ROCHELLE — Tim Thompson knows the Hubs varsity basketball team has some deep holes to fill, but both he and his players are already hard at work getting ready for the upcoming season.

Rochelle is coming off a 20-win season, but the team graduated a large group of seniors this summer that included First-Team All-Conference honoree Caleb Gould and Honorable Mention recipients Kyle Seebach and Landon Griffith. The Hubs will also need to replace the rebounding and defensive energy provided by Matt Albers.

“We had a tremendous group of seniors that left,” Thompson said. “Now we have some juniors coming in so it’s about getting those juniors to play cohesively with our incoming seniors… We really try to team-build and focus on what each kid can do for next season.”

Rising seniors Angel Aguirre and Riley Lodico are expected to lead Rochelle in the backcourt, while both Noah Mershon and Noah Griffith could see increased roles as returning varsity players. Forwards Komla Gati and Johnny Beck are also set to suit up for the Hubs next year, with rising senior Blake Albers working his way back into the rotation.

“They’re going to have to fill the void,” Thompson said. “They’re going to have to up their scoring and rebounding, but also show leadership to the juniors. We had tremendous continuity last year and we need to keep that going.”

The team began its high school summer camp this past week, with the boys spending most of Thursday’s session running a variety of offensive sets and fast break drills to improve their fitness while getting readjusted or, for new players, accustomed to Rochelle’s varsity system. Rising juniors who worked through camp this past week include Ben Redington, Kaleb Ackland and Greg Ricketts as well as rising sophomores Seth Gould and Austin Brown.

“We need those guys to take a step forward in their progression,” Thompson said. “We need them to be able to push the tempo and play harder and play the defensive style we want to play at the varsity level. These summer games and summer camps can give them a good understanding of what it takes to play at the varsity level.”

The varsity boys played a tournament in Sycamore on Friday, and the tournament is one of several chances the Hubs will get to face other schools this summer. Rochelle’s sophomore team will also play a game at Rochelle Township High School this week as the basketball program continues to lock itself in at all levels.

“For us as coaching staff, we want to see which kids will be able to play varsity minutes and which kids might need a little more growth during the season,” Thompson said. “We just need to get out there and learn how to play as a team and work together.”