From St Peter Newspaper Another Saints Preview Thanks to Pat Beck for this!
By Pat Beck pbeck@stpeterherald.com
Pat Beck
Posted on Nov 7, 2014by Pat Beck
St. Peter Boys Basketball
COACHES
Head coach: Sean Keating, 2nd season
Assistant coaches: Tyler Kaus, Neil Doose, Derek Homrighausen
"We return seven letter winners from last year's team," Keating said. "However, we only return 170 points of last year's team that scored a total of 1,677. We have four returning players that played significant minutes of last year's team, and they will be relied upon this season."
KEY PLAYERS
Noah Hildebrandt (Jr, F, lettered, "Noah is a strong rebounder and defensive player," Keating said. "He is a very cerebral player who is always in the right spot. This year he will be asked to increase his production on the offensive end while improving his ability to defend the other team's best player.")
Aaron Leeb (Jr, PG, lettered, "Aaron is our floor leader," Keating said. "Aaron has a great ability to handle the ball against pressure and make good decisions. His ability to penetrate the lane is phenomenal. He will need to continue to improve ways to score the basketball and make his teammates better by getting them the ball in spots where they can be successful.")
Colton Lusty - (Jr, F, lettered, "Colton has an ability to score and rebound the basketball," Keating said. "He has a unique ability to shoot for a player his size. He will need to work on his efficiency on the offensive end, and work to become an even more improved rebounder.")
Mitch Johnson - (Jr, G, letter, "Mitch started a few games last season," Keating said. "Mitch has the ability to fill it up from beyond the arc. He needs to improve his shooting mentality and continue to improve his ability to handle the ball against pressure and defend.")
KEEP YOUR EYE ON
Koleman Lund (Jr, F, lettered, "Koleman is a 6-foot-7 post who can really shoot the ball," Keating said. "As he grows into his body he has the potential to offer some sever mismatches for the opponent. We need him to control the rim on the defensive end"
Jack Olinger (Jr, G, lettered, "Jack is our most improved player," Keating said. "He has an ability to handle the ball, score via drive and the three point line. He has potential to keep getting better.")
Brady Hanson - (Jr, F, lettered, "Brady is a tough, physical player who brings a mentality we lack," Keating said. "He improved a lot over the course of last season and we are expecting more of that this season.")
Jordein Marquette (10th, So, "Jordein is a natural scorer," Keating said. "He needs to adapt to the physicality of the varsity level, but he has a unique ability to make big plays.")
Antoine Williams (10th, So., "Antoine is a tough player who has a nose for the ball," Keating said. "He is a tenacious rebounder who brings a lot of energy. The key for him will to be consistent and bring that effort on every possession.")
MOVED ON
Tommy Steidler, Kolin Bartlett, Cody Erickson, Brendan Reese, Nick Rosburg, Ben Johnson, Liban Omar, Tanner Nadeau, Ridwan Abdi
SEASON OUTLOOK
Last season: 14-15, State Tournament appearance, 3-7 conference record, placed 5th out of 6 in conference.
"Favorites in our subsection: Waseca, NRHEG, and WEM," Keating said. "Waseca returns the section's best player in Nick Dufault. NRHEG returns all their key players and has a lot of talent. WEM is an up and coming team that will be dangerous as well.
"Glencoe-Silver Lake is the favorite in the section as they return all their players from last season and they had a very productive summer season.
COMMENTS FROM THE COACH
"We have turned the page on last season's state tournament team. There is a saying that if you enjoy looking in the past, we can't expect much from you in the future. We have a very young and inexperienced team this season. As coaches we will have to be patient and extremely process-oriented in our teachings. Players will make mistakes and the key will be making sure they keep their confidence up and continue to persevere through those mistakes. We are excited to have some players that can really shoot the ball from the perimeter. We hope to play an up style tempo which is fun for the kids and the fans to watch.
"Most teams in our conference lost key seniors who were leading scorers. With a lot of youth around the conference the team that can learn the fastest will have an advantage. We believe if we win two out of the following three categories, we will have a great shot to win every night: rebounding, turnovers, and free-throws made. We lack the size we had last season, so our players will need to develop a toughness to rebound and win loose ball battles. If we can limit our turnovers and hang tough on the boards, I am excited about our ability to score and defend.
"We have two seniors out for basketball that have no varsity experience. So, we will expect a lot out of those key juniors that played significant minutes last year: Colton Lusty, Aaron Leeb, Noah Hildebrandt and Mitch Johnson. We need those players to continue to improve and emerge in our program. They are a great group of kids that I love coaching and I am excited about having them around for the next two seasons.
"We have 45 kids in grades 9-12 out for basketball, with close to 40 in 7th-8th grade as well. Numbers are high, which means St Peter basketball is healthy. Now we need to teach and instruct the best we ever have and keep working to have a fun and successful season." — Sean Keating, head coach
BY THE NUMBERS
70 — Colton Lusty is the highest returning point scorer, and he totaled 70 last season.
18 — Aaron Leeb had 18 assists last year. "We believe he could register well over a 100 this season," Keating said
1 — Aaron Leeb also registered nearly a steal a game last season.
10 — "We return as a team 10 percent of our scoring from last season," Keating said.
19 — "We averaged 19 turnovers a game last year in the regular season, and 12.3 TO/game in the playoffs," Keating said.
21 — "We open the season on the road Friday, Nov 21 at Medford, a section opponent," Keating said.
25 — "Our first home game is Tuesday, Nov. 25 versus USC," Keating said.
There is no St Peter Holiday Tournament this year.
www.southernminn.com/st_peter_herald/sports/article_2b2eba8c-fb8a-5465-91ec-476662429f82.html
