Under head coach Joseph Babinski, who has been coaching since 2012, the men’s varsity basketball team this year excels with two wins already under their belts. The team claimed their first win against Cesar Chavez on Nov. 25, 59-53. Two days later, the Pumas won a second time, 63-51, at Cactus Shadows.

Having last season setting a successful overall score of 22-7, this year sets a number of obstacles for the men’s varsity team, as former player Marcus Howard has moved to Nevada, now playing for Findlay Prep. This is also the first year in Perry history where there has not been a Howard brother playing for a men’s basketball team.  However, the team has a number of returning varsity players this year, such as point guard Kyle Van Haren, guard Wyatt Stoltzfus, and forward John Schlangen, as well as many newcomers.

With two initial victories at the start of the season, hopes for the team are high, as the desire to succeed and rise above a successful legacy heightens in the 2015-16 season of PHS men’s varsity basketball.