Aberdeen Christian: 23-3 Season
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The Knights had another wildly successful season and they finished 3rd at State! That comes as no surprise, they have been one of the best teams in SD in recent years. Playing in the State Tournament has been a regular…
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Continue ReadingThe Knights had another wildly successful season and they finished 3rd at State! That comes as no surprise, they have been one of the best teams in SD in recent years. Playing in the State Tournament has been a regular occurrence for Aberdeen Christian.
This season they won 23 games and only lost to De Smet (State Champs), Hamlin (3rd in A), and Dell Rapids (super talented).
The Knights had a new head coach this season with Matt Rohrbach. However, Rohrbach knows the game and program well, so it was not a shock that Aberdeen Christian was one of the best in SD. The senior class had a ton of talent and they had a memorable run for the Knights.
See below for more info on the Knights from Aberdeen Christian!
“After reflecting on the season, even though we missed out on winning the State Championship, we are proud of our accomplishments. We ended the season 23-3 which is a school record and we played both Hamlin and Dell Rapids (both schools we have never played before). We also earned victories over White River and Lower Brule in the regular season (both at the Corn Palace). Sending the seniors out with a 3rd place finish felt good and we can look back on this season and remember how much fun it was.” -Matt Rohrbach
Team: Aberdeen Christian
Mascot: Knights
Head Coach: Matt Rohrbach
Class: B
Region: 1
Conference: Lake Region
Record: 23-3
Playoffs: 3rd place at State
All-State Players: Malek Wieker Malek Wieker 6'0" | CG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD and Ethan Russell Ethan Russell 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD
Wins Against: James Valley Christian, Britton-Hecla (x2), Mobridge-Pollock, Lower Brule, Oakes (ND), Potter County, Leola-Frederick, Faulkton, Waubay-Summit, White River (x2), Warner, Herried-Selby, North Central, Northwestern, Ipswich (x2), Aberdeen Roncalli, Langford, Groton, Hitchcock-Tulare, Ethan.
Team Stats
PPG: 62 RPG: 34.4 APG: 13.9 SPG: 6.5 BPG: 2.5 TOPG: 9.1 Charges Taken: 15
FG%: 42 PPS: 2.4 FGM: 448 2FG%: 47 3FG%: 29 3FGM: 110 FT%: 61 FTM: 187
Stat Leaders
Ethan Russell Ethan Russell 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD (2023) |6’7 G/F| – 15.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1 apg, 53 FG%
Malek Wieker Malek Wieker 6'0" | CG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD (2023) |6’1 G| – 15.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.5 apg, 48 FG%
Jackson Isakson Jackson Isakson 6'3" | SG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD (2023) |6’3 G/F| – 11.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.8 apg, 55 FG%
Kaden Clark (2023) |6’3 F| – 5.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.7 apg, 59 FG%
Konnar Furman Konnar Furman 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2025 State SD (2025) |6’5 G/F| – 4.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, .7 apg, 56 FG%
Joey Johnson Joey Johnson 6'4" | PF Aberdeen Christian | 2024 State SD (2024) |6’4 F| – 4.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, .4 apg, 64 FG%
Andrew Brennan Andrew Brennan 5'11" | PG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD (2023) |5’10 G| – 4.1 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 41 FG%
Abe Holscher (2023) |6’1 G| – 1.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg, .6 apg, 27 FG%
Ellis Russell Ellis Russell 6'3" | CG Aberdeen Christian | 2025 State SD (2025) | 6’3 G| – 1.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, .6 apg, 58 FG%
Q&A with coach Rohrbach
PHD: What are some fun memories from the season?
Coach Rohrbach: “Honestly every game was a memory for me as we had such a tight nit bunch this year. There were certain games that someone would go off and it was fun to see the guys rally around that person in the locker room. Some special moments were Jackson Isakson Jackson Isakson 6'3" | SG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD , Malek Wieker Malek Wieker 6'0" | CG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD , and Ethan Russell Ethan Russell 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD all getting their 1,000th point. Beating White River, Lower Brule, and Groton. That Monday right after the White River game when we received all the First Place Votes in the State Poll. Winning the Conference for the second straight year.
PHD: Can you tell us about the adversity you faced this year?
Coach Rohrbach: “Adversity comes in different forms for each team. I felt our bench did a really good job of not allowing minutes to impact their attitudes. It can be difficult when you are not getting the minutes you want but they didn’t allow that to impact how they cheered on their teammates. Konnar Furman Konnar Furman 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2025 State SD and Joey Johnson Joey Johnson 6'4" | PF Aberdeen Christian | 2024 State SD were hurt for much of the year and there were games we didn’t have them but that didn’t stop us from playing our best.”
PHD: Can you talk about your seniors?
Coach Rohrbach: “The seniors will all be missed immensely. They have done so much for this program and I can’t imagine a tighter group of kids than them. They’ve been friends since birth some of them and the exposure they have helped give the school can not be overstated. The Aberdeen community will miss them on and off the court.”
PHD: Who are some of the up-and-comers?
Coach Rohrbach: “I think Konnar Furman Konnar Furman 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2025 State SD , Ellis Russell Ellis Russell 6'3" | CG Aberdeen Christian | 2025 State SD and Joey Johnson Joey Johnson 6'4" | PF Aberdeen Christian | 2024 State SD will have good years next year. They will be the focal points and I look forward to seeing them in action.“
PHD: Did you have any guys get post-season honors?
Coach Rohrbach: “ Malek Wieker Malek Wieker 6'0" | CG Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD and Ethan Russell Ethan Russell 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD played in the 3-Class shootout as well as the Denny Sanford All-Star Game. They were both All-State Performers and Co-MVP of our conference.”
Congrats on the fantastic season!