By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
Despite posting yet another winning season (13-10), the Sacred Heart boys basketball team will enter the 2023-24 campaign hungry for more with a loaded returning squad.
Long-time head coach Brian Gormley returns to the helm for his 12th season leading the Knights, with a stellar overall record of 190-119.
This year’s Knights should be ready to compete right out of the gate, returning their whole starting five from a season ago.
G- Mike Matteucci (Sr)
G- Max Elrich (Sr)
F- Evan Bogart (Sr)
F- Jett Samuelson (Sr)
C- Jason Marrs (Sr)
The senior experience doesn’t stop there, as the Knights will look for big minutes off the bench from two more in Walker Tuttle and Luca Adami, as well as junior Carson Lehmann and sophomore Will Tuttle.
Ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, we had a chance to catch up with Coach Gormley and get his thoughts on this year’s squad.
Q: When you had a chance to look back on it, what were your overall thoughts on last season?
A: We really enjoyed coaching this group of players and will be lucky to do so again but to be completely honest, there was some disappointment with a 10-loss season. We don't do that at Sacred Heart, and this group was capable of scratching out a few more wins. I challenged myself to make some adjustments in the way I'm coaching them, especially in our practices.
Q: Entering this year, what would you say are the biggest known strengths of your team?
A: Without question, it is our experience. If experience is the best teacher, I have several players who should be basketball Ph. Ds. They have played significant varsity minutes the previous two seasons, and it is time for that experience to pay off.
Q: What are the biggest looming questions or challenges that you’ll look to sort out in these first few weeks?
A: When we analyzed last season, it became evident that our biggest trouble came when we faced quality interior players and this affected us on both sides of the court. No 6'6" player walked into our gym this season (although we picked up a nice 6'0" Italian foreign exchange student who will help us), so we have to figure out how to deal with that better this year. We saw real progress in this area throughout sub-state. Chase County was the number one seed and had two inside players who were taller than we were, and we handled that well, and while Bennington knocked us out I thought our guys did as well as could be expected dealing with one of the top inside players in the state in Eli Lawson.
Q: What are the biggest goals and expectations for this group heading into the new season?
A: To wake up everyday and enjoy being a part of the Sacred Heart basketball program.
The Knights open their season on the road at Clifton-Clyde this Friday.