By Chris Parker
El Dorado Springs has won at least 16 games three seasons in a row. Last year, the Bulldogs went 16-12.
Defense will be a hallmark of the El Dorado Springs boys basketball program once again this season.
“My goal is still the same and this is for our strength to be on the defensive side,” El Dorado Springs head coach David Rogers said. “I think we will have some matchup problems with our length for other teams. We are going to be a hard fighting physical team that gets after it.”
This season, four players with experience return including Joe Gordon (senior guard), Russell Ferguson (senior forward), Aidan Rotert (senior guard) and Karson Burley (junior guard).
Rogers on Gordon: “Joe is coming in as a two-year starter and taking on some new roles this season. I look for him to take on more of a leadership role as a senior and to elevate his game even more this year. He is someone that can score from anywhere on the floor and will be a match up problem for other teams. He brings speed and has been focusing on his outside game this off-season.”
Rogers on Ferguson: “Russell is coming off a successful season. He was our second-leading rebounder and led us in multiple games scoring. His game has grown and has become both an inside and outside threat for us. He is a leader for us and comes to work every day. He is a good rebounder and moves well around the basket. I look for him to play a major role in our success.”
Rogers on Rotert: “Aidan was our 5-6 man last season and looks to take on a full-time starting position this season. Aidan is a hard worker and flies around on defense. He brings a lot of issues to other teams’ guards and makes them work. His confidence grew this summer and offensively has grown a lot. He is another leader for us. He is a kid that doesn’t say much but lets his actions and work ethic speak for him. He is also another kid that is not afraid to get inside and mix it up and fight for the rebounds.”
Rogers on Burley: “Karson took some big steps forward for us the second half of the season. Settling down and finding himself and becoming more of a threat. He started to use his size to his advantage, and you could see his confidence grow. I look for him to be more physical and more of a downhill threat on the offensive side this season. I also look for him to create some matchup problems because he is a kid that can play inside and out as well.”
Parker Heitz (junior guard), Marcus Mossman (sophomore guard) and Graydee Wolfe (sophomore guard) all saw JV and some varsity last season.
Rogers on Heitz: “Parker is a kid that has been growing each year. We could see his confidence growing last season and as that happened, he became more of a leader for us. He finally hit a growth spurt this off-season and I expect him to compete at a high level for varsity time. His game has grown and he continues to get better.”
Rogers on Mossman: “Marcus is a strong athletic kid that works hard and does everything asked of him. He will be one that is competing for that fifth starting spot. I look for him to play the 3-4 spot and be a match-up issue for teams. He is a kid that is solid and gets after it on the court. He has spent a lot of time this off-season working on his skills and getting better.”
Rogers on Wolfe: “Graydee is another one that will be competing for that fifth spot on the starting lineup. He came on strong for us at the end of the season and had a good summer. He is continuing to get better and works hard. He is a kid with good speed and will be a threat as his skills continue to develop.”
While defense remains a focus, improved offense will also be an area to watch.
“Last season we focused a lot on defense, and we will continue to do that. However, we have to get better scores as a team,” Rogers said. “We have kids that can get 15-20 (points) a night. However, we need to be more of a team threat and when those kids step up, we will be hard to beat. Also, we have to improve at the (free throw) line. We have struggled with this for a while now and it’s something that must get fixed for us to be successful.”
El Dorado Springs opens the regular season Dec. 2-7 at the Diamond Tournament.
“I’m very excited about this team,” Rogers said. “It is a diverse team that has been working hard and putting time in. We are low on numbers with juniors and seniors with five total. However, we have roughly 20 freshman and sophomores. Both of these classes bring some good talent, and I look from them to push each other for time at the JV and Varsity level. I am excited to see these kids develop and where their skills take them this season. We have another tough schedule this year for us, and I am looking for us to grow from it. That is how we want it, and we want to be battle tested headed into the postseason. I’m looking forward to an exciting season and to represent our town and school in a positive way.”
