Aberdeen Christian: Matt Rohrbach Interview

Aberdeen, SD – On June 2nd, the Kinghts from Aberdeen Christian named Matt Rohrbach as their new head basketball coach. Rohrbach will be taking over for his older brother David. He was recently named the new boy’s head coach at…

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Aberdeen, SD – On June 2nd, the Kinghts from Aberdeen Christian named Matt Rohrbach as their new head basketball coach. Rohrbach will be taking over for his older brother David. He was recently named the new boy’s head coach at Brookings. Matt has close ties with the program, so it should be a seamless transition. The Knights will be a veteran squad that virtually returns everyone from last season. Aberdeen Christian has qualified for the State Tournament for the past 3 seasons, it will be easy to guess what they will have their sights set on for the 2022-2023 season! The Knights finished last season with an impressive 21-5 record. They will have a new coach this season, but Rohrbach knows the players well and there will be a ton of familiarity when you compare the team from last season to this next season. Read below for player stats, and team stats from the 2021-2022 season. Further below is the full interview with coach Matt Rohrbach and to finish off the article you will see player awards/honors from last season.

Returning Player Stats (2021-2022)

Malek Wieker Malek Wieker 6'0" | CG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-0 G| – 17 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.4 spg, 44 3FG%, 78 made 3-pointers

Ethan Russell Ethan Russell 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-6 SF| – 14.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, .7 spg, 1.6 bpg, 30 3FG%

Jackson Isakson Jackson Isakson 6'3" | SG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-3 G| – 11.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.2 spg, 55 2FG%, 4 charges taken

Andrew Brennan Andrew Brennan 5'11" | PG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD (2023) |5-9 G| – 5.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg, 50 2FG%

Kaden Clark (2023) |6-3 F| – 5.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, .9 spg 57 2FG%

Abe Holscher (2023) |6-0 G| – 3.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, .3 apg, .6 spg

Blake Rich Blake Rich 6'5" | SF Ipswich | 2024 State SD (2024) |6-5 F| – 2.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg

Joey Johnson (2024) |6-4 F| – 1.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg

Team Stats (2021-2022)

PPG: 60.7 RPG: 34.2 APG: 15.9 SPG: 6.7 BPG: 3.1

FG%: 44 2FG%: 53 3FGM: 187 3FG%: 35 FT%: 67

Q & A with Head Coach Matt Rohrbach

PHD: What does it mean for you to be the next head boys basketball coach at Aberdeen Christian?

Coach Rohrbach: “It means a lot. I grew up going to the school and have seen the growing pains and all the memories that come with that. Many times you would hear rumors of the school shutting down but somehow someway the school survived.“

PHD: Can you talk about your basketball playing career?

Coach Rohrbach: “My seventh grade year was the first year of varsity and I was fortunate enough to sit on the bench and observe both of my brothers in that first varsity campaign. My 8th-grade year we struggled but I was able to play quite a bit of varsity. Freshman through senior year we had some really good teams but we weren’t able to get over the hump. The sting from those losses definitely fueled some of the fire in wanting Aberdeen Christian to become a fixture of the state tournament. My little brother, Andrew, his senior year was very special and a season that I will never forget. With David being the coach at the time, I was able to be around the team and take part in that special season.“

PHD: Can you talk about your coaching career?

Coach Rohrbach: “I began coaching summer teams two years after I graduated and that was when I met most of the seniors that are at Aberdeen Christian now. I coached them in summer tournaments from 6th grade till 11th grade. We have had a blast traveling around the country and we’re excited to work together once again this upcoming season.”

PHD: How would you define your coaching style?

Coach Rohrbach: “I would say my style is a do your job mentality. If we can take the shots we want, no matter who is shooting, we will be successful. I truly believe that having everyone buy into team success is a gift that not every coach brings to the table. In order for a team to have that philosophy, they need to feel like the coach is in their corner. I believe I have the trust of every athlete and that will show this season.”

PHD: The Knights have had a lot of success in the recent past, how do you plan to build off that?

Coach Rohrbach: “Building off success can be difficult with a regime change but I think my familiarity with David as well as with the athletes will be a smooth transition. The team is hungry to get back to the state tournament and as a coach, half of the battle is getting kids to get into the gym in the offseason. That is not a battle I have to tackle. These kids are hard workers and have earned the last three state tournament births.”

PHD: Who will be a few of your top seniors next season?

Coach Rohrbach: “ Malek Wieker Malek Wieker 6'0" | CG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD , Ethan Russell Ethan Russell 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD , Kaden Clark, Andrew Brennan Andrew Brennan 5'11" | PG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD , and Jackson Isakson Jackson Isakson 6'3" | SG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD have been fixtures of the lineup for years. They bring great leadership and I expect big things from every single one of them. Abe Holscher was the sixth man last season and he will be returning as a senior too. I’m excited about the depth of our team.“

PHD: What are the offseason plans for the Knight basketball program?

Coach Rohrbach: “We will head down to Sioux Falls and enter into some AAU tournaments as well as normal open gyms. We like to have skill sessions as well to make sure that we are expanding our game. Some of the focus this year is getting into the weight room and putting some muscle on too.“

PHD: Who is Aberdeen Christian’s biggest “rival” and why?

Coach Rohrbach: “I think Waubay, Warner, and Langford can all be categorized as rivals depending on the year. We’ve had some good matchups in the past with all three of them. Waubay has a couple of good guards. Warner has Hunter Cramer Hunter Cramer 6'1" | PG Warner | 2024 State SD coming back. Langford has Jesse Keough Jesse Keough 6'0" | SG Langford Area | 2023 State SD and Kassen Keough brothers. We’re excited to play all three of those teams again this year.”

PHD: Who are some of your underclassmen to look out for?

Coach Rohrbach: “I really like the improvements that Joey Johnson, Konnar Furman Konnar Furman 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2025 State SD , and Ellis Russell have made. Each one of them will make an impact in practice as well as in games.”

PHD: What do you do for fun outside of basketball?

Coach Rohrbach: “Outside of basketball, I enjoy being active such as golfing, city league softball, and riding bike. Most of my life has been dedicated to basketball understandably and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”