Northwest Suburban Conference Boys Basketball: New Chances For Armstrong Players

High School sports programs can run into this once in a while if not often - heavy turnover.

The Robbinsdale Armstrong's Boys Basketball team faces that challenge this season after losing five top scorers from last year.

"We have an inexperienced team as we only have one returning starter," Falcons Coach Greg Miller said. "We do have talented players."

Forwards Konner Goettsche and Mitch Biewan will need to step up for the Falcons. Ibrahim Cisse will fill the middle at center and Nick O'Hara will take over at point guard.

All-time leading scorer and rebounder Marquel Curtis graduated. He helped the Falcons go 18-10 overall last year and win a section tournament game against Minneapolis North. The Falcons also lost KJ Bluford and Levi Abercrombie at graduation.

The season tips off on Thursday for the Falcons at Anoka.

TEAMS TO WATCH

Osseo -  The Orioles plowed through the NWSC at 19-1 last season and took third at state, but they lost their top two scorers from that team. They have plenty of returning talent in Bridge Tusler, DJ Herbert and Michael Brush.

Maple Grove - The Crimson look to keep improving under second-year coach Nick Schroeder. Bryce Wojta returns to the lineup after averaging 15-plus points per game last season for a team that increased their win total by 14 from the year before.

Champlin Park - The Rebels took second in the NWSC last year, but they lost four of their top scorers. They do have their second top scorer Anthony Hill returning. 

KEY RETURNERS

Bridge Tusler (Osseo) - A tough defensive player who can hit clutch shots.

Bryce Wojta (Maple Grove) - Averaged more than 15 points per game for the Crimson last season.

Anthony Hill (Champlin Park) - Can provide a scoring punch for the Rebels with top scorers gone from last year's team. He had 14.6 points per game last year.

Konner Goettsche (Armstrong) - He had 136 rebounds and 4.6 points per game last year. He will be looked to for providing a bigger scoring punch this year.

KEY LOSSES

Marquel Curtis (Armstrong) - The all-time leading scorer and rebounder leaves big shoes to fill for the Falcons. He provided a whopping 25.2 points per game, 64 steals, 120 assists and 321 rebounds last year.

Zach Romashko (Blaine) - He led the second-place Bengals with 21.7 points per game.

Johnny Sonnenfeld  (Osseo) - He lead the team with 17.4 points per game, and he captured 197 rebounds.

Terez Vanpelt (Osseo) - He scored 16.2 points per game and dished out 168 assists during the season.

Levi Abercrombie (Armstrong) - He provided 13.3 points per game and 130 assists for the Falcons.

KJ Bluford (Armstrong) - He gave the Falcons a scoring threat with 17.8 points per game and had 44 steals.

PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ian Theisen (Osseo) - The Orioles center will play a key role in their success this season. He had 145 rebounds, 27 blocks and averaged 8.7 points per game last season. He will likely have more offensive prowess this season with the top two scorers graduated.