Ali Roper remembers sitting on the sideline feeling helpless. Doug Springer remembers wishing Roper were out on the court.

But the anterior cruciate ligament tear Roper suffered in her left knee last season couldn’t keep her for from being the loudest person among the Wheeler faithful.

It all happened during the Bearcats’ Class 2A regional meeting with Rochester last season.

“It was probably the most painful thing,” Roper said of not being able to play after Wheeler had won its first-ever girls basketball sectional title. “In the regional game, my coach had to ask me to sit in the stands with the fans so I wouldn’t be too loud.

“I’m very vocal.”

Wheeler lost that regional tilt. And Springer, an assistant at the time who has since taken over the helm from Tim Powers, wonders if the outcome would have been different with Roper in the lineup.

“Rochester really focused on Becca (Bruszewski) and Alyse (Bruszewski),” Springer said. “Ali is a tremendous shooter. She can hit it from anywhere on the court. But she can also take it to the hoop.

“That would have given us another weapon.”

All that matters now is that Roper is healthy. And Becca Bruszewski, despite the graduation of her sister Alyse, is one year older, an inch taller and even better than she was last season as a freshman.

Both Roper and Becca Bruszewski will be counted on to lead a Bearcats team that may be young in spots but is talented enough to repeat as Lake Athletic Conference Blue Division champion and perhaps even as sectional champ.

“It’s going to be tough,” Bruszewski said. “But the team chemistry is pretty good, and it will hopefully get better.”

Bruszewski is 6-foot-2 and only a sophomore. She averaged 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds as a freshman. Roper, before injuring her knee in the 17th game of the regular season, averaged 12.9 points.

And both will play pretty much everywhere on the court this season.

“In the offense we run, no one person has one set position,” Roper said. “Even our point guard can post up.”

A year ago, Bruszewski may have told you her favorite place to play on the court was out on the perimeter. Now she’s not so certain.

“With AAU, I was playing post,” Bruszewski said. “I think it’s best when you can do both.”

That’s what holds the key to her future, beyond the high school level. Because of her size and athleticism, she’s already getting a great deal of interest from college coaches.

“I try not to think about it a lot of times,” Bruszewski said. “I just try to focus on the game and not worry about who’s watching or who’s not watching.”