Nice article today from John Millea of the StarTrib giving some hard data on the number of transfers at the high school level and some of the not so known details. (e.g if you transfer and aren't eligible at your new school, you can still play at your old school). Very interesting to see that 146 waiver requests were filed and 77 of them were granted (52.7%). That number surprised me. Seems like a waiver should be much much harder to get. Are there more loopholes than people think? I think MSHSL Executive Director Dave Stead hit it on the head when he said "The difficulty, I think, is that everyone believes their circumstances are unique."
I'll reiterate what I said Sept 17th, 2007. I hope that Millea follows up on the number of basketball transfers. Let's see before the transfer rule, 1st year of the rule and this year's transfer numbers to get a comparison. Last year they showed only the current data which was 143 transfers and 119 late transfers. I would expect that 1st year to be skewed high with kids trying to get in before the rule change. But this year's number (along with the trend of the next 3-5 years) vs 2 years ago is the one I'd be really interested in.
Rodney Williams commits to Gophers
Labels:
2009 Recruiting,
Rodney Williams,
Sam Dower
From the Star Tribune, Rodney Williams Jr has committed to the Gophers. Congrats to him, let's hope he can maintain his grades and get that passing score on the ACT. This is a big moment in U of M recruiting. The Dan Monson era was marked by the best MN players leaving (Kammron Taylor to Wisconsin, Cole Aldrich to Kansas, Isiah Dahlman to Michigan St). Wisconsin made a killing getting guys like Jon Leuer, Joe Krabbenhoft and Mike Bruesewitz. Much to my own personal dismay as a Badger, this looks like Tubby slamming the door shut on big programs coming in here and getting the biggest names. Tubby really didn't have a chance with Mike Bruesewitz or Trent Lockett, but he could have done more with Sam Dower. With a post player still needed, we'll see if Tubby ends up regretting that move.
Week 2 of the Magic Fall League
Labels:
2008 Fall Leagues,
2008 Magic Fall League
Week 2 of the Magic Fall League was today at Bloomington Jefferson. Here's what I saw.
Session 1: Titans vs Eagan. No Marshall Bjorklund for the Titans but Jordan Reetz and Evan Anderson were on hand. No Jameson Parsons for Eagan. Eagan does a nice job early of swarming Anderson on every touch. Anderson responded by smartly pivoting and hitting the open man opposite. Anderson does get an offensive rebound which he turns into a dunk to give the Titans a 16-12 lead with 8 minutes left in the half. Eagan comes back thanks to Charlie Baker to take a 25-20 halftime lead. They extend the lead to 32-20 before Reetz breaks the run at 16:10 of the 2nd half. Anderson gets a dunk and Reetz then makes a nice spin move for 2 to pull the Titans within 4. 39-35 Eagan with 10:15 to play. Baker to the bench for a rest. He returns with 5:30 to play and promptly drains a 3 to put Eagan up 52-42 and they don't look back. Eagan makes their free throws down the stretch for a surprising 60-49 win. Evan Anderson with 11 pts and 9 rbs, Jordan Reetz with 11 points for the Titans. But this game was about Charlie Baker of Eagan. 17 points and at least a half dozen assists for him. He hit triples in the 1st half and then in the 2nd half he drew help and picked apart the Titans defense for layups. A terrific performance to lead Eagan to the win.
Session 2: Freddie Burton (Cooper) lead Transitions II to a 91-37 win over Bethany.
Session 3: Titans vs Belle Plaine. Belle Plaine goes 1-2-2 zone the entire game to try and combat Anderson's size. 1st half is back and forth with the Titans leading 22-18 at the break. 43-34 Titans with 8 minutes to play before they go on a 14-4 run to put the game away. Titans win 57-41. Anderson with 7 pts, 7 rbs and 4 blks. Reetz with 11.
In the other session 3 game, Eagan came back from a 10 point deficit vs Como Park. Charlie Baker made a layup and got fouled with 10 seconds left. But he missed the free throw which would have tied it. Como Park missed 3 front ends of 1 and 1 at the end to make it possible but they hang on for the 61-60 win.
Session 4: Prior Lake vs Belle Plaine. Prior Lake gets the 1st 25 points of the game over 15:45 and they roll to a 67-31 win. Tor Anderson with 22 points and Andrew Dale with 17 despite playing out of position at center due to no Deryck Ludwig. Ludwig was with Shakopee's Matt Zager touring SW MN State. Congrats to both as they received full ride offers. Ludwig returns next week.
In the other session 4 game, Transitions II def PL Hoops 76-59 after having a 3 point halftime lead.
Session 5: Titans vs BSM. Best game of the day here. BSM used a 2-3 zone to try and slow down Evan Anderson. Darren Glover with 7 quick points for BSM countered by 15 early Jordan Reetz points for the Titans. 24-20 Titans with 8:09 left in the 1st half. 35-34 Titans at the break. Peter Crawford with 13 and 5 for BSM at the break. Reetz with 18 for the Titans. Titans get out to a 48-42 lead with 12 minutes left but Justin Segal gets a layup for BSM off of a blocked shot. 60-58 BSM leads with 5 minutes left. Crawford hits 2 clutch free throws with 1:52 left to push the lead to 65-62. Reetz misses and Justin Segal gets 2 assists to put the game away. BSM wins 70-66. Peter Crawford huge with 25 and 12 for BSM. Darren Glover with 15 but a major cool down after making his 1st 3 shots. Evan Anderson with 14 and 11 for the Titans. Jordan Reetz lead the way with 27.
PL Hoops def Bethany 63-48 in the other session 5 game.
Some fun games next week as here are some matchups that caught my eye.
Session 1: Titans vs Eagan. No Marshall Bjorklund for the Titans but Jordan Reetz and Evan Anderson were on hand. No Jameson Parsons for Eagan. Eagan does a nice job early of swarming Anderson on every touch. Anderson responded by smartly pivoting and hitting the open man opposite. Anderson does get an offensive rebound which he turns into a dunk to give the Titans a 16-12 lead with 8 minutes left in the half. Eagan comes back thanks to Charlie Baker to take a 25-20 halftime lead. They extend the lead to 32-20 before Reetz breaks the run at 16:10 of the 2nd half. Anderson gets a dunk and Reetz then makes a nice spin move for 2 to pull the Titans within 4. 39-35 Eagan with 10:15 to play. Baker to the bench for a rest. He returns with 5:30 to play and promptly drains a 3 to put Eagan up 52-42 and they don't look back. Eagan makes their free throws down the stretch for a surprising 60-49 win. Evan Anderson with 11 pts and 9 rbs, Jordan Reetz with 11 points for the Titans. But this game was about Charlie Baker of Eagan. 17 points and at least a half dozen assists for him. He hit triples in the 1st half and then in the 2nd half he drew help and picked apart the Titans defense for layups. A terrific performance to lead Eagan to the win.
Session 2: Freddie Burton (Cooper) lead Transitions II to a 91-37 win over Bethany.
Session 3: Titans vs Belle Plaine. Belle Plaine goes 1-2-2 zone the entire game to try and combat Anderson's size. 1st half is back and forth with the Titans leading 22-18 at the break. 43-34 Titans with 8 minutes to play before they go on a 14-4 run to put the game away. Titans win 57-41. Anderson with 7 pts, 7 rbs and 4 blks. Reetz with 11.
In the other session 3 game, Eagan came back from a 10 point deficit vs Como Park. Charlie Baker made a layup and got fouled with 10 seconds left. But he missed the free throw which would have tied it. Como Park missed 3 front ends of 1 and 1 at the end to make it possible but they hang on for the 61-60 win.
Session 4: Prior Lake vs Belle Plaine. Prior Lake gets the 1st 25 points of the game over 15:45 and they roll to a 67-31 win. Tor Anderson with 22 points and Andrew Dale with 17 despite playing out of position at center due to no Deryck Ludwig. Ludwig was with Shakopee's Matt Zager touring SW MN State. Congrats to both as they received full ride offers. Ludwig returns next week.
In the other session 4 game, Transitions II def PL Hoops 76-59 after having a 3 point halftime lead.
Session 5: Titans vs BSM. Best game of the day here. BSM used a 2-3 zone to try and slow down Evan Anderson. Darren Glover with 7 quick points for BSM countered by 15 early Jordan Reetz points for the Titans. 24-20 Titans with 8:09 left in the 1st half. 35-34 Titans at the break. Peter Crawford with 13 and 5 for BSM at the break. Reetz with 18 for the Titans. Titans get out to a 48-42 lead with 12 minutes left but Justin Segal gets a layup for BSM off of a blocked shot. 60-58 BSM leads with 5 minutes left. Crawford hits 2 clutch free throws with 1:52 left to push the lead to 65-62. Reetz misses and Justin Segal gets 2 assists to put the game away. BSM wins 70-66. Peter Crawford huge with 25 and 12 for BSM. Darren Glover with 15 but a major cool down after making his 1st 3 shots. Evan Anderson with 14 and 11 for the Titans. Jordan Reetz lead the way with 27.
PL Hoops def Bethany 63-48 in the other session 5 game.
Some fun games next week as here are some matchups that caught my eye.
- MTS vs Eagan
- Eagan vs Prior Lake
- Chaska vs Eden Prairie
Week 2 of the MBA Fall League
Action from week 2 of the MBA fall league at Minnehaha Academy.
Session 1 Scores: NYA def Blake 74-29, Maple Grove JV def North Branch JV 35-20 and Edison def Dunwoody Academy 56-28.
Session 2 Scores: Blake def North Branch JV 44-43, Maple Grove JV def NYA 44-37 and Maple Grove blew out Edison 63-35 in an ugly game.
Session 3: A couple of real good ones here to start my day. Armstrong vs Sibley in the one of the biggest games of the league in my featured game. Regular season rosters mostly intact for this game which adds to the excitement. The game is even early as Damarius Cruz goes over Jake Kreuser for an early bucket to pull Armstrong within 11-9 4 minutes into the action. Sibley uses 5 Mike Bruesewitz points and alley-oop to Chris Halvorsen to lead 27-18. 37-28 Sibley at the break behind 16 points and 5 rebounds from Bruesewitz.
Sibley opens the 2nd half on a 10-2 run over the 1st 3:50 of the 2nd half to blow the game open 47-30 with 16:10 to play. Maurice Hernandez with a couple of buckets in that run. They go on to win 68-55. Bruesewitz finishes with 25 and 11, Hernandez with 21 for Sibley. Damarius Cruz with 21 for Armstrong. Interesting to see Halvorsen spend some time guarding Cruz in this game. Armstrong with no answer for the Sibley size.
In other session 3 action, Dunwoody Academy def NYA 47-35. In the other game, Minnehaha got 7 straight points in the last 2 minutes to go from 1 down to 6 up on TNL. Taylor Sparkman with the 1st 5 of those points to lead the Redhawks to the 76-70 win.
Session 4: Coon Rapids vs St. Peter. Ben Baker with a quick start for Coon Rapids with 10 of the first 13 Cardinal points. They lead 25-18 at the break. They start the 2nd half on a 15-4 spurt over the first 12 minutes of the 2nd half to break the game open. Coon Rapids wins 48-27. Baker with 20 points and 7 rebounds.
In other session 4 action, Hoops Training def Park Center 44-36. Maple Grove def St. Paul Central 52-44.
Session 5: Minnehaha vs Sibley in another premier league matchup. Parker Hines gets a steal and layup to give Minnehaha an early 10-6 lead. Sibley then goes on a 13-0 run over the next 8 minutes to take control. Chris Halvorsen with a nice drive and dunk within that run. A Mike Rostampour putback at the buzzer gives Sibley a 33-23 lead at the break. Nice balance on both sides as Rostampour and Bruesewitz each have 8 and Hernandez with 7 for Sibley. Greg Meyer, David Burnham and Hines all with 5 for Minnehaha.
Hernandez comes out and hits 2 quick threes and Halvorsen gets a dunk off of the nice Sibