Bucks bring youth into 2025-26 season after departures | News, Sports, Jobs

RALPH WILSON/For the Express
Bucktail’s Gavin Pick (24) looks to pass during a PIAA District 12, Class A boys playoff game against Sullivan County at Loyalsock Township on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. Bucktail won 45-30.

To say Brody Pentz will be challenging to replace is an understatement. Throughout his four-year career with the Bucks, the phenom surpassed 1,300 points and 600 rebounds, frequented the Mid-Penn and all-state all-star teams and led the program amidst its most successful stint in quite some time.

It isn’t just a matter of replacing Pentz either. Of the squad that finished last season at states and third in District 4 Class A, many of its key contributors, like Gary Whipp, Talan Ditty and Ethan Charcalla, are gone, leaving their roster as new-look as ever.

However, as one era of Bucktail boys basketball is effectively wrapped up, optimism surrounds the program heading into the next. It may take some time, as youth fills out its new-look roster. But head coach Travis Fantaskey still expects the Bucks to carve out more success this season as they develop as a team.

“We lost a key part of our team, but I’ve got a lot of young kids that click. They’re all in,” said Fantaskey on his 2025-26 group. “I’m not saying we’re going to win states this year, but I’m feeling confident another .500 season would be a good thing for us. Anything above a .500 season would be a bonus.”

Juniors Gavin Pick and Aiden Ditty return, looking to lead after playing impactful, complementary roles through 2024-25. They’re the lone Bucks that head into the campaign sporting starting experience, with the rest of Fantaskey’s starters slated to be underclassmen.

Sophomore Teagan Stone and freshman Corbin Pentz will fill two other starting slots, each which could be expected to show flashes coming off progressive football stints. And the fifth slot will likely be interchangeable throughout the season, with Fantaskey looking to rotate freshmen and sophomores into that role to see what works best.

“I want them to play together,” said Fantaskey when discussing the group. “Other than Aiden and Pick, they haven’t really ever player together, so my job this year is to get them to click as a team.”

Like last season, offensive inconsistency is expected to be a weak point for Bucktail early in the season.

Through three games so far, the offense has prospered at times and struggled as well, with strong shooting leading it past Curwensville and offensive shortcomings holding it back against Claysburg-Kimmel and St. John Neumann. That’s expected with its two leading scorers – Brody Pentz and Gary Whipp – graduating, and whether someone can step up to fill those voids or not is a development worth keeping an eye on.

On the other side, Fantaskey likes what he’s seen on defense so far.

“On defense, all of them have (stood out). I’m more of a defensive coach; I love different defenses. And they all seem to know their rotations, whether we play zone, man, both, press or halfcourt,” said Fantaskey.

“They play well together as far as defense goes. Offense, we just have to be more consistent on shooting. Give me eight games there, and we usually pull together.”

Even with its success through the last two seasons, seasons which have produced two PIAA trips and one District 4 Class A title, Bucktail continues to rep the underdog label and rep it proudly.

It’s already gone into early matchups with that mentality, facing two Class AA schools in a tournament at Curwensville to open the season. In that tournament, it went 1-1 with a convincing 56-34 win over the tourney host Golden Tide, an opening win that gave Fantaskey confidence for what’s to come.

“The challenge we always have is that we’re always the underdog, no matter where we go,” said Fantaskey. “A Class A team going into a Class AA tournament and coming out 1-1, I’ll be satisfied with that all day long.”

As one of the smaller schools in the state, it faces more challenges than most. But that hasn’t stopped it from prospering, and just because it’s without multiple stars from those runs, doesn’t mean it expects its climb to come to a complete stop.