This year's edition of the St. Albert boys basketball team will be strikingly similar to the squad the Falcons put on the floor one season ago.

Included on the Falcon roster this season are five players who started in the 2005-06 campaign - four of which were Daily Nonpareil All-City Team selections. "We have got a lot of guys who have played plenty of varsity basketball and have a pretty good idea of what they need to do." said St. Albert coach Dale Scott. "Anytime you can get guys who have experience playing with each other, that's an invaluable asset to bring to the table."

The Falcons have several athletes who have played alongside each other quite a bit. C.J. Gradoville, Nolan Batten and Marc Baumert have been together the last three years in a row.

Baumert, a junior, has started since his freshman season and led the way for St. Albert last season on his way to being named an All-City First-Teamer. In his sophomore year, the 6-foot-4 Baumert led the Falcons in scoring with 12.5 points per game and rebounding with 5.8. "Marc's going into his third year as a starter for us, and we'll be counting on him for a lot of points,' Scott said. `He's pretty flexible. He's kind of a guard-post combo and he can play anywhere from a three to a five."

Gradoville returns for St. Albert after missing the end of last season due to injury. The 6-2 senior is also a three-year starter and heads into 2006 healthy and ready to play in the Falcon back-court.

"C.J. really didn't have a complete season last year (because of the injury), but it's big having him come back," said Scott.  "He's a very good shooter, and we're looking for a big season from him."

Batten, a 6'4 senior, will play down in the paint. giving the Falcons a solid physical presence in the post.

"Nolan is a good rebounder." Scott said.  "And we'll be counting on him on both ends of the floor ... offensively and defensively"

Other returning starters for the Falcons are 6-foot senior Doug Moran and 5-11 sophomore Matt Waters. Waters took over at point guard down the stretch last season with Gradoville out and will return to man the position this year.

"We return about 80% of our scoring from last year," Scott said.

"We still need improvement in our shooting percentage, but hopefully that becomes a strength for us.

"One of our themes is improving our shooting, and the guys have shown a pretty good work ethic with that."

Scott is also looking for key contributions from 6'1 guard Jake Brown, 6'1 post player Jake Hoffa and 6'4 post Matt O'Malley.  Brown and Hoffa are both seniors, while O'Malley is a junior.

Just like they have for the past four years, the Falcons will get a later start than most on the basketball season, as the football team made the state tournament and advanced all the way to the Dome in Cedar Falls.

For the third time in those four seasons, the Falcons won the semifinal round to make it to the state championship game, meaning their football season won't be over until Friday, Nov. 17.

The Falcons were able to reschedule their original opener and will instead start out the season with a home tilt against Riverside Dec. 1.  "It's something we're pretty well used to now,' said Scott, who is also an assistant coach on the football team. `A lot of our guys are multi-sport athletes, and they understand how to make the transition. "It takes a little bit of time, but it can be very valuable. You hope that the success carries over from football season and you can build on it.'

~Ryan Weatherill~ Staff Writer - Daily Nonpareil - 11.19.06