Sandburg men’s basketball tips off 2025-26 season Sunday at home

The Sandburg men’s basketball team opens its 19th season under coach Ryan Twaddle this weekend.

The Chargers will host Culver-Stockton JV at 1 p.m. Sunday in the back end of a men’s/women’s doubleheader against the Wildcats.

Sandburg’s roster features five returning players and nine new faces to the program. The Chargers will have short trips to play Nov. 7-8 in the Black Hawk Classic and Nov. 12 at Spoon River before returning home to host Madison on Nov. 15.

KEY RETURNERS

Ralph Wires (Quincy, Ill./Quincy), 5-foot-10 sophomore guard• Averaged 8.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and a team-leading 3.3 assists in 31 games (30 starts) as a freshman.• Scored in double figures in four of the Chargers’ last five games, including a season-high 20 points in the Region 4 quarterfinals at Madison.

Larry Olivier Jr. (Rock Island, Ill./Rock Island), 6-0 sophomore guard• Averaged 6.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 30 games as a freshman.• Hit five 3-pointers and tied his season high with 17 points in a win over Olive-Harvey to close the regular season.

Matt Bockman (Decorah, Iowa/Decorah), 6-2 sophomore guard• Played in all 31 games (12 starts) as a freshman, averaging 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds.

Camron Williams (Peoria Heights, Ill./Peoria Heights), 6-4 sophomore guard• Played in 29 of 31 games as a freshman, reaching double figures on two occasions.

KEY NEWCOMERS Rylan Carton (Sherrard, Ill./Sherrard), 6-6 freshman forward• Class 2A second-team all-state selection by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and honorable mention all-state pick by the Associated Press.• Led Sherrard to a program-high 30 wins while setting school records for points in a season (702) and game (45, in a regional title victory).• Hit buzzer-beating jumper in overtime to send the Tigers to a sectional semifinal victory over Downs Tri-Valley.

Lewis Siegfried (Niota, Ill./West Hancock), 6-3 freshman guard• IBCA Class 2A all-state special mention as a senior at West Hancock.• Averaged 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists while making 75 3-pointers and leading the Titans to a conference title.

• Named to all-tournament teams at the Crimson Classic, Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament and Hancock County Invitational Tournament.

Gavin Grothaus (Dallas City, Ill./West Hancock), 6-3 freshman guard• Averaged 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a senior at West Hancock.• All-West Central Conference selection as a junior and senior.

Ashton Grieves (Metamora, Ill./Metamora), 6-3 freshman guard• Second-team All-Mid-Illini Conference selection last season after helping the Redbirds finish 26-7 and reach the Class 3A Sweet 16.• Scored a team-high 16 points in a regional championship win over Morton.

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS SEASON?Twaddle: “We want to build off the success we had last season in winning 18 games on the year and having just one home loss.”

THIS WILL BE A SUCCESSFUL SEASON IF …Twaddle: “We’ll be successful if we continue to grow and play together on both ends of the court.”

GAMES TO WATCH• Nov. 15 vs. Madison (Chargers basketball alumni reunion and Paint the House Red Day)• Nov. 29 vs. 18th-ranked St. Louis

HOW TO FOLLOW THE CHARGERS• Watch Chargers home games live and on-demand on the Sandburg YouTube channel.• Sign up for SportReporting to get free text and/or email notifications of Chargers game results.• Follow @SandburgNJCAA on Twitter.• Like @sandburgchargers on Facebook.• Follow @sandburgchargers on Instagram.

2025-26 SANDBURG MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER2025-26 SANDBURG MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE