On the face of it, you’d think Highland basketball coach Adam Cestaro is in an enviable position.

The coach is losing four seniors – only one of whom started – while welcoming back his leading scorer, his defensive specialist, and a host of other talented players.

But the contributions of those departing seniors count for much, much more than a line on a stat sheet will ever indicate.

Of Jacob Mall, Joshua Filips, Matt Fry and Ryan Cook, only Mall started last season. Heck, some of these guys didn’t even accumulate many meaningful minutes on the court.

Don’t let that fool you, though. They were integral in helping Highland to a 13-12 season that ended when the Hornets lost to Stow in a Copley Division I Sectional final.

“Those four seniors were really, really selfless guys,” Cestaro said. “They were all about the program; they were going to do whatever it took to help us get better on a daily basis.”

Looking at the box score of the 44-39 loss to Stow and you’ll see that, aside from Mall, the other seniors didn’t score a point.

No matter, says Cestaro. Their contributions were just as tangible as a 3-pointer or an offensive board.

“They really embraced their roles which, you know for a couple of them, wasn’t getting into games a whole lot, but it was competing every day at practice,” Cestaro said. “Matt kind of turned into our shooting guru; he was helping different teammates with their shots. Josh and Ryan were really competitive every single day at practice.”

And while it is 6-foot-2 junior guard Collin Rittman who receives most of the hype on this team – and rightfully so, it was Mall, a defensive back on the Hornets football team, who assumed the mantle of leader.

“Jake Mall was a great verbal leader for us, which is not necessarily his personality,” Cestaro said. “But he stepped up into that role right from day one. He stepped off the football field right onto the basketball court and took charge of the varsity team, so that was great to see.”

For his efforts, Mall made second-team All-Suburban League’s American Conference while also receiving honorable mention in the Division I Inland District.

As Mall and the other seniors depart, there are several players who should step up and assume bigger roles on the team next season. And while the small-ball Hornets – who surrendered inches in every contest last season – will continue to play small, they will get a bit taller.

“We will get some help from Connor Klein who was the starting 5-man on the JV team; he’s about 6-foot-5,” Cestaro said. “He will probably be the only big from the JV level that will help us next year.”

Another key JV addition will be Cole Tessena. Cestaro believes that Tessena, who led the JV team in scoring last year while making more than 40 threes, will add another scoring threat to Highland’s arsenal.

“He really shoots the lights out,” Cestaro said. “He’s a great shooter, really good in transition, a guy we think can really step up and help us with some shooting and scoring off the bench next year.”

These players will join Rittman, who was awarded First-team All-SL honors as well as being named to the All-Inland District second team, Ryan Frederick and Landon Mazzocco – all junior starters, along with Jake Rogers, a 5-foot-9 sophomore point guard.

Mall’s replacement on the court isn’t readily apparent; in fact, much of the starting lineup will be fluid, which is a testament to the depth and versatility the Hornets should boast next season.

“There’s a lot of guys that can fill that spot,” Cestaro said. “Devin Myers, Jarrett Smith, Pete Gmitric – those guys were all varsity guys this year that contributed off the bench a great deal. And somebody can step up into one of the other spots as well, as they’re not necessarily set in stone. I honestly think that with our group next year, we could feature three or four or five different starting lineups.”

In terms of leadership on the defensive side of the game, Cestaro looks to Frederick, who won honorable mentions from the Suburban American last year, to play a key role.

“It’s going to be a bunch of guys, honestly, but Ryan Frederick is already kind of our defensive stopper and catalyst on the defensive end,” Cestaro said. “He guards guys that are bigger; he guards guys that are smaller sometimes. He took 23 charges on the season, so he’s going to step up and lead for us.”