Coming off a 17-14 season, the Monticello Sages are hoping a balanced junior class can complement its three returning seniors from last year's team that lost in a Regional Championship to Prairie Central.

Monticello basketball coach Kevin Roy has a problem a lot of coaches wish they had - a group of players that are making it difficult, in a good way, to decide who is going to be getting minutes this season.

The Sages return leading scorer Trey Welter and will look for Raiden Colbert and Jack Weidner to play bigger roles. Coach Roy likes what he's seen early from all three of them.

This year's junior class has a lot of potential and as sophomores, Coach Roy had hoped they would have made more progress. And while that didn't happen last year, he points to the confidence a lot of them have gained in the last year from the success several saw playing baseball in the spring, to how much confidence they gained as football players this fall.

Monticello opens the 2023-24 basketball season tonight at Pleasant Plains. The Sages can be heard again this year on 95.9 FM WEZC and online at dewittdailynews.com. Check out the full broadcast schedule at dewittdailynews.com.