Lincoln will be in a rebuilding mode coming off of a 25-2 season. The Cardinals graduated all but four players that saw varsity time last year. Those nine seniors took with them 87% of the points scored by Lincoln last year.
“That senior group meant a lot to our basketball program. It was a special group that changed the program and the culture here at Lincoln High School, not only in basketball but in all our other sports. Last season, our seniors lost five games in football basketball and baseball combined,” Lincoln head coach Tyler Burke said. “That group was relied upon to play from their freshmen year all the way through their senior year. It is sad to see them go, but it will be refreshing to have a new group with a chance to represent us at the varsity level and continue that tradition.”
Four seniors in Derek Stephens, Grant Eifert, Corbin Reese and Tyler Reinke will be the leaders of this year’s edition of the Cardinals.
“They got to play behind a strong group of kids for the last few years,” Burke said. “They don’t have as much varsity experience as we would like, but we know they are ready. They will also provide us with size that we haven’t put on the floor in a long time at Lincoln High School.”
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Stephens is the top returner player on the stat sheet after averaging 4.3 points per game last year. He led the team in rebounding with 5.4 per game. Eifert and Reese scored 3.6 and 2.6 points per game last year, respectively.
Jackson Beaman, Bo Kroenke, Nate Hesse, Parker Engles and Tanner Bays are a strong group of sophomores Burke will rely on. Juniors Evan Schweddler and Nathan Jobe have shown improvement and will factor into the varsity equation as well.
Lincoln may be flying under the radar after graduation a strong senior class, but Burke still has high expectations for his team.
“I think we will have a strong team that has the potential to compete at the conference and district level. We are probably underestimated with everyone knowing we just lost eight Seniors that helped us win 47 games in two years,” Burke said. “As we gain experience and develop through the year I am excited to see what this team can become and how far we can go. Until then, it will be good for us to be hungry to improve.”
Lincoln opens the season on Nov. 21 at Osceola.
