“Last season had a lot of ups and downs and changes for these guys, but they finished the season strong and one highlight was the gutsy performance in the first round playoff matchup against Breckenridge on their home floor in a hostile environment,” said Coach Cameron.  “A lot of young guys got a lot of varsity experience that will help us this season.”

Returning starters included seniors Owen Buehler (Guard) and Drew Johnson (Guard), and juniors Jack Mekalson (Guard) and Mason Dalluge (Guard).  Senior Jacob Radermacher (Forward) is a returning letter winner.

Key newcomers to the varsity roster include junior Aidan Buehler (Forward), sophomore Max Mekalson (Forward) and freshmen Bradyn Roisum (Forward) and Braxtyn Cameron (Guard).

“Even with our fourth coach in four years, I have high expectations for our team this year as we return four starters and one reserve that have a lot of varsity minutes under their belts,” noted Cameron.  “We are going to miss the toughness and leadership of senior Guard Bricker Bladow who will miss the season due to an injury sustained during the football season.  One strength of our team is going to be our length and athleticism.  We have 7 guys ranging from 6’2” to 6’5” that can defend any position on the court.  Our team’s success is going to ride on our teams’ ability to play unselfish basketball on both ends of the floor.  Our weakness is going to be the youth of the team after those first five guys.  Those inexperienced guys are going to have to learn what it takes to play at the varsity level in a hurry.”

Cameron says Hillcrest and Border West are the Little Eight Conference favorites, with BBE and Henning joining the Comets and Buccaneers as top teams in Section 6A.