08-09 Classic Suburban Preview

We continue our previews of the 08-09 season with a look at the Classic Suburban.

Henry Sibley Warriors (2007 Season 26-6 AAAA State Runner-Up, 15-1)
The Warriors lose their starting backcourt of Peter Leslie and Noah Kaiser. Leslie's toughness and ball handling will be sorely missed. Kaiser's length and spot as one of the best role players around will also be missed. They also lose reserve post players Kavon Martin and Marcus Garcia who saw plenty of minutes last season. Most teams would have trouble replacing that. But life is good if you're coach Tom Dasovich. He returns the biggest front line in the state with 4 D1 college prospects on it: Mike Rostampour, Jake Kreuser, Chris Halvorsen and Mike Bruesewitz. Juniors Rostampour and Kreuser are ready to break out. Seniors Halvorsen and Bruesewitz are returning starters. Bruesewitz, a Wisconsin commit, is smart and tough and does a little of everything. Halvorsen, a Valpo commit, can jump out of the building. Maurice Hernandez returns as their top shooter. He's a very underrated guard. Point guard will be a work in progress for them.

Tartan Titans (2007 Season 21-7, 12-4)
Tartan returns one of the elite scoring guards in Northern Iowa recruit Marc Sonnen. They also return a load of talent in the sophomore and junior classes. Juniors Manani Beavers and Tim Lubke saw plenty of varsity minutes last year. Sophomore twins Luke and Drew Preiner are very talented and should see increased minutes this season. They lose their post players Shawn Marlowe and James Pritschet which will make them very perimeter oriented.

St. Thomas Academy Cadets (2007 Season 24-7 AAA Runner-Up, 13-3)
The Cadets lose a couple of important players from last year's squad. Post Alex Schneider is gone along with guard Fritz Valdvogel. They do return 4 noteworthy contributors from last season. Mike Fitzgerald is a long 6'5 shooter. Jake Szymanski is a defensive stopper. Mike Ratelle and Tom Anderson also return at the guard spots. Junior Will Patt looks to be an inside presence to replace Schneider. Valdvogel's ability to apply defensive pressure on opposing point guards will be missed. They'll still be tough defensively, but will need to generate their offense from the outside.

Richfield Spartans (2007 Season 13-14, 10-6)
Continuing the theme of small teams, Richfield also lacks size. But they have a ton of small and quick guards. Despite the loss of leading scorer DeAaron Hearn who transfered to Washburn, offense won't be hard to come by. Junior Jay Sewer had a big summer. Renard Robinson will be their power forward at 6'2, but he's one of the better rebounding guards around. Chris Williams and Philip Freeman also return. Shooter Chris Daly graduated so they'll have to find someone who can consistently make the 3.

Mahtomedi Zephyrs (2007 Season 12-14, 6-10)
The Zephyrs lose Anthony Kelley but do return Tyler Carlson and Zach Goodwin. Last year they finished 4-9 and were down 21 at haftime to a 5-21 Highland Park team in their opening round tournament loss.

Simley Spartans (2007 Season 11-16, 8-8)
The Spartans lose 3 of their top 4 scorers, but do return guard Thomas Sims.

North Polars (2007 Season 4-23, 3-13)
The Polars lose only 1 senior so look for them to be improved. Keep an eye on Charlie Choinere for them.

Hill-Murray Pioneers (2007 Season 6-22, 5-11)
The Pioneers lose post man Peter McKeown and guard Troy Larson. They'll look for contributions from young players like Tim Markoe and Rob Daul.

South St. Paul Packers (2007 Season 3-24, 0-16)
They lose leading scorer Matt Kronberg. Expect another very long season in S. St. Paul.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Henry Sibley
2. Tartan
3. St. Thomas Academy
4. Richfield
5. Mahtomedi
6. Simley
7. North
8. Hill-Murray
9. South St. Paul
   

Player of the Year: Mike Bruesewitz - Henry Sibley

Games that will determine the conference title

• Sibley at Tartan - January 6th
  
• Tartan at St. Thomas Academy - January 9th
• Sibley at St. Thomas Academy - January 16th
• St. Thomas Academy at Tartan - February 10th
  

Non-Conference Games to Watch

• Sibley at Apple Valley - December 5th
  
• Osseo at Sibley - December 9th
• St. Thomas Academy at Cretin-Derham Hall - December 12th
• Tartan vs St. Cloud Tech - December 13th at Marshall (Breakdown Tipoff Classic)
  
• Sibley at Minnetonka - December 16th
• Minneapolis Patrick Henry at St. Thomas Academy - December 20th
  
• Sibley vs Minnetonka rematch - December 30th (Bethel championship, projected title game)
• Owatonna vs Richfield - Owatonna holiday tournament
• Sibley vs Madison Memorial - January 3rd at Target Center (Timberwolves Shootout)
  
• Hopkins at Sibley - January 9th
• Minnehaha Academy at St. Thomas Academy - January 31st
• Rocori at Richfield - February 7th