City of Basketball Love

By David Comer (@dhcomer-cobl)
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(Ed. Note: This story is part of CoBL’s annual “Prepping for Preps” series, which will take a look at many of the top high school programs in the region as part of our 2024-25 season preview coverage. The complete list of schools previewed thus far can be found here.)

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Last season, Roman Kulesa, as the only junior starter on a senior-laden Central Bucks West team, was counted on to do the little things that can make the difference between winning and losing - taking charges, diving for loose balls, guarding the other team’s best player, rebounding, and making hustle plays. 

He also did some scoring, but that was not his primary role on a team that finished 19-9 and advanced to the second round of the District 1 6A playoffs.

“He had a role where he did a lot of the dirty work for us,” said Adam Sherman, now in his 24th season as the head coach of the Bucks. “He was one of the best defenders in the league last year. There were games where he led us in scoring, but that wasn’t his primary role.”

This year, that will change. The 6-foot-2 Kulesa — who Sherman described as “strong and athletic” — will be relied upon to lead a young Central Bucks West team both offensively and defensively and both on and off the court. Kulesa sounds like he’s ready for the challenge.

“In my role, I have to be confident,” he said.

At the start of the season, expect Kulesa, who averaged about 10 points per game last year, to be the number one scoring option. Kulesa should be ready. He spent the summer lifting weights, getting up 200-300 shots per day and playing between 60-70 games with his teammates.

He said in the preseason he has been doing everything offensively from playing point guard to posting up. Last year, his offensive game consisted primarily of shooting open three-pointers and layups. He has worked hard on improving his mid-range game.

“I want to be a three-way scorer,” he said. “Take what I have.”

Sherman has noticed.

“His game is growing,” the coach said.

This year’s Central Bucks West team will be young. Kulesa is the only senior and returning starter and the lone player who was in the rotation last year when the Bucks rebounded from three straight losing seasons to come within a whisker of earning a spot in the state playoffs. That team lost, 54-51, to Methacton in the second round of the District 1 6A playoffs in a game it led late in the fourth quarter and then drew and lost in the playback round to a Spring-Ford team that advanced to the state quarterfinals.

Gone from that Central Bucks West team - which also advanced to the Suburban One League title game where it lost to Upper Dublin - are seven seniors, including four-year varsity player Matt Engle, Bowen Gugger (now playing at Juniata), Sam Jankowski (now playing at Immaculata), and leading scorer Julian Phillips (now doing a post-graduate year at The Phelps School).

“It was a great group,” Sherman said.

The veteran coach, who spent five years as the head coach at New Hope-Solebury and also served as an assistant at West Chester University and George Washington High School before his stint in Doylestown, likes what he sees so far from this group.

“It will be exciting to see them grow,” Sherman said. “You grow most when you have a chance to play.”

Kulesa has seen tremendous growth already.

“These guys have learned so much and grown so much as players,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of improvement.”

Leading the group of newcomers will be 6-foot-3 junior Gavin Reichner, 6-foot-4 sophomore Isaiah Rubenstein, and 6-foot-6 freshman Harry Myers, a promising young post who can extend the floor with his 3-point shooting. Also look for contributions from 5-foot-9 junior Max Milillo (who Sherman said is playing “really well” and is someone “we will lean on”), 6-foot-3 sophomore Dan Pellegrini and 5-foot-9 junior Connor Chuo. However, there could be other players who step forward.

“We’re still trying to figure things out,” Sherman said.

He sees the team’s strengths being its defense and interchangeable parts on offense.

“The young guys don’t seem young anymore,” he said after watching them develop during the offseason. “They played together a lot over the summer. One nice thing about this group is the pieces are versatile. We have a lot of guys who can handle the ball.”

The team will be tested early with two games in the Suburban One League-Pioneer Athletic Conference challenge and a conference slate with what Sherman said are “no nights off.” Central Bucks West will also travel during the holiday break to Charleston, S.C. to play again in the Modie Risher Classic - where the Bucks will be looking to defend the title they won last year. Sherman finds the holiday trip to be valuable.

“I see a lot of benefit for the team,” he said. “It allows them to get close and develop a brotherhood that will get them through adversity better.”

“We bonded so much,” Kulesa said. “It was great for us.”

Sherman has proven he knows how to win during his two-plus decades at Central Bucks West. The Bucks made the state playoffs three times from 2014-2018. In 2018, they reached the District 1 6A semifinals and then advanced to the state quarterfinals with a 60-47 overtime second-round win over Reading. Ultimately, that season ended with a loss to eventual state champion Roman Catholic - just as it did in 2016 when Central Bucks also won a state playoff game only to face a talented Roman Catholic in the next round.

“We have a very good system going,” Kulesa said. “Coach knows the game of basketball very well. We have a lot of confidence in him.”

Sherman knows this year will be a challenge with so many new players, but he is optimistic. It helps having a player and leader like Kulesa.

“He’s one of the better players in the league,” Sherman said. “It’s nice to have a piece like that back.”