Rockridge was picked as a unanimous favorite to win its fifth straight boys basketball conference championship in WRMJ’s TRAC West preseason coaches poll.
The Rockets finished four points ahead of Sherrard, the runner-up pick. Orion (third), Riverdale and Monmouth-Roseville (tied for fourth), and Mercer County (sixth) rounded out the poll.
All six coaches in the TRAC West participated. They were asked to rank the teams in the conference, excluding themselves, 1-5. A first-place vote received five points, a second-place vote received four points, and down the line.
The poll results are below, followed by a preview of each team in the conference. The number in parentheses represents how many first-place votes a team received.
2024-25 Preseason TRAC West Boys Basketball Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rockridge (5) | 25 |
| 2 | Sherrard | 21 |
| 3 | Orion | 15 |
| T4 | Monmouth-Roseville | 11 |
| T4 | Riverdale | 11 |
| 6 | Mercer County | 7 |
Team Previews
Rockridge Rockets
Head Coach: Jordan Harris (2nd season: 26-7)
2023-24 Record: 26-7, 12-0 TRAC West
Postseason: Lost in 2A sectional final to Macomb 54-38
Rockridge will be looking to win its fifth consecutive TRAC basketball championship in 2024-25, coming off its third straight Sweet 16 appearance last season.
Three starters and four of the top six players return from a team that advanced to a sectional final last year for the Rockets. Senior Landon Bull led Rockridge in scoring (13.2 points per game), rebounds (5.9 per game), and assists (3.2 per game) last year on his way to earning second-team all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA). Bull enters his final season at Rockridge tenth on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,099 career points. Classmate Caleb Cunico (10.4 points per game) joins Bull as a first-team all-conference returner for Rockridge. Landon Wheatley (4.4 points, 2.4 assists per game) is into his third season as the Rockets’ starting point guard, and last year’s sixth man Baylen Leemans (3.4 points, 2.7 rebounds per game) projects to slide into Rockridge’s starting five.
Rockridge’s senior basketball class has won conference and regional titles all three years they’ve been in the high school program and has made two IHSA State Finals appearances. The recipe for success hasn’t changed for the Rockets, as Rockridge has loaded up its regular season schedule again with a litany of challenges including Moline, UT, Rock Island (twice), Dyett, Morgan Park, Peoria Notre Dame, Bloomington Central Catholic, IVC, and the conference slate.
The Rockets open the season at the Rock Island Booster Club Turkey Tournament against Bowen on Friday. Rockridge’s conference opener is at Sherrard on Dec. 6.
Sherrard Tigers
Head Coach: Alex Johnson (9th season: 134-89, 3rd season at Sherrard: 39-19)
2023-24 Record: 22-8, 8-4 TRAC West
Postseason: Lost in 2A regional final to Macomb 51-32
Sherrard will try to get over the hump after falling short in regional championship games the past two years.
The Tigers won 20+ games for the first time 19 seasons in 2023-24 and return three of the top-five scorers from that team. 6-foot-4 senior Rylan Carton was Sherrard’s leading scorer (12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game) and earned first-team all-TRAC West honors last year. In addition to Carton, senior James Blackwell (6.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game) and junior Carter Brown (6.3 points, 2.3 assists, 1.6 steals per game) enter their third season as key contributors for the Tigers. Brody Bender is another rotation piece returning for the Tigers, which graduated eight seniors from its 2023-24 team and will need to fill a lot of minutes played by four of them.
Sherrard’s boys basketball program has taken big strides in each of head coach Alex Johnson’s first two seasons at his alma mater but hasn’t been able to get the big win. The Tigers have beefed up their schedule even more this year in the non-conference with tests against Sterling, Illini Bluffs, West Hancock, Dyett, Dixon, and the second annual Mike Hutchins Holiday Classic, which includes Byron, Princeton, and East Dubuque in the field.
Sherrard’s campaign begins against Milledgeville in Oregon on Wednesday. The Tigers open TRAC West play hosting Rockridge on Dec. 6.
Orion Chargers
Head Coach: Larry Anderson (4th season: 38-56)
2023-24 Record: 17-14, 5-7 TRAC West
Postseason: Lost in 2A regional semifinal to Mercer County 69-56
Orion returns its top-two scorers from last year, which was the first Chargers’ boys basketball team to finish with a winning record in three seasons.
Junior guard Kyler Owens (16.5 points, 4.7 rebounds per game) is the conference’s top returning scorer and earned first-team all-TRAC West honors as a sophomore last year. The Chargers bring back two more starters, seniors Maddux Arnold (12.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists per game) and Duncan Adamson (4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds per game). Jake Bainbridge (6.7 points, 5.2 rebounds per game), a 6-foot-4 senior, was a key bench player for Orion in 2023-24 and projects to enter the Chargers’ starting five this year.
