When it was announced that Tom Wilkins would return as head coach of the Pleasantville boys basketball team, his third stint in the role commenced. While there were a variety of factors that brought Wilkins back to the job, there was one in particular that stood out. The middle school teacher had felt he was missing some interaction with his former students in high school, and says taking the job would help him to keep in touch.

“One of the main reasons was I kind of miss the kids. I teach middle school here at Pleasantville, and that’s great, but I kind of miss the interaction with the high school kids and talking to them. I see them every once in a while, I’ve got a son that’s a junior in high school, so his friends are over here as well and we talk sports.”

When Wilkins begins his ninth overall season leading the program, he’ll take over a team that finished 11-11 last season, but returns a large nucleus of talent, including seven juniors.