Sunrise Christian Postgrad Releases 2024-2025 Roster
The Sunrise Christian Postgrad basketball team has officially released their roster for the upcoming 2024-2025 season. The Buffaloes are entering their 12th postgrad season for the program located in Wichita, Kansas.
The roster consists of 14 players all exercising their postgrad year, two of which who graduated from Sunrise Christian Academy High School and played for the National High School Team. Each of these individuals played for Kyle Lindsted and competed in the EYBL-S league. Those two are: Sam Fabian (6'4'' Guard), and Simm Marten-Saadi (6'9'' Forward). Marten-Saadi is quickly becoming one of the hottest names in the postgrad landscape due to his size and skill. Sam brings athleticism and toughness to the team with a year of high-level experience already under his belt.
Last season, the Buffs lacked size in the frontcourt outside of 6'11'' Saint Louis signee, Max Pikaar. This year, in addition to Marten-Saadi, the Buffs have added the versatile and athletic Isaiah Kalala (6'9'' Forward) who is a proven defender/rebounder in part thanks to his +5 wingspan. Marley Scott (6'10'' Forward) has also been added to the frontcourt as a player who boasts length an is extremely active on the glass.
On the wing, this roster features a wide variety of skill and experience. Jaden Rogers (6'6'' Wing) brings big upside as a potential two-way player with his ability to shoot, good positional size, and vertical athleticism. Aidan Agnew (6'7'' Wing) boasts an ability to guard about any position on the floor paired with a cerebral approach to the game which makes him a "plug and play" in a number of positions. The highly anticipated addition of Matteo Porto (6'7'' Wing) from Italy brings the Buffs another played with good feel and will be a high level floor spacer with extended range. Rounding out the wing position is Pablo Jimenez (6'6'' Wing) who is very fundamentally sound and will be a great glue guy to help in various capacities on the court.
Finishing out the roster are the guards who have big shoes to fill as the 2023-2024 Buffs saw consistent guard play during the season. Jalen Haynes (6'5'' Combo Guard) is bringing a lot of buzz up from Texas and a solid summer with Team Trae Young. Jalen will need to be able to play both on-ball and off-ball as a playmaker and distributor. Gavin-Hollins Law (6'4'' Guard) will be an important three and D player as he can guard multiple positions and be a versatile piece for the Buffs. Drew Fisher has missed part of the pre-season, but has already shown the ability to be a knock-down shooter and finish above the rim. His athleticism and strength allows him to be a versatile defense and impact the game positively on the boards.
Tayshaun Wallace (6'1'' Point Guard) and Alex Wheeler (6'3'' Guard) join the team from the Bahamas and England respectively. Wallace boasts a +6 wingspan and has proven to have both disruptive length and has shot the ball this pre-season at a very high clip. Wheeler has been an everyday guy and risen to the challenge of competition and shown great upside in playmaking ability and defensive intensity. Last but not least, Jemeil Rich Jr (6'0'' Point Guard) brings quickness and a desire to set the tone defensively to the backcourt as he looks to pick up where FIU signee Ashton Williamson left off last year.
The Buffaloes look to return to the National Tournament for a fifth straight year after being ranked as high as #2 in polls throughout the year. The Buffaloes are led by Coach Chris Popp who is in his second season at Sunrise Christian.