The St. Dominic boys basketball team has started the season off hot. They are 4-1 this season. Their biggest wins of the season are against Ladue and Westminster. A big part of these wins is due to junior forward, Nolan Struckmann.

However, Nolan is not new to this success. He has been on the varsity team since he was a freshman and last year he was selected to the Class 6 District 4 All-District team as a sophomore. If he can keep this hot start going, he will definitely be selected to this team again.

In the Troy Buchanan tournament he helped lead the Crusaders to a third place finish in the tournament. For the first game of the tournament the Crusaders played Holt. He led the team to victory with 28 points, 17 rebounds and 8 assists in this game. Throughout the tournament he led the team in total points, assists, rebounds and steals.

“My favorite part of this tournament was winning third place. We had come off a tough loss the game before that and it was good to see the team’s work pay off for the last game of the tournament,” Nolan said.

His scoring ability draws attention from the opposing teams’ defense which then allows him to dish it out to his teammates for open shots. He is a well rounded player that excels on both offense and defense. He is a major part of the current and future success of the basketball program.

His success didn’t just start randomly. He plays basketball year round to continue working on his skills. His hard work in the offseason has been his success in season. The reps in practices are translating to the game, which has made for a very impressive start.

“Training during the off season has helped me in season because I am well prepared. I trained a lot during the off season to prepare myself and get ready for the season. Training has allowed me to be comfortable in the game because everything in the game I’ve trained for. Getting reps in is the best thing you can do to get better,” Struckmann said.

Nolan is a crucial part of the team and there is no doubt that his hard work has paid off. He still has this season and next season in his high school career. The future is looking bright for this star player.