Red Bud returns three starters from last year’s squad that compiled a record of 20-10 and won the Trico Pioneer Invitational Tournament.
The Musketeers won 13 of its last 17 games before falling to Pinckneyville in the 2A Pinckneyville Regional.
“Hopefully we can build on the momentum we had going at the end of last season, but we are really going to miss those three seniors (Chance Albertson, Tim Conway and Dan Schrader),” said Red Bud coach David Gillingham. “Rebounding is always a concern with our lack of size especially with the loss of Conway and Albertson. Those two along with Schrader were great leaders and defensive players, plus we will miss their presence in practice.”
This year’s Red Bud team will feature just three seniors, but a bunch of talented juniors.
Returning starters include seniors Stefan Gregson (6’1) and Kory Liefer (5’10) and junior Adam Kunkel (5’10).
“Gregson is an aggressive rebounder and excellent anticipator on the back line of our zone defense,” said Gillingham. “He can really heat it up when he gets a clean look behind the arc and has worked on his mid-range game. He’s working on taking the ball to the basket more which is good because he’s a 79 percent free throw shooter. Liefer is our second leading scorer coming back averaging 10.2 points a game last season. He has good quickness, strength and desire that enables him to create shots for himself and teammates off of penetration. He also gained confidence in his shooting last year. Kunkel was out top scorer last year and really developed into one of the top all-around guards in southern Illinois. He will play a lot of point on our ball press defense which should allow him transition scoring opportunities which he excels at thanks to his superb quickness and explosiveness. Adam steps up when we need him to and has a knack of making big plays late in the games.”
Other potential starters and contributors for the Musketeers this season will be senior Rhett Ringering (6’1) and juniors Jordan Buch (5’10), Jake Hoffman (6’2), Kollin Liefer (5’10), Tyler Magruder (5’8) and Brennan Porter (6’0).
“Rhett showed some flashes this summer of the player we need him to be,” added Gillingham. “Improved strength has improved his rebounding, passing and ability to take the ball to the basket. He understands his role and responsibilities on both ends as well as any of our players. He’s a great teammate. Buch has the tools, especially quickness, to be a big piece of our puzzle on both ends of the court once he gains some confidence. Along with Ringering, he is one of the keys to our success this year.

Jake is a quality athlete who really came on at the end of last season thanks to improved practice habits. He is a deadly shooter who also has strength to score in the paint or off the drive. Jake has good vision to find open teammates, and has potential to be a dominating player for us for the next two years including a few much-needed double figure rebound games.
Kollin is a solid fundamental ball handler and passer. He has made great improvement on his shooting and is now a perimeter threat. Magruder has great quickness which allows him to really pressure guards in the backcourt and push the ball in transition. He is one of our top 3 point threats. Another junior, Brennan Porter, will compete for a varsity spot along with several sophomores who we are really excited about.”

This season, Red Bud looks for balanced scoring and a good perimeter attack for success.
“Offensively, as usual we will to try to run at every opportunity and spread the floor in the half court to create advantages on the perimeter,” said Gillingham. “We should have very balanced scoring as we might have four or five kids lead us in scoring at different times. However, we have to understand that there is only one ball and we have to share it. I honestly believe we can be a pretty decent team this year if we get as excited about an assist as much as we do about making a basket. We’re really going to emphasize unselfishness on offense, making the extra pass for a better shot.”
On defense, Red Bud switched to a trapping zone last season which succeeded in causing turnovers and limiting teams from burning them inside because of their lack of height. This year should be more of the same.
“Defensively I think this bunch can be solid if they work at it and take pride in getting stops,” added Gillingham. “I believe that was the main reason for our success last year. We took our team defense seriously which, at times here, has been a disappointment for me. Our zone created a lot of turnovers for us and with our quickness we hope that continues. They don’t need any reminders that our last regional title was before they were born. We have piled up a lot of wins in the last 15 years, but we want to climb to the next level and get there consistently.”
Red Bud looks to improve from their third place finish in the Cahokia Conference last season, but that challenge won’t be easy with the likes of Breese Central, Columbia, Wesclin and Freeburg on the horizon.
“Breese Central is without question the class of our conference and one of the top 2A teams in the state,” said Gillingham. “I think the storyline in the Cahokia is the race for second and we hope to be in the running. Wesclin will be tough with a lot of kids returning from a pretty decent squad including a great post player in Kunz.  Columbia lost some key players but Coach Sandstrom will always put a competitive team on the floor.  Carlyle and Freeburg were both down in wins last year but both of those schools have quality programs and will battle you.  This conference always has its share of surprises.”
Red Bud opens the season Monday, November 30 at the Trico Pioneer Invitational against Elverado.