Leopold maintains level of consistent competitiveness

The players change from year to year, but the results have remained steady for Leopold under longtime coach Carlton Thoma.

"I like to describe our team as being consistently competitive," Thoma said. "I think that has been proven out through the years, and that is the way I see this team."

Last year's Leopold squad was more than competitive within the Mississippi Valley Conference, as they shared the league title with Delta with 5-1 records.

"We had a lot of seniors last year who had not played much," Thoma said. "But they were a pleasant surprise and represented themselves well in the conference. We would have liked to have done better overall, though."

The Wildcats were under .500 overall (12-14), lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament and lost in the first round of the Class 1 district tournament.

Leopold lost its top two scorers, Brandon Bueter and Lucas Horrell, but it does return a pair of starters in seniors Kelly Stause and Michael Vandeven. Stause is a 6-1 post player, while Vandeven is a 5-10 guard.

"We are going to have to have some guys step up and pick up the scoring," Thoma said. "Kelly is going to give us a presence inside. He is bigger and stronger than he was last year. Michael is a good ballhandler and he can shoot it, too."

Juniors Alfred VanGennip and Victor Vandeven are expected to step into starting roles this season. VanGennip is a 6-3 post player. Vandeven, who is 5-10, will likely to start at the point.

Thoma said a group of three or four players are competing for the fifth starting spot.

"This is one of the hardest-working groups of guys I have ever had," Thoma said. "I really like their attitude and work ethic. We have some decent athletes and some good strength."

A lack of experience is one of the major concerns.

"We are green right now, and it has shown in practice," Thoma said. "We have a history of starting slowly and that could be the case again this year. But I think we could be good by the end of the year.

"I don't know how many games we will win but I would like to be competitive again in the conference and do better in the conference tournament. It would be nice to make some noise in the districts, too."

Leopold opens the season tonight against Meadow Heights.