Orion expects to take another step forward in 2024-25 with a solid nucleus of talent back. The Chargers begin the season hosting the 10 & 32 Tip-Off Classic and play Alleman on Monday. Orion’s conference opener is at home against Mercer County on Dec. 2.
Monmouth-Roseville Titans
Head Coach: Chuck Grant (29th season: 455-314)
2023-24 Record: 15-18, 3-9 TRAC West
Postseason: Lost in 2A regional semifinal to Rockridge 48-33
IBCA Hall of Famer Chuck Grant returns to take over the Monmouth-Roseville boys basketball program in 2024-25 after Jake Sottos resigned after three seasons leading the program in the spring.
The Titans bring back just 26.7% of their scoring from last season. Senior Payton Thompson, a first-team all-state football player, is the team’s top returning scorer (4.6 points per game). Calogero Sarcomo (3.3 points, 2.4 rebounds per game), a junior, was in Monmouth-Roseville’s starting lineup at the end of the year last season. Seniors Andy Myers (2.2 points per game) and Ethan Clark (2.3 points per game) also were role players for the Titans a year ago.
Grant returns to the sidelines of The Shoebox as Monmouth-Roseville’s all-time winningest coach. He’s led his teams to 12 regional championships during 28 full seasons as the head coach of the Titans, Monmouth High School and Roseville High School.
Monmouth-Roseville opens the season at Orion’s 10 & 32 Tip-Off Classic against Abingdon-Avon on Tuesday. The Titans first conference game is at Riverdale on Dec. 6.
Riverdale Rams
Head Coach: Alex Kelly (6th season: 78-65)
2023-24 Record: 22-9, 8-4 TRAC West)
Postseason: Lost in 2A sectional semifinal to Byron 70-51
Riverdale enters the new season having won back-to-back regional championships, something the program hadn’t done the 1974-75 and 1975-76 seasons.
The Rams will have to replace the conference’s most prolific scorer from last year, Jake Willems, who scored more than 1,600 points in his career. He led Riverdale in scoring (24.9 points per game), rebounds (7.5 per game), and assists (3.5 per game) last season. Riverdale brings back three starters, including senior Brody Clark (12.0 points, 5.8 rebounds per game), who was tabbed as a second-team all-TRAC West performer last year. Two sophomores, Paxton Kiddoo (6.5 points per game) and Jackson Tegeler (5.9 points, 3.2 rebounds per game) spent most of last year in Riverdale’s starting five as freshmen. 6-foot-7 junior post player Aris Morgan (2.7 points, 3.4 rebounds per game) is another contributor back for the Rams in 2024-25.
Riverdale will have another very young roster this season, as sophomores and juniors will make up most of the key pieces for the Rams. Over the past few years though, head coach Alex Kelly has shown he’s able to get his teams playing their best at the end of the season with two straight regional title plaques.
The Rams begin the season against West Central at the ROWVA-Williamsfield Thanksgiving Tournament on Monday. Riverdale’s conference opener is at home against Monmouth-Roseville on Dec. 6.
Mercer County Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Tim Sedam (6th season: 80-62)
2023-24 Record: 26-7, 11-0 LTC
Postseason: Lost in 2A regional final to Rockridge 43-40 (OT)
Mercer County will bring a new-look roster into its first season as a TRAC member, a year after breaking the school’s single-season wins record and playing for a regional championship for the second time ever.
The Golden Eagles enter the TRAC as back-to-back regular season and conference tournament champions of the Lincoln Trail Conference (LTC) and have won 20+ games both of the past two years. Mercer County lost four starters and the most production from last year in the conference with 81.2% of its scoring and 73.8% of its rebounding graduating. Carson Boelens (5.7 points, 3.3 rebounds per game) is the only senior in the program and the top scorer and rebounder back from last year’s 26-win team. Junior Holden DeMuth (3.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game) started at point guard for the Golden Eagles last year and sophomore guard Brady McPeek shot 42.9% from three-point range in limited minutes as a freshman in 2023-24.
The first year in the TRAC will provide Mercer County with a home-and-home series with all of its historical local rivals and, if the fall season is any indication, should make the Golden Eagles’ conference games better in quality, atmosphere, and excitement. Mercer County also has non-conference tests against West Hancock, Rock Falls, and Macomb, among others.
The Golden Eagles open the season against Fulton at the 10 & 32 Orion Tip-Off Classic. Mercer County makes its TRAC debut at Orion on Dec. 2.
WRMJ’s coverage of the TRAC is presented by:
- Midwest Bank, with locations that include Aledo, Andalusia, Monmouth, and Moline
- Local COUNTRY Financial representatives Tracy Bigham, Jason Potter, and John Waugh in Aledo, Brent Bigham in Edgington, and Julie Hessler in Orion.
- Breedlove’s Sporting Goods in Kewanee
Visit our TRAC webpage to stay updated with the conference throughout the season.