The Aberdeen Roncalli boys’ basketball team enters the upcoming season planning to improve on last season’s record, and with plenty of returning talent, head coach Dan Gallagher expects to do just that.
“We had a team meeting a couple of weeks ago, just kind of going through some (expectations),” Gallagher said. “We discussed that we plan on playing deep into March, and I think that comes with a lot of experience coming back.”
The Cavaliers return four starters from last season, bringing high expectations into the season, according to Gallagher. Among those back is leading scorer and last season’s team MVP, senior Maddox Miller, who Gallagher says has a variety of skills.
“He does a lot of things really well, (including) shooting,” Gallagher said. “He’s a sticky defender and he can stay with a lot of guys, but he has a great knack for where the ball needs to go and when he needs to come get the ball, so he’s going be a key piece for us.”
Senior Keegan Stewart, who was the Cavaliers leading scorer two years ago, returns to the court this season after missing last season with an injury, while fellow senior Caden Shelton rounds out the senior starters. Junior Aiden Fisher enters his second year as a starter and will be in charge of the point guard duties, while 6-foot-5 junior Parker Grieben will anchor the post for the Cavaliers in his first season as a starter.
Gallagher expects Grieben and Fisher to step into larger roles this season.
“(Parker) didn’t really see many varsity minutes last year, if any, but he’s really excelled,” Gallagher said. “He has such a knack for the game and great IQ; just a really intelligent player, so were going to operate a lot with him. Aiden Fisher is one that he’s played so much, but his role is definitely going to increase this year. We kind of relied on him as more of a facilitator and a defender last year, but he’s a great scorer. He has the potential to go off for 15-20 (points) any night with his shooting (and) with his driving ability.”
Gallagher noted sophomores Jesse Hernandez and Bryson Olson will also see some playing time this season to give the team more depth off the bench.
When it comes to the schedule, Gallagher is excited to see how the Cavaliers look early in the season. Roncalli opens its campaign at Redfield on Friday, before hosting Mobridge-Pollock on Tuesday.
The Cavaliers will then play Dell Rapids in the Cavalier Classic on Saturday, Dec. 16 before traveling to rival Groton on Dec. 21.
Gallagher says the team will be tested early before the Christmas holiday.
“It’s going to be a fun first couple of weeks. We get three really quality opponents off the bat,” Gallagher said. “We’re going to really get to see who we are and what we’re able to do before Christmas even comes around, so it’s going to be fun for us to see.”
Gallagher, who enters his third season as the head coach, says he has learned a lot in his first two years that has prepared him for this season, including the speed of the game.
“In the first year I think I was kind of caught off guard as far as how fast it’s played, what type of adjustments need to be made,” Gallagher said. “Last year I was able to see what our players are capable of doing. I think it also just taught me that sometimes too much coaching is a bad thing.”
This season, Gallagher said he is willing to let the players have more freedom on the court to use their abilities in the best way possible, while still making adjustments when the team needs them.
“Any coaching I need to do in the game is more of correction from what we missed in practice,” Gallagher said. “So, the less coaching I have to do during the game, the better. I think last year was really the eye-opener for that one.”
Although the Cavaliers expectations are high, the goal for the season is simple.
“Our goal every day is just to get one percent better. That’s kind of where our focus has been,” Gallagher said. “Every day, if we can get that one percent better, if we can just keep building, we’re going to peak by the time we want to be at our best, and that’s late into March, when we expect to be playing.”
