Arndorfer hopes Raiders rebound to better record

Wauwatosa East boys basketball coach Tim Arndorfer will begin his third Greater Metro Conference season as head coach at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Brookfield Central.

Arndorfer has a .615 winning percentage in conference play, compiling a 32-20 record, which includes the first .500 record (7-7) in several years.

He's also got a .740 overall record (54-19) coming into this season, which includes a disappointing 10-13 record last season.

"Our goal always starts with winning the conference - it's never been different since I've been here as a player or as a coach," Arndorfer said. "We have a conference championship in mind, first and foremost. And then see what the post-season brings.

The Red Raiders have to learn how to finish games this year.

"I think obviously in comparing last year, we want a better record than last year," Arndorfer said. "We lost a lot of close games last year. The sooner we learn how to finish games, the better off we will be as the season goes on."

Captain Walter Clark, Jr. (6-foot-4) is one of only three seniors on this year's team, along with Aaron Uden (6-4) and Jackson Orin (6-1), the latter two who are more known for their volleyball and soccer skills.

Juniors Darrell Bowie (6-6), Vince Cupertino (6-2) and Diamonte 'Money' McKinley (6-1) will help lead this year's team.

"Certainly of the guys we had last year - Darrell is a focal point obviously," Arndorfer said of Bowie, who averaged 12.4 points per game last year. "He has been looking very, very good.

"We are also looking to Vince (4.4 points per game) and Money (3.3) and the three seniors - Aaron (5.1), Walter and Jackson - to set the tone for the new guys. We're hoping to get contributions from all kinds of guys this year."

Arndorfer also talked about two sophomores who should contribute to the team immediately.

"Anthony Carroll, he's pretty talented," he said. "We found that out when he played against us last year. Certainly he stands out."

Carroll, a 6-1 guard, who averaged 17.1 points per game for crosstown rival Tosa West last season, transferred to East before school started.

Sophomore Marquise Carter, a 6-0 guard, will come up from the freshman team.

"I think Marquise is a kid who stands out that no one's heard of," Arndorfer said. "He's making the jump from freshman to varsity. He's got a good chance to make a jump. They should make some noise for us."

Last year, it was basically graduated Dan Sayles and Bowie who scored for the Red Raiders.

"I think we've got some more guys who can score," he said. "I think we were struggling to find more than a 1-2 punch (last year).

"This year, I think we got it. You want more than just one or two guys who can put it in the basket. We're young again, but I think we can find guys who can put points on the board, especially in those clutch times, especially where we needed it last year."

Juniors Bryce Kratzer, Martin Minix, Riley Poe and Bobby Russ and sophomores Ben Carpenter and Kyle Vnuk make up the rest of the team.

On the coaching front, Terry Teske, who retired last season, returned to the coaching staff to join Eric Dale and Arndorfer on the sidelines.

Arndorfer did add that the players who were on last year's team want to make amends for an unfavorable Tosa East season.

"The guys last year were 10-12 and they know what basketball means in the community," Arndorfer said. "I think they take that responsibility on themselves. They are hungry to prove themselves that they are better than last year."