Jays work through roster turnover for upcoming season

The Three Lakes boys basketball team will work through some roster turnover in 2024-25 after losing nine seniors to the 20-6 overall and Northern Lakes champion team last season.
The Jays also advanced to the sectional semifinal game in the playoffs.
Entering this season, THL returns just two letter winners, seniors Peyton Pitlik and Eli Erickson.
Head Coach George Lurvey is the new head coach of the boys program but is no stranger to Bluejay basketball. He has been on the girls coaching staff and was the head coach for the 2020-21 season, where the Lady Jays lost in the state championship game.
Lurvey will have a blank slate at the boys varsity level for himself and his team as the majority of the scoring production came from the departing senior class.

That list includes five of the top six scorers from a year ago, including Jared Kaufman (16 PPG), Toby Volkmann (14.5), Tyler Janikowski (14), LJ Terlizzi (8) and Josh Cogar (5).
Peyton Pitlik will be the leading returning scorer for Lurvey and the Jays. He averaged just over eight points a contest last year. Pitlik had a season-high 22 points in a nonconference game at Lakeland in January.
Pitlik also averaged around three rebounds a game and started some games for the Jays.
As Three Lakes looks to defend its NLC title, Lurvey has a coachable roster and players who want to learn.
A scrimmage last Thursday against Amherst helped what is a young group gain varsity-level experience in a nonstressful environment.
“We have a group of kids who are very coachable and willing to learn and work as a team to improve every week,” said Lurvey. The scrimmage will be useful to get the kids some varsity-level speed and play without the stress of it being their first varsity game.”
The first step for the team will be to create a basketball culture and Three Lakes will work as a team to try and outwork its opponents. According to Lurvey, that’s something he wants to implement this season.
“Our goal is to create a basketball culture and to develop hard-working, responsible young adults,” he stated. “My coaching philosophy is based on commitment and hard work, playing as a team to achieve goals, and outworking our opponents.”
Offensively, it won’t be any one person that will fill the shoes of the lost scoring production. According to Lurvey, the roster is filled with talented players who have waited in the wings for the opportunity to play on the varsity level.
“We have a handful of eager kids willing to do whatever it takes to win games, kids that have been waiting for a chance to play at this level, and are willing to sacrifice individual scoring goals to score more as a team,” explained Lurvey.
He said he is looking for everyone to contribute on that side of the floor.
Lurvey didn’t pinpoint one specific goal the group has this year, but said goals will only be achieved through everyone working together.
Three Lakes opened the season Tuesday of this week by hosting rival Northland Pines and its next game will be Tuesday, Dec. 3, at Antigo. The game is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.