COOL HAND LUKE: Princeton Day School boys’ basketball player Luke Novak goes up for a lay-up in action this winter. Freshman Novak made an immediate impact for the Panthers this winter, scoring 129 points and grabbing a team-high 112 rebounds to help PDS go 7-14. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

Mired in a nine-game losing streak from mid-January into February, the Princeton Day School boys’ basketball team could have thrown in the towel.

Instead, the Panthers showed progress down the stretch, winning their two final regular season games.

“I was happy with how our kids hung in there and stuck together,” said PDS head coach Eugene Burroughs. “If you look at our scores, I think we had five or six games that were six points or less, games where we were right there. We kept our heads up, we played well. Unfortunately we were just a little undermanned. Zalin Pack who was our second-leading scorer was out for nine games. You take 10 points from us, that is a big hit for our team.”

In the final week of the regular season, PDS topped North Brunswick 57-53 and Burlington Township 54-52 as they tuned up for the state tournament.

“I was really happy with those wins and the way we played in those games,” said Burroughs. “North Brunswick was a good team. They had some athleticism, some quickness and some size. We played really well. We carried over some of the things we have been talking about all season and it all kind of came together in those games. I was really excited as we were heading onto the state tournament because we had some great momentum and we were finally clicking.”

Opening play in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) South Jersey Non-Public B tournament, ninth-seeded PDS ran into an eighth-seeded St. Rose squad that caught fire in topping the Panthers 62-33.

“We played pretty well in the first quarter and the first half,” said Burroughs, whose team ended up with a 7-14 record. “Our achilles heel has been trying to score the basketball. They came out and made some shots and put the game out of reach.”

Senior Danny Rozenblat (110 points, 48 rebounds in 2025-26) provided some long-distance shooting this winter for the Panthers.

“Danny had a great year, he was shooting 41 percent from three for the year which was incredible,” said Burroughs. “Last year, he really struggled from the three. That was an unbelievable percentage for a kid who had shoulder surgery this summer. He was out this summer and even this fall. His first day of contact was two or three days before practice for the season started. The kid loved PDS and he pours his heart into our team.

Two other seniors, Aiden Luciano (47 points, 41 rebounds) and Collin Myat (17 points, 8 rebounds), showed heart this season.

“Aiden came off the bench and he was a scrappy player for us,” said Burroughs. “He had a couple of injuries with an ankle and then he broke his nose, so we missed him for a few games. He played hard, he competed, he rebounded and did some great things defensively for us. Myat was solid. He didn’t play a lot of minutes but he played solid minutes. I think he really progressed over his four years where physically he was able to compete. I was really happy with that senior group.”

At point guard, junior Gary Jennings made a lot of progress, scoring 342 points along with 60 rebounds and 45 assists.

“Every year, he gets a little bit better,” said Burroughs of Jennings.

“Last year he was at 14 points a game, this year he was 17 points a game. He is on track for 1,000 points. With Zalin out, it was one less guy who could score or make a play so more was on his shoulder. Teams did a good job trying to speed him up and make it harder for him to score. When you are the focal point as a scorer, teams gear the defense to stop you and if you still find a way to average 17 points a game, you had a good year.”

Junior Pack (116 points, 71 assists) had a very good year when he was on the court.

“I think he finally started to hit his stride,” said Burroughs. “He is a driver. He can slash and get to the rim. He just started to turn the corner where he started to get more comfortable. He started to be a little more aggressive which we needed from him. He had some solid games. When we played at Doane, he had 21 points; it was one of his best games since he has been here. He was finding his game and then he went down with an ankle injury. We are looking forward to his progression next year. Hopefully he can build on what he did this past year.”

Making his high school debut, freshman forward Luke Novak (129 points, 112 rebounds) showed plenty of game.

“Luke is going to be a really good player for us; for a freshman to come in and play varsity and start and play a lot of minutes, that is a lot of responsibility,” said Burroughs. “You get to learn on the fly a little bit with things that you need to work on and improve on. That was great for him to experience. He can rebound the basketball, he can shoot the ball — he is a good 3-point shooter and he can handle the ball some. I truly feel he is a guy that could potentially to be a 1,000-point scorer here. He is a kid who can be at 12 points a game because of his ability to shoot the ball, handle the ball and drive the ball.”

Sophomore guard Obakunle Egbeleye (124 points, 69 rebounds) improved as he went through the season.

“He had a solid year, he still has a lot of ability to improve,” said Burroughs. “I think he is becoming more consistent, he had some solid games, driving to the basket and competing defensively competing. Ball handling is the next phase in his development of taking the load off of Gary a little bit. He is a quick kid.”

In the view of Burroughs, the squad could develop into something special next winter.

“I think this group is solid and with another year under their belts, that will make a big difference,” said Burroughs. “Gary is a senior who has proven he can score the ball. You add Zalin who I think is going to take a big jump next year. He averaged 10 points and if he bumps that up to 12 points, I think he should be in that area. Luke should be a double-digit scorer for us and then you add Obakunle. I think we will be OK. We just need some more depth.”