Head coach and  teacher Drew Halvorson said, ¨I’m very optimistic about the talent we have on the team, and I think we have some size and good athletes. I think we have all the pieces we need to have a successful season.¨ When asked about who he thinks the key players for his team are, Halvorson said, ¨I would say our five starting players. Brysen Kachel is a returning first team all state player who is going to  be key for us both inside and out on both offense and defense. He’s really a complete player, a very strong guy. We are gonna need him to score the ball and get a lot of rebounds for us to be successful. Austin Simmons, 6’4”, [a] really good athlete, as well as a good football player. His athleticism really translates from football to basketball as far as being able to run and having ball skills. Jackson Strandy,  6’3 wing, is a big guy. He can jump and dunk, but can also shoot the 3, and he is good at helping us block shots as well.  Owen Hopkins is a returning first team all league player, his shooting and scoring will work for us to stretch defenses and be successful in the air. Point Guard Gavin Aguilar is a lightning quick player, if he can take care of the ball and play great defense we can be successful this year” Halvorson said. He was very confident coming into the game and his gut feeling was right when the Bulldogs defeated Newburg with a final score of 68-53.