(Guthrie Center) ACGC boys basketball coach Lance Kading believes his team returns the most talented and experienced roster they’ve ever had.
The Chargers won 10 games last year which was an all-time high in their five year history. They are striving for even greater heights this year. “We had a good summer. I’m really very excited for this year. We’ve talked about contending for a conference title. We think we can do it. There’s a couple really good teams at the top, but I think we are right there close to them. Anything can happen and we are ready to put in the work and see if we can get it done.”
Coach Kading looks for Eli Kading and Lucas March to be two of the main senior leaders. “Eli, I expect good things from him. He’s a pretty good rebounder for his size, shoots the three pretty well, and just senior leadership. Lucas Marsh, he was sick a lot of last year so his production wasn’t quite what it could’ve been. He’s a tough matchup for most bigs because he can step out away from the hoop and drive by them. A big smooth lefty and has a decent jump shot too.”
Miles Kading returns as the starting point guard. “He had a really good sophomore year. He was 6th in the conference in assists and 9th in steals. He shot the three-pointer at 36% with a 2.5-1 assist to turnover ration. He handles pressure really well and keeps everyone calm.”
They are hopeful Charlie Crawford can stay healthy. “An explosive, quick athlete. He gets to the rim at will. When he gets going he really has a pretty nice outside shot too. He’s explosive enough he can pull up and hit that mid-range jumper. I expect some big things from Charlie this year.”
Sophomore Ben Marsh, senior Newell Rogers, and senior Clayton Wardyn are all capable of contributing as well while sophomores Brock Littler and Austin Kunkle could also see some playing time. “I expect big things from this group. We are really learning to play together and trust each other. Our biggest thing is we don’t have a lot of size so we’ll have to rebound really well and want it more than the other team.”
The team is scheduled to open the season at home against Madrid on December 4th.
