After a year that saw Breck finish with a 15-9 regular season record while playing a very competitive schedule, the Mustangs look to regroup and make a strong playoff push in 2018-19. They graduated some key pieces from last years team in Josh Roddy, Eric McDavid, and Jefferson Slocum, but return with a solid group that is ready to compete in the IMAC.
Their key player will be 6'5 forward David Roddy. David is one of the best players in all of Minnesota, and perhaps the most physically imposing. At 6'5 and about 245 pounds, David is nearly unstoppable inside without bringing a double team. Combining with his brute strength is great athleticism and footwork. He can score with his back to the basket, but also take defenders off the dribble using his quickness and ball handling. When he gets around the basket, he is an extremely explosive player who is capable of throwing down monstrous dunks off of two feet. David had a monster junior season which saw him put up a little over 25 ppg despite facing constant double teams. As a senior he'll likely put up similar scoring numbers, if not even greater, while continuing to open up scoring opportunities for his teammates by drawing in help defenders.
Benefiting from the attention David garners will be Joey Ganley. The 6'3 forward returns for his final season after averaging 12 ppg as a junior. Ganley does well to move off the ball when attention drifts to Roddy, allowing him to get a lot of good scoring opportunities. He is a solid athlete who possesses solid length as a 3/4 at the AA level, where he is able to defend multiple positions as well as pull in some rebounds.
Handling the ball for Breck will be sophomore Jaren Morton. At about 5'9, Jaren is a lightning quick guard with a good handle on the ball. He uses his quickness to be a pest on defense, where his active hands create a lot of turnovers and fast break opportunities for his team. As a freshman he was seen as more of a facilitator and role player in the offense, averaging 6.8 ppg. This season he could step up as the third scoring option for the Mustangs, and he'll have the green light to start being more aggressive and use his agility to find his own shot more often. His play with the Howard Pulley organization on coach Ken Maxey's 15u squad gave him a good experience playing alongside a lot of talented players, which will help him transition more easily into the high school season.
Besides those three mentioned, Breck doesn't return much else in terms of experience. Jimmy Koch has the chance to be effective as a freshman. Although he rarely played, he was on the varsity roster as just an 8th grader, which shows the potential and skill he possesses. He played with Howard Pulley's 14u team this past spring/summer. Alex Demaris will be a junior this year, and he brings good size at 6'5. He'll offer a second option to play center outside of David Roddy. Julian Bergerson saw minutes sparingly last season, but the 6'3 junior offers more length to the lineup, and should be a solid contributor this season.
As a first impression, there doesn't seem to be a lot of depth on this year's Breck team. But with a player like David Roddy, there doesn't necessarily need to be. Great players are always known to make others around them better, and David has the ability to do just that. With a few good players surrounding Roddy, this Breck team has a chance to make a good run in the AA playoffs, and potentially be a state ranked team.
Predicted Regular Season Record: 20-6
Predicted Scoring Leaders: David Roddy 28 ppg
Joey Ganley 15 ppg
Jaren Morton 10 ppg
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