Notre Dame Boys Basketball Preview

Conference: SEMO Conference

Coach: Paul Unterreiner, 1st year

District: Class 4 District 1

Schedule:

December 5, 2014 Friday Charleston Away 6 p.m.

December 8-12, 2014 Monday-Friday SEMO Conference Tournament Sikeston TBA

December 16, 2014 Tuesday New Madrid County Central Away 6 p.m.

December 19, 2014 Friday Sikeston Away 6 p.m.

December 22, 2014 Monday Scott County Central Home 6 p.m.

December 26-30, 2014 Friday-Tuesday Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament Show-Me Center TBA

January 8-10, 2015 Thursday-Saturday Springfield Catholic Invitational Tournament Springfield TBA

January 15, 2015 Thursday Kennett Home 6 p.m.

January 22, 2015 Thursday Advance Away 6 p.m.

January 23, 2015 Friday Saxony Lutheran Home 5 p.m.

January 27, 2015 Tuesday Central (Park Hills) Home 6 p.m.

January 30, 2015 Friday Jackson Away 6 p.m.

February 3, 2015 Tuesday Cape Central Away 6 p.m.

February 6, 2015 Friday Bernie Away 6 p.m.

February 13, 2015 Friday Poplar Bluff Away 6 p.m.

February 17, 2015 Tuesday Farmington Home 6 p.m.

February 20, 2015 Friday DeSoto Home 6 p.m.

February 24, 2015 Tuesday Dexter Home 6 p.m.

February 26, 2015 Thursday DeSmet Away 5 p.m.

Roster:

No. Player Year Height

2 Blake Bauwens 10 5'11

4 Brendan Boswell 12 5'9

10 Grant Ressel 12 5'11

12 Andrew LeGrand 11 5'9

14 Ross Essner 11 5'11

20 Tanner Shively 12 6'3

22 Chase Urhahn 12 5'11

24 Quinn Poythress 12 6'7

30 Trenton Schumer 12 6'4

32 Josh Seabaugh 11 5'11

34 Bobby Jansen 12 6'4

40 Thomas Himmelberg 12 6'3

42 Derek Hulshof 12 6'2

44 Dean Crippen 12 6'5

50 Nick Bradshaw 12 6'2

Returning starters: Quinn Poythress, Grant Ressel, Dean Crippen, Chase Urhahn

Starters lost: Jordan Barber

Last year's record: 17-8

Postseason result: Lost to Central 51-49 in district semifinals

Last year's leaders:

Points: Quinn Poythress (16.8 ppg)

Rebounds: Poythress (5.4 rpg)

Assists: Grant Ressel (3.2 apg)

Team outlook

Youth won't be an excuse for the Notre Dame boys basketball team this season.

The Bulldogs return 11 seniors to this year's squad, including four starters, but first-year coach Paul Unterreiner believes it will take an entire team in order for Notre Dame to succeed.

"I'm really looking for a strong cast of everyone," Unterreiner said. "One thing I've preached all season so far and all summer long is I don't care who scores the dang ball. We're going to put points on the board, and if none of us care who's scoring, we're going to be just fine."

Unterreiner served as an assistant under former coach Kevin Roberts, who led the Bulldogs for six seasons before stepping down from his position in March to move to St. Louis and be closer to family.

Unterreiner said this year's squad is developing camaraderie and is beginning to learn the values of being more than just teammates.

"We've got a lot of guys that have a lot of good experience in close games and some heartaches. I think when you go through tough times, you grow, not only as people but as basketball players," Unterreiner said. "... A lot of these guys have played together for a long time, and I think they're starting to realize the importance of each other on that team."

The Bulldogs begin the season Dec. 5 against host Charleston. Unterreiner believes the key to overcoming obstacles rests on his players' ability to block out the noise and trust one another.

"It's no different than a family in life. When you go through hard times, you've always got your family to fall back on," Unterreiner said. "That's what I'm trying to teach these guys. This is their family.

"There can be a lot of pressure put on high school basketball players, especially here at Notre Dame, where a lot of the attention is directed towards the basketball program and a lot of eyes are on it. When it comes down to it, it's just high school baketball, and these guys just need to realize, 'Hey, let's go out there, be together and have fun, and whatever happens, happens. We'll be alright.'"

District breakdown

The Bulldogs will look to return to the Class 4 District 1 title game for the first time since 2012.

Unterreiner believes the district is one of the most competitive in the state.

"We've got a heck of a district and a heck of a conference," Unterreiner said. "I'll put our conference up with any conference in the state of Missouri, and I'd say our district is just as tough as any district in the state of Missouri as well in Class 4."

As a second seed in the semifinals of last year's district tournament, Notre Dame was defeated 51-49 by third-seeded Central.

With a field that includes perennial power Sikeston, Unterreiner anticipates another challenging season in district play.

"It's going to be fun. I'm really looking forward to it," Unterreiner said. "I don't think any of these teams in our district are scared of it. I think they look forward to it, and they realize that the winner of our district has a good chance against anybody in the state of Missouri."

Looking back

Notre Dame finished last season with a 17-9 record, but Unterreiner said the team experienced plenty of ups and downs.

"We had some success early, and then whenever we hit a bump in the road, I don't know that we handled it the best, as far as being able to move on and turn the page," Unterreiner said. "We kind of just let things snowball. I think that was a great learning experience for us."

-- Trent Singer