Newtown High School’s boys’ basketball team is once again striving to be the best in the South-West Conference — a lofty but realistic goal given the wealth of experience that returns to the hardwood this winter, Coach Matt Murphy and company believe.

“As always, we hope to compete for an SWC championship. We have a solid senior class that returns with lots of experience. We are hoping that our senior experience and leadership will result in success on the court,” Murphy said.

The team’s captains are guards Aidan Walker (First Team All SWC last year), Emmet Regan, Marcus Gerace, and Luke Stewart, along with forward Teddy Moxham. Senior forwards Quinn Kull and Quinn Velez, senior guard James Glynn, and junior guard Fletcher Snayd bring more talent to the lineup.

“One of our biggest strengths this year is our depth. We return a lot of players with plenty of varsity experience and we hope to be able to consistently play a deep roster,” Murphy said.

There will be plenty of competition within the conference, so while rising to the top may be the ultimate goal, the Nighthawks are aware there are plenty of obstacles in the way.

“Every team in the SWC is solid. We will have no nights off,” Murphy said.

“We play in one of the strongest and most competitive leagues in the state, where every game demands a high level of discipline, toughness, and execution. The level of talent and preparation across the league pushes us to continually elevate our performance. With that said, I truly believe we have the pieces in place to contend for a league championship,” the coach added. “We have a roster built on commitment, resilience, and a willingness to put the team first. If we stay focused and continue to improve every day, we are fully capable of competing at the highest level and achieving our goals.”

Defending conference champion Notre Dame Prep of Fairfield, which has been in the last four title games, winning three of them, is among the top contenders.

“On paper, Notre Dame and Bunnell (of Stratford) are expected to be very strong again this season, and Stratford has made significant improvements, which means we will need to be ready to compete at a high level every night. We return one of the top guards in the SWC in Aidan Walker, whose leadership and playmaking will be essential to our success. If we can defend with discipline, rebound consistently, and develop additional scoring options, we believe we can compete with anyone in our league,” Murphy said.

The season gets going Thursday, December 18, when Norwich Free Academy visits at 7 pm.

Murphy noted that the Hawks are excited to host a 15 For Life benefit game when Darien visits Saturday, December 20 at 3 pm. “We will use this as an opportunity to increase mental health awareness and raise money for a great cause,” the coach said.

The Hawks play Stratford twice, with a road tilt that will not count in the conference standings on Monday, December 22 at 7 pm, and a home clash Monday, January 5, also at 7. Other nonconference opponents, in addition to NFA and Darien, are Wilton, Northwestern, Torrington, and Bassick of Bridgeport. The Bunnell and Notre Dame matchups are not until early February. The Hawks compete in Division II in the state.

“We are very excited to get into the gym with this group of young men. We feel that we have the right pieces to compete day in and day out to challenge for a league title and make a run in the [Division II] state tournament,” Murphy said just before preseason got underway.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.