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Putting a 3-16 record during the 2021-2022 season behind them, the Nedrose Cardinals have their sights set on making a splash in Class B competition as the new season approaches.
Guided by head coach Brock Zietz, the Cardinals hope to capitalize on a fresh start to Region 6 play by taking advantage of every opportunity, whether in practice or during games, to improve as a squad.
When asked about their primary goals for the upcoming season, Coach Zietz highlighted this focus by commenting, "One of our big goals this year is going to be committing to the process of getting better as a team and making sure we are doing the little things every single day."
To help facilitate this growth and team improvement, Zietz will lean heavily on contributions by senior forward Mitch Heinert, senior guard Josh Kalamaha, and junior guard Keaton Cole.
Highlighting his expectations for the three Cardinals pillars, Zietz emphasized, "These three guys saw significant playing time at the varsity level last year, and I am hoping that these three are our core leaders this year on the court."
Having graduated a number of seniors from last year's team, the Cardinals will rely heavily on their junior varsity and younger players to step in and fill a variety of roles for the program at the varsity level this year.
Although not having a practice as of yet leading up to the 2022-2023 schedule, Zietz spotlighted the fact that much of the Cardinals' success this year will hinge on their commitment to the defensive end on every possession.
Giving some insight into how he plans to implement this philosophy into his gameplan, Zietz would only say, "We are hoping to use our athleticism to get up and pressure teams and create some turnovers."
On the offensive side of the ball, Zietz noted that for the Cardinals to be successful, it was imperative for them take care of the ball and look to attack the rim more than they did last year.
Despite their first practice still two weeks away, Zietz has seen a noticeable difference in the team's athleticism from last year that he believes will translate over to more wins for the program.
Going into more depth about his observations, Zietz explained, "I think we are faster and stronger than we were a year ago. I am hoping that we have matured in our game more this year by being able to make better decisions with the ball and play without any reservation."
The Cardinals kick off the 2022-2023 season on the road at the Velva Tournament on Dec. 12.