Back in December, Haddonfield head boys’ basketball coach Paul Wiedeman knew his team had the potential for a great season. Wiedeman has also been at this long enough to know that potential can be a dirty word in coaching circles because reaching a team’s potential is based on conjecture and differing viewpoints.

So when the Group 2 Tournament commences this evening at Haddonfield High School against 11th-seed Barnegat, the sixth-seeded Bulldawgs will be favored because they exceeded even the highest of expectations after an 8-4 start to the year.

“We’ve grown this year and really are better than I thought we would be,” Wiedeman said. “Our goals never change but it’s hard to really know what you can get from a team each year.”

With the Bulldawgs (21-5) the one known quantity was senior Wyatt Polk, who has averaged over 25 points per game as expected. What no one could put a finger on for sure was his supporting cast, which certainly has talent but just how it would mesh and evolve is a question that almost every team goes through in December.

Haddonfield, which is ranked No. 10 in The Philadelphia Inquirer’s South Jersey boys’ basketball poll, has experienced a great amount of growth across the board but maybe most importantly from senior two-guard Anthony Parenti.

“Last year I think we had him out of position,” Wiedeman said. “We had him at the point and he’s more comfortable on the wing. We knew he had talent and ability when watching him in summer leagues and in the fall but you have to find the right fit and right now, he’s playing as well as anybody on our team.”

Against Barnegat, look for the Dawgs to get on transition as much as possible but the key will be their outside shooting against a 2-3 zone that is predicated on inside defense.

“If we shoot well, and we have been shooting well, we should be fine,” Wiedeman said.