The Sandburg men’s basketball team opens its 19th season under coach Ryan Twaddle this weekend.
The Chargers will host Culver-Stockton JV at 1 p.m. Sunday in the back end of a men’s/women’s doubleheader against the Wildcats.
Sandburg’s roster features five returning players and nine new faces to the program. The Chargers will have short trips to play Nov. 7-8 in the Black Hawk Classic and Nov. 12 at Spoon River before returning home to host Madison on Nov. 15.
KEY RETURNERS
Ralph Wires (Quincy, Ill./Quincy), 5-foot-10 sophomore guard
• Averaged 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and a team-leading 3.3 assists in 31 games (30 starts) as a freshman.
• Scored in double figures in four of the Chargers’ last five games, including a season-high 20 points in the Region 4 quarterfinals at Madison.
Larry Olivier Jr. (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island), 6-0 sophomore guard
• Averaged 6.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 30 games as a freshman.
• Hit five 3-pointers and tied his season high with 17 points in a win over Olive-Harvey to close the regular season.
Matt Bockman (Decorah, Iowa/Decorah), 6-2 sophomore guard
• Played in all 31 games (12 starts) as a freshman, averaging 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds.
Camron Williams (Peoria Heights, Ill./Peoria Heights), 6-4 sophomore guard
• Played in 29 of 31 games as a freshman, reaching double figures on two occasions.
KEY NEWCOMERS
Rylan Carton (Sherrard, Ill./Sherrard), 6-6 freshman forward• Class 2A second-team all-state selection by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and honorable mention all-state pick by the Associated Press.
• Led Sherrard to a program-high 30 wins while setting school records for points in a season (702) and game (45, in a regional title victory).
• Hit buzzer-beating jumper in overtime to send the Tigers to a sectional semifinal victory over Downs Tri-Valley.
Lewis Siegfried (Niota, Ill./West Hancock), 6-3 freshman guard• IBCA Class 2A all-state special mention as a senior at West Hancock.
• Averaged 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists while making 75 3-pointers and leading the Titans to a conference title.
• Named to all-tournament teams at the Crimson Classic, Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament and Hancock County Invitational Tournament.
Gavin Grothaus (Dallas City, Ill./West Hancock), 6-3 freshman guard• Averaged 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a senior at West Hancock.
• All-West Central Conference selection as a junior and senior.
Ashton Grieves (Metamora, Ill./Metamora), 6-3 freshman guard• Second-team All-Mid-Illini Conference selection last season after helping the Redbirds finish 26-7 and reach the Class 3A Sweet 16.
• Scored a team-high 16 points in a regional championship win over Morton.
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS SEASON?
Twaddle: “We want to build off the success we had last season in winning 18 games on the year and having just one home loss.”
THIS WILL BE A SUCCESSFUL SEASON IF …
Twaddle: “We’ll be successful if we continue to grow and play together on both ends of the court.”
GAMES TO WATCH
• Nov. 15 vs. Madison (Chargers basketball alumni reunion and Paint the House Red Day)
• Nov. 29 vs. 18th-ranked St. Louis
HOW TO FOLLOW THE CHARGERS
• Watch Chargers home games live and on-demand on the Sandburg YouTube channel.
• Sign up for SportReporting to get free text and/or email notifications of Chargers game results.
• Follow @SandburgNJCAA on Twitter.
• Like @sandburgchargers on Facebook.
• Follow @sandburgchargers on Instagram.
***Courtesy of Sandburg***
