Jake Whalen knows about winning.

He was a standout with the Northern Lehigh boys basketball team, playing a key role on the back-to-back Colonial League championship teams from 2006-08.

Now, Whalen plans to transform the lessons he learned from Rich Oertner as a player and from current Northwestern head coach Pat Wanamaker, under whom he previously served as an assistant.

Whalen begins his first year at the helm of a Bulldogs program that produced a 4-19 mark last season, and has totaled 10 wins over the past four years. He replaced Bob Fahler, who stepped down after two seasons.

Even with four returnees back in the fold, producing a winning season and regaining respectability may be a tall order. But Whalen is already optimistic.

“I have to give a lot of credit to Pat (Wanamaker),” noted Whalen. “I learned a lot from him, and working with Bob (Fahler) was good, too.

“I have some really good vibes about this team. We have high expectations, and we are setting the bar high. Our kids are hungry to win.”

Two-guard Kellen Bauer returns as the team’s leading scorer (18.78 ppg), and he’ll be joined by Coy Daubert (7.74 ppg), Chayce LoPinto (3.13 ppg) and Colin Karetsky (2.30 ppg).

Since competing in the Whitehall summer league, Whalen has watched his core grow and mature both on and off the court.

“Those guys have stepped up and really helped bring everything together,” stressed Whalen. “They gained some valuable experience last year, and we can see how they have developed since the summer.”

Whalen will turn the point guard duties over to freshman Michael Bauer, and the first-year head coach doesn’t have any hesitation about relying on a first-year floor leader.

“He (Bauer) is a very talented freshman,” beamed Whalen. “He has been impressive, and he is ready for the challenge. He is a very tough kid who loves basketball, and has great character.”

It didn’t take long for Bauer and his teammates to buy into Whalen’s approach.

“From our first official practice and even in the offseason, I have seen a revived attitude from our guys,” beamed Bauer. “They want to get better, and we have challenged each other.

“We all know that we didn’t have the season we wanted to have last year, but we are putting that behind us with our new staff. We are very positive about what our team can do this winter.”

Bauer also believes last season’s struggles will benefit the team moving forward.

“We had a lot of tough losses that in the moment really hurt,” stressed Bauer. “But I think we learned from those mistakes whether it was a missed free throw, a turnover, not securing a rebound, or a miscommunication in defense.

“There were moments when games were tight, and we could not come out on top. Those taught us valuable lessons that we will bring into this season.”

The Bulldogs open the season against Northwestern on Dec. 2, and will host their annual Rotary Club Tournament Dec. 29-30.

Regardless of how the season unfolds, Whalen remains confident his team can smooth the path toward becoming a consistent winner.

Plagued by low numbers in recent years, Whalen now has 16 players on his roster. He would like to run a transition offense, and plans to employ a variety of defenses.

However, he knows his players have already turned the page.

“They got knocked around last year,” said Whalen. “They had a quick turnaround during the summer, and we saw a lot of good things.

“We have a target rapport with the kids, and there is a good sense of chemistry here. These kids have shown they have a high basketball IQ and a sense of toughness.

“We think there are a number of things in our favor, and we’re ready to get started.”

And Whalen remains confident winning is just around the corner.