Basketball looks to mix experience with new blood

Basketball looks to mix experience with new blood

With the team returning the two leading scorers from the past two years, the varsity boys basketball team looks to claim a district title — and perhaps much more.

Returning are the team’s top two scorers, seniors Austin Gillmann, who committed to St. Louis University this summer, and guard Ervin Sarajlic. Sarajlic averaged nearly 16 points a game last year. Gillmann almost averaged a double-double for the season with 12 points and nine rebounds a game.

“We should have experience and scoring to build off of last year,” said head coach Nick Traxler.

Along with Sarajlic and Gillmann, Carvon Robinson (11) comes back and is expected to play a big role on the team. In preseason scrimmages and jamborees Robinson has played well in all aspects of the game, rebounding, scoring, and dishing out assists.

Coach Traxler looks to build on the team’s defense and their ability to be patient on the offensive end of the court. Traxler hopes to shape the team with the help of coach Ken Libby, who is a new addition to the coaching staff. Libby is a very experienced coach.

“Coach Libby definitely adds experience and insight to the team,” Traxler said.

One other worry for this team is its depth. Coach Traxler looks to depend on his starters a lot this year, but he is impressed by the younger group of players, like Marquis Pepper (11), Jake Meier (11) and Haris Zeneli (10), who have bought into playing hard and aggressive.