The Saints, who have just two seniors on the roster, faced the second-best team in 3A earlier in December
Don't discount the Saints boys basketball team because of their age.
"Even though we are young, this is a team that wants it and will push each other every day to improve," stated Vail Christian head coach Andrew Neumann.
"This group of guys comes ready to push themselves to get better every practice. From conditioning, to rebounding and defense drills, they are willing to work on the hard things that are necessary to build a solid team able to win down the road."
Coming off a 2023-2024 campaign which saw them finish 13-9 overall and 6-3 in the league before exiting the first round of the 2A Region 3 tournament at the hands of Byers, the Saints have started this season 2-3. That's after graduating last year's leading scorer, Will Neumann (13.9 points per game), along with 6-foot-6 center Philip Shchetinin and his twin tower, Jack Pryor, the squad's top rebounder.
The second-year head coach said his current bunch -- which has only two seniors on the roster -- is a "hungry, scrappy" group that has received contributions from all grades. Junior Asher Leonard and sophomores Oliver Neumann and Rayman Romanin have been the offensive leaders for the Saints so far this year. Leonard went 10-for-14 from the field, scoring 25 points in the Saints season-opening win over Cedaredge on Dec. 6 and is averaging 13.4 points per game so far.
"(He) is off to a great start to the season," the coach stated. "And he continues to be a solid contributor every game."
The outside shooting abilities of Neumann -- who drilled three 3-pointers in the season opener -- and Romanin, who added 16 points in the aforementioned contest, have stretched defenses. Senior Wyat Fisher applies his length and athleticism to conquer each game's most demanding defensive assignments, Neumann said. Even a freshman, Brody Sterkel, has earned meaningful minutes, scoring eight points in the team's most recent contest, a 67-59 loss to Crested Butte on Dec. 14. Meanwhile, Charlie Neumann and Jack O'Shaugnessy have teamed up to own the boards, with both averaging five rebounds per game.
The coach said Charlie Neumann's biggest contribution, however, has been how the junior captain bridges the gap between younger and older players.
"(He) is a great leader and has been an incredible culture warrior for this team," the coach said. "He has a great ability to know when to push hard and when to get guys to laugh, all in the name of continually improving our team."
Vail Christian followed up their 69-65 win over Cedaredge with a 75-30 loss to Highland, which is currently 7-0 and sits second in the 3A RPI rankings as of Dec. 26. The Saints suffered a tough 59-47 loss to Nucla on Dec. 12, but turned things around with a 64-54 win over Telluride the next day. O'Shaugnessy scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds and Oliver Neumann went 3-for-7 from beyond the arc to lead the team with 16 points. Crested Butte's Adin Kurak dropped 35 points on the Saints in their final game of the month, a 67-59 loss.
"We've won two of our first five games and been right there in two others," Neumann stated. "As this younger team matures and learns to close out games, we have great potential to continue improving and be a solid contender later in the season."
Vail Christian kicks off league play against the Gore Rangers on Jan. 10 in Edwards. The Saints are 16-5 against their I-70 rivals since 2011, but split a pair of close contests last year. After taking over for longtime coach Sheldon Kuhns after the 2023 season, Neumann has maintained the Vail Christian legend's 'Team Together' ethos.
"Our team is working hard to gel as a team, put the good of the team above our own personal interests and to learn how each of us can best use all we have to serve the team as a whole," Neumann said. "We also seek to play in a way that grows our character and builds our capacity to become a better team and better men on and off the court."
Neumann laid out four main goals for the team this year: "glorify God, prepare men as warriors for God's kingdom, pursue excellence in our basketball program and deepen our commitment to 'team' versus 'self' in preparation for many roles in life." While all of those priorities transcend the literal outcome of the 2024-2025 campaign, the coach is pleased with how that's going so far, too.
"I'm really proud of how our young team is growing and learning together. We've had a challenging first five games, and they've all stepped up their games individually and as a team," he said. "We have lots of work to do to take our team to the level they are capable of playing at, but we are off to a solid start."