasons.
Svoboda said he believes that nothing less than what was accomplished last season will be acceptable.
“Most of us played all of last year,” Svoboda said. “Mason is coming back, but me, Aiden, Liam (Hilburt) and Nate, all four of us, and the other guys coming up, need to buy in because the four seniors that are already here, we know what it’s like to be at the Giant Center. We know what it’s like to play in a state game, so we want to get back to the Giant Center (for the District 3 final).
“We don’t want anything less than making it to the county and district finals. We want to be there; there’s no other option. We lost last year in the district final at the Giant Center (73-44 to Berks Catholic), but we’re trying to make a statement by winning it this year, and hopefully winning a couple state games, too.”
Hilburt, a senior point guard, averaged 3.0 points last season and Svobada averaged 5.4, but both are expected to see a significant increase in production as the two see regular starting minutes.
Hilburt said he believes the drive to succeed will need to come from everyone, not just the senior leaders, if Fleetwood is to carry on its winning ways.
“Everyone’s gonna have to step up and everyone’s gonna be a big part,” Hilburt said. “As a captain, they (the underclassmen) are going to help push us in practice. They’re gonna need to push us in practice and we’re gonna need to motivate them with big leadership, and that’s going to help them be better players, too.”
That leadership will be vital in continuing the program’s growth as Sitler has announced that he plans to make the 2023-24 season his last as a head coach. He coached the Brandywine Heights girls team coach for 12 years and compiled a 126-168 record. In his 12 years with the Tigers, Sitler is 118-120.
Hoping to devote more time to his family, Sitler said he believes the culture he built will remain intact long after he steps down.
“I’ve been coaching for 30 years; 24 as a head coach, and I’ve given up a lot of family time,” Sitler said. “With my wife and my kids and my grandkids, it’s time for me to step aside a little bit and I want to go see my grandkids play all their sports. So it’s time for me to step on and I think we’ve built a good culture here. Ultimately, the coach who takes over will continue to build that up and this program.
“I always want to leave a program in better shape; that’s my goal, and I did it at Brandywine Heights and I’m pretty sure I’ve done it here at Fleetwood. That was my main goal and I don’t want to be one of those guys who, in their last year, just goes through the motions. We’re gonna work our butts off to do the best we can, and hopefully we can do well and next year somebody else will take over.”
With a team-first mentality and filled with experienced talent, Fleetwood is well-positioned for a strong showing.
“Our unselfishness,” Herb said when asked about Fleetwood’s best quality. “Nobody really has the ball-hog mentality. We’re willing to make the extra pass for an easier shot, and nobody really cares about stats here and we’re willing to pass the ball.
“We’re looking to build on what we did last year. Last year we made it to the district final, and we’re just looking to build on that and see if we can do something better this time for our senior year.”
Source: Berkshire mont