Don't try to convince Bruce Valleroy that you can't learn a lot from a difficult season.

The long-time St. Vincent boys basketball coach knew exactly what his team's focus would be this season following last year's frustrating 5-18 campaign.

"I call it 'CIC'," Valleroy explained. "Confidence, intensity and consistency. That is going to be our season right there. If we can play with confidence, intensity and consistency, then we'll be all right."

Consistency, he said, would be the key. It's something the Indians sorely missed last season when injuries forced Valleroy to constantly change his starting lineup. He hopes the resulting experience will serve the Indians well this time around.

"We looked good at times," Valleroy said, "but when we made a mistake, we let it bother us."

There were many times last season when a poor two- or three-minute interval would squander whatever momentum the Indians worked so hard to develop. Too often, the result was an insurmountable deficit.

"Teams go on 8-0, 10-0 runs, and we couldn't recover from that," Valleroy said. "We played them even the rest of the game, but we couldn't recover from that."

That's why Valleroy has stressed consistency from Day 1 of practice. The Indians lost just one starter from a year ago, and Valleroy hopes a year of maturity will help his still-youthful squad.

Players to watch

Senior forward Trevor Leible earned all-conference honorable mention last season after averaging about 10 points per game. He's started the past two seasons and, along with junior center Luke Wibbenmeyer, gives the Indians an athletic inside presence.

Junior guards Darren Ernst and Blake Hellman also played substantial minutes for the Indians last season, along with senior forwards Jordan Rellergert and Joe Whistler. Junior Tyler Unterreiner returns after a sprained ankle early last season curtailed his development.

The key for the Indians' success might hinge on junior point guard Tyler Monier. A three-sport athlete, Monier has been beset by injuries throughout his high school career. He's torn his ACL twice and suffered a concussion that kept him out of action for two weeks.

"He's probably the best athlete in the school," Valleroy said.

Others to provide depth for the Indians include juniors Mitchell Dobbelare, Blake Hennemann and Riley Riehn.

One bright spot: Valleroy can select from nine players from his 11-man roster that have started at one time or another the past few years.

"We have some experience on the varsity, but they've been thrown to the wolves earlier than they should have been," he said.

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Class 2 District 3

Conference

Jefferson County Activities Association -- Small Schools Division

Head coach

Bruce Valleroy

(23rd year)

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ROSTER

Player Year

Trevor Leible 12

Jordan Rellergert 12

Joe Whistler 12

Mitchell Dobbelare 11

Darren Ernst 11

Blake Hellman 11

Blake Hennemann 11

Tyler Monier 11

Riley Riehn 11

Tyler Unterreiner 11

Luke Wibbenmeyer 11

STARTERS GONE

Kaleb Schnurbusch

STARTERS BACK

Trevor Leible

Luke Wibbenmeyer

Joe Whistler

Jordan Rellergert

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SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time

12/1 Rolla "Duke Herbert" Tourn.

12/15 North County 7:30 p.m.

12/17 @Leopold 7:30 p.m.

12/21 @Valle Catholic 7:30 p.m.

12/26 Valle Catholic Tourn.

1/4 Bismarck 7:30 p.m.

1/5 Jefferson 7:30 p.m.

1/8 Crystal City 7:30 p.m.

1/11 Oak Ridge 7:30 p.m.

1/15 @Oran 7:30 p.m.

1/26 @Ste. Genevieve 7:30 p.m.

1/30 vs. Perryville 3:30 p.m.

2/1 @Windsor 7 p.m.

2/5 St. Pius X 7:30 p.m.

2/9 @Herculaneum 7:30 p.m.

2/12 @Grandview 7:30 p.m.

2/15 Fredericktown 7:30 p.m.

2/16 @Kingston 7:30 p.m.

2/18 @Meadow Heights 7:30 p.m.

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LAST SEASON

LEADERS

Points: Trevor Leible (10 ppg)

Rebounds: Luke Wibbenmeyer (4.6 rpg)

Assists: Tyler Monier (3.4 apg)

RECORD

5-18