Coming off yet another State Tournament appearance last winter, the Pella Christian boys basketball team is welcoming higher expectations this season.

The Eagles, who return 11 players from last year’s varsity roster, are one of the preseason favorites to contend for the Class 2A State Title after reaching the semifinals of the State Tournament in 2023. While the expectations are high for this year’s team, Pella Christian head coach JD Boer says that he views that as a good thing.

“So I’m a big believer that I think sometimes expectations create pressure, you know, and that can work against you. We talk about pressure as a privilege. It’s a great place to be. When you have high expectations, hopefully you’ve done something to earn those expectations. So, you can kind of flip it around and be like, hey this is a really positive thing for us, it means we’re in a good position.”

The Eagles boys basketball team opens their campaign on Tuesday, November 28th in the back half of a doubleheader at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.