Paton-Churdan begins the high school boys’ basketball season next week with a slim roster and a veteran head coach. East Greene graduate Greg Jacobs has begun his tenure as the Rockets’ coach with a squad of only seven players, including Shaydon Thurman, the top returning scorer at nearly nine points per game.

The coach was a guest on Monday’s PM Sports Magazine on KG98 and he returned to Greene County to live on the family Century Farm after decades overseas. He coached at high schools in Iowa, then spent time in Bahrain and Spain as a teacher, coaching basketball and other sports.

Not only is P-C thin in numbers, but four of the seven are freshmen, so varsity experience is lacking as well. Coach Jacobs is hoping to offset some of what the Rockets don’t possess with an emphasis on the fundamentals and good old fashioned hard work.

The P-C boys and girls open their seasons on Nov. 29 in Dunlap vs. Boyer Valley.