Ready to roll

Call it the great unknown. There are many seasons where Sauk Prairie boys basketball coach Sean McGann has a good idea where his Eagles will fit in the Badger Small Conference race. This is not one of those years. Sauk Prairie brings back two starters from last year’s team that went 12-13 overall and finished third in the league at 8-6. One week into the season, McGann admits he has no idea what to expect from his 2024-’25 Eagles. “I am not sure where we fit into the conference,” said McGann, whose team started its new season Tuesday at Watertown. “I could legitimately see us anywhere. We are just going to put our heads down, compete, and see where that puts us at the end of the year.” The Eagles do return one of the top guards in the conference in Nic Keyser. The senior was second on the team in scoring last year at 11.3 points per game, first in assists (2.4) and third in rebounding (4.5). “Nic is one of the fastest kids with the ball in the open floor,” McGann said. “He is athletic enough to get by people and make plays.” Junior Otis Andres (3.6 ppg) steps into the starting point guard role and McGann is expecting big things from him. “Otis is rock solid as a lead guard,” McGann said. “He can shoot it, pass it, and make great decisions. He is a very tough competitor.” Senior guard Braden Schaaf (2.0 ppg) is one of the tougher players you’ll find. “What Braden lacks in size, he makes up for in toughness,” McGann said. “He is gritty and plays hard on every possession. He is a great on ball defender and has stepped up vocally a lot for us so far.” Junior forward Jake Buckles (2.5 ppg) is an experienced player who will give the Eagles a post presence. “Jake Buckles is also another guy who played meaningful minutes for us last year,” McGann said. “He is as fierce of a competitor as I have coached and a coach’s dream. You never have to talk about effort with him.” Senior forward Casey Brickl and sophomore forward Brenden Marquardt will also play key roles. Senior forward Trent Backeberg is a newcomer McGann believes will provide a lift. “He can stretch the floor, he’s long, and has a new level of confidence as a senior,” McGann said of Backeberg. Elijah Ashley and Casey Brickl are returning senior forwards that seem poised to play greater roles. Junior guard Boden Breunig and sophomore forward Brendan Marquardt are two newcomers McGann says “will make an impact for us.”  “Boden can shoot the ball at a high rate and Brendan can impact the game in many ways with his length,” McGann said. McGann believes his team will be a dangerous 3-point shooting team and could be extremely tough on the defensive side. “We have four, five guys who are capable of making multiple 3’s on a regular basis,” McGann said. “I truly think we have a team that could be the best defensive team I have coached so far. If that happens or not, is totally up to them.” On the flip side, the Eagles will be undersized in the backcourt, which McGann knows will present challenges. “At this point in time, I would say I am most concerned about our rebounding,” McGann said. “We will be small at the guard position, but have some nice size inside.  “Whether we can get those players to buy into controlling the glass will be something we learn throughout the year.”