The Pascack Valley boys’ basketball team is ready for the return of their center.

Matt Domville is a junior and the team’s lone center. He suffered a hand injury in a preseason practice and is slated to return to the hardwood tonight in the Indians’ (8-3) game against Wayne Hills (10-1).

He will be returning in the middle of the hot start that PV has gotten out to. With their winning ways, the team has managed to maintain a spot in The Record’s Top 25 Boys Basketball Teams at No. 15. A big 64-62 win against Northern Highlands on Wednesday also helped Valley clinch a spot in the Bergen County Jamboree, a tournament they did not compete in last year.

“Their hard work throughout the past few years has started to pay dividends,” said head coach Al Coleman. “However, this is a long process and one shouldn’t be satisfied with just making the Jamboree.”

A second straight 1-1 week was highlighted by the win against Highlands, but the team ran into a tough Hackensack squad on Thursday that put their lead out of reach in the fourth quarter to win the game, 84-78. Big men in senior forward Jon Piccinich and sophomore forward Alex Lin were both unable to play in the loss, resulting in a dominating performance rebounding for Hackensack.

The long process that is the remainder of the season should be a little bit easier with Domville healthy. His return brings the presence of another powerful frontcourt player, such as Piccinich, which PV is lacking depth in.

“I think I will bring an inside presence off the bench on offense and strong defensive play in the paint,” said Domville.

Last season, Domville made a name for himself on the team by becoming a dominating big man with his dangerous combination of height, a strong set of post moves, solid defensive play, and a reliable mid-range jumper.

This year, he hopes to contribute much of the same to a team that has more experience and have found a way to use all of their different skills together to win the games they need to win.

Coming back and forcing a change to a team during a season that they have it all figured out can be risky, but that will not be a problem in this case.

“Having Domville back is definitely a positive because he is such a team oriented player,” said Coleman.

Changes will certainly come, however. In their upcoming games, the Indians will certainly look to adjust to having another frontcourt player by slowing down their game, playing more in the half court, and not relying so much on the three-pointer.

As far as his preparation goes, Domville is more than ready to get back on the court.

“I am hungry to play,” said Domville.

After the cancellation of their game against Garfield Saturday, PV lost an important home game before facing a stretch of some of the better teams in North Jersey.

The team’s next three regular season games are against fellow teams in The Record’s top 15 in #6 Wayne Hills (10-1), #5 Bergen Catholic (10-3), and #12 Northern Valley Old Tappan (9-3). PV will be playing against Wayne Hills at home, but the other two games are away.

Also, the Indians will have to juggle playing in the Bergen County Jamboree, looking to make a statement in the North Jersey hoops community.