The last time Derek Robey, Todd Neuendorf and Kendall Hoellein were all on the bench of a basketball game, it was as a coaching unit for Aberdeen Central.
All three men will be on the sidelines of a game once again on Saturday night; however, this time Robey will be opposing Neuendorf and Hoellein.
Robey is the head coach for Sioux Falls O'Gorman, which meets Aberdeen Roncalli, led by Neuendorf and assisted by Hoellein, at 6 p.m. at the Elmen Center in Sioux Falls during the Dakota Schoolers Classic.
"It's just going to be fun for the kids," Neuendorf said, "but it's going to be fun for the coaches too to be back together."
Roncalli and O'Gorman used to meet on a regular basis back in the '60s. SFO won seven of the nine meetings, but Roncalli won the final matchup back in the 1971-72 season. The contest will mark the first time Roncalli has played a Class AA foe since the final Aberdeen Central-Roncalli game in 1994-95.
Neuendorf credited Robey for a willingness to play a team in a lower class.
"He agreed to play us. He doesn't have anything to prove. He's got five championships," Neuendorf said.
Larger schools are some time reluctant to play smaller opponents. However, the Knights were open to facing their Catholic counterpart from the north.
"It's kind of a no-win situation for them," Neuendorf explained. "If they win, they don't win by enough. If they lose, they lose to an A school."
Neuendorf said it is the same thing when Roncalli plays a Class B school.
That said, Neuendorf and his players are excited about playing the defending State AA champs.
"Our goal is to get the best people on our schedule that we can," Neuendorf said.
The Cavaliers are scheduled to face SFO again two years from now in the same classic, that game-taking place in the new Sanford Pentagon, which is currently being constructed.
Neuendorf served as an assistant under Robey in both boys' and girls' basketball while at Central. To this day, the two remain good friends.
"Coach Robey and I always communicate back and forth," Neuendorf said. "After most games, he'll text me or I'll text him."
When asked about the similarities in coaching styles from the playbook to Robey's trademark piercing whistle, Neuendorf responded, "I know what he runs, but I can't whistle at all."
Past games
1971-72
Aberdeen Roncalli 74, Sioux Falls O'Gorman 58
1970-71
Sioux Falls O'Gorman 79, Aberdeen Roncalli 55
1969-70
Sioux Falls O'Gorman 55, Aberdeen Roncalli 54
Sioux Falls O'Gorman 63, Aberdeen Roncalli 56
1968-69
Sioux Falls O'Gorman 75, Aberdeen Roncalli 52
Aberdeen Roncalli 51, Sioux Falls O'Gorman 49
1967-68
Sioux Falls O'Gorman 65, Aberdeen Roncalli 60
Sioux Falls O'Gorman 57, Aberdeen Roncalli 42
1966-67
Sioux Falls O'Gorman 73, Aberdeen Roncalli 48