A large milestone should be reached for the Chrisman Cardinals boy's basketball program before Christmas. The school is just six wins short of reach 1,500 program victories. If history is any indication, that mark should be reached very early in December. The Cardinals have won 20+ games 34 of the past 40 seasons, a remarkable statistic. In fact, the Cardinals haven't had a losing season since 1966-67.

Last season, the Cardinals finished 20-10, but made a perfect run through the Vermillion Valley conference (13-0). Chrisman could be in for a very tough task to repeat that performance. "I see Salt Fork being the team to beat in the conference. They return all five starters and their reserves all return. They will be very tough to beat this year. The south portion of the conference contains us and Salt Fork, so we will probably be one and two. The north portion is weaker, but Bismarck-Henning should be stronger. Coach Mennenga does a fantastic job and they return probably the best player in the conference in Grant. They will be the team to beat in the north," third-year Cardinals coach Shawn Nugent says.

Returning for Chrisman will be a pair of seniors and a junior, although one of those players missed last season with an injury. Zack Parsons (6'2" Sr. Forward) missed the 2008-09 season, but returns to the fold healthy this year. Parsons averaged 16 points/game, 7 rebounds/game, and 3 steals/game as a sophomore two years ago. Shane Anderson (6'2" Sr. Forward) brings back 10 points/game, 5 rebounds/game, and 2 assists/game, and was named special mention all-conference last year. Cody Owen (6'1" Jr. Guard) is returning from an all-conference season, in which he averaged 16 points/game, 5 rebounds/game, and 5 assists/game.

Newcomers this year will be Baylor Gardner (6'3" Sr. Forward) and Derrick McCormick (5'10" So. Point Guard). "We will be very deep this year. I feel comfortable playing ten guys. That is something we have not had in the past. Defensively, we will be very solid, and our quickness and athleticism will be our greatest assets," said Nugent. Shawn Nugent has led Chrisman to a record of 65-22 during his three years at Chrisman.

Historically, the Chrisman Cardinals have qualified for the State Finals three times, and have taken home a trophy twice. The 1984-85 Cardinals took 2nd place in Class A with a 28-5 record, while the 1986-87 team finished third in state (27-5). Roger Beals led both of those teams, and he won 541 games, losing just 107 at Chrisman from 1969-70 through 1991-92. The Cardinals won 14 Regional titles, and four Sectional championships during that span. Chrisman also made the Elite Eight during the 1997-98 season (22-10) under coach Dave Chandler.