The Yeshiva High School Varsity Basketball season is almost here, and the Frisch Cougars are ready to make a run at repeating their national No. 1 ranking and Sarachek Tournament victory.

The 2015-16 Cougars team is a deep and talented group that blends a physical inside presence, a sharp-shooting outside game and Frisch’s trademark suffocating defense. The eight seniors and eight juniors on the squad combine size and speed, creating matchup headaches for opposing teams. They will be led by the same coaching staff which has proven time and time again that Frisch is always a contender. The Frisch seniors start the season with the sweet taste of a Sarachek victory, in which the Cougars pulled off an incredible triple OT win over HAFTR, cementing a No. 1 national ranking in the process. The juniors are coming off a memorable season of their own, having won the MYHSAL junior varsity championship over SAR in a game that came down to a free throw just before the final buzzer. This year’s Cougars have both experience and a winning aura going for them.

Frisch has one of the most difficult schedules in the league, but the Cougars would not dare step back from a challenge—instead, they want and embrace it.

By Mark Abramovitz