Boys Basketball: Marquette Relying on Rosburg

The primary thing every high school coach looks for from a young team is improvement throughout the season.

And that was certainly the case with the Marquette boy's basketball team last winter. The Mustangs, who usually started a freshman and a sophomore and had a couple of other underclassmen in their regular rotation, struggled at times during the early part of the season. But they finished very strong, winning eight of their last 10 games, including a win against a very good Webster Groves (27-3) team.

Marquette lost in the district finals against Parkway West and finished the season with a 15-13 overall record. The Mustangs were 4-4 in the Suburban West Conference.

Marquette may  be even younger than it was last season with only two seniors on its roster.

"We are still battling inexperience," Marquette head coach Shane Matzen said. "We will be patient with them. We don't expect to come out of the games with guns blazing."

Marquette returns only one full-time starter from last year. But junior Ryan Rosburg is a proven go-to player. Rosburg, who is 6-foot-9 and 235 pounds, is already getting some attention from Division I schools. He was a first-team all-conference performer as a freshman and sophomore. Last year, he led the Mustangs in scoring (14.6 per game) while shooting over 57 percent from the field and 73 percent from the line. He is on pace to break the school's all-time rebounding record, which is held by his brother Andy.

"Ryan is a guy who will do whatever we need him to do," Matzen said. "He is such a strong kid, but every summer he expands his game. He is a special player who always keeps his ego in check."

Marquette should be able to match up inside with just about any team in the area with players such as junior Alex Winter, who is another 6-foot-9 post player, and 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Matt Hink.

Junior Mitch Cox provides some experience at the guard spot. He started some games late last season. There is a lot of youth with the other guards, but also some potential with junior Jordan Singer, sophomore Chris Lenzen and freshman Garrett Roberts.

"It's probably going to come down to guard play for us," Matzen said. "I really like the guards but there is some inexperience. But guys like Jordan and Garrett are just so smart. We have a really smart team. I am very fortunate in the fact that none of the 15 kids on the roster have any grade concerns."

Perimeter shooting is probably the biggest question mark coming into this season. Parkway West sagged inside on Rosburg in the district finals last year, sometimes with four players, and Marquette could not hit the outside shot.

"I think our perimeter shooting is going to be improved this year," Matzen said. "I am looking forward to the season and see how these young players develop. I just want to be the best team we can be when it comes to February."