The young, and fresh-faced Wildcats are eager to begin the 2024-25 boys basketball season.

Head coach Ed Hafermann returns for his 6th year and his 17th season as a coach at Normal West.

Last year, the Cats finished with an 11-20 overall record, a 4-6 conference record, and were 7th in the Big 12 Conference.

Hafermann believes this year’s group will be better than last year, even with some tough competition in the Big 12.

“We had some injuries last year that affected us…there are some really good teams in the Big 12, so the message also to our guys is not to panic if we have some struggles early in the year. We’re hoping to finish strong towards the end of the year,” Hafermann stated

Coach Hafermann understands the challenges he will face this season with the loss of seven graduating seniors, including Nate Moore who averaged 17.6 points per game last year as a starter.

However, this year’s team will be led by the two returners in seniors Mike Zaleski and Owen Voorheis, along with lone junior Maliq Givens.

In fact, according to Hafermann, Givens will be given the keys to the offense in his first year as a starter.

“He (Givens) has always been having to play up when it comes to basketball… he had to play up as a sophomore and then when he was a freshman, he had to play at the JV level, so I’m excited to see what he can do [this season on the Varsity]. Maliq and Mike [Zaleski] are going to be our backcourt mates that

are going to be leading the way,” Hafermann noted.

Zaleski joins Givens in the backcourt, bringing in veteran presence and leadership.

“He (Zaleski) leads by example, not just by his words but also by his example and practices and that’s something our younger guys and our inexperienced guys can look towards. He is also a player that grew tremendously throughout last season. The first few games, he did not play a whole lot, and through his play and practice, he earned more minutes and then through his play during the games, it earned him starting position about halfway through the season,” Hafermann said.

With limited returning experience this year, the Cats will have to lean on some of the young guns who make their first appearance on the varsity roster, including Sophomores Riley Larkin, Zachary Marvel, and Charlie Hanks. 

“Each step back in basketball and each step back in life is an opportunity to learn, and I think if our guys have a good understanding that there’s going to be times where we’re going to struggle but those are opportunities for us to learn, it’s only going to make us better throughout the season,” Hafermann stated.

With the Wildcats being in the Big Twelve Conference there is no easy matchup.

Hafermann notes the Peoria High Lions and the Peoria Manual Rams as teams that will certainly offer tough matchups for the Wildcats as the Rams have one of the best players in the state in Dieterich Richardson, who is committed to his hometown school, Bradley University. 

Aside from those tough opponents in-conference, the Cats will return to the Shirk Center later in the year as they will participate in the State Farm Holiday Classic for the first time in school history.  Their opponents for that tournament are TBA. 

“I’m excited for our guys to be able to play here at Normal West and over at the Shirk Center over the holiday break,” Hafermann noted.

Despite a potentially tough schedule, the team has some high overall expectations for the season.

“Our goal is to finish in the top half of the conference and win a Regional Championship. I’d like to see our guys grow as a team together, both on and off the court, and to build their team culture so that the season is enjoyable despite what happens on the court,” Hafermann declares.

Even with the inexperience of his team, Hafermann still has high praise for his guys, calling them “gritty.”

“We have guys who are not afraid of diving for loose balls and boxing out and being physical, which is something that a coach cannot teach or coach players to do. That comes naturally, so that’s a good sign for us,” Hafermann remarked.

Hafermann and players hope that the students will get behind the team and support them during home games.

“The guys are working hard in practice and they’re playing for the name on the front of the jersey, which is Normal West High School. They’re going to be representing our whole school…our whole student body, so it’d be great to see the students out there to support us,” Hafermann said. 

The Wildcat’s first game will be in the 52nd annual Inter-City Tournament against cross-town rival Normal Community.

“It’s going to be a highly competitive game. I think the crowd will be rather large. I know our guys will be excited for the challenge again. They have some guys who are returning from their varsity team from last year that’ll offer a unique challenge to our team,” Haferman added.

Hafermann also believes the first game against Normal “won’t really be a true reflection of what either team is capable of just because of the environment and also the limited number of practices that we’ve had to prepare.”

However, the coach believes that the game will offer insight into how their offense works and will help the Wildcats prepare for their second matchup against them on February 21st. 

Season tip off begins Monday, November 25 at the Shirk Center at 6:30 p.m. against Normal Community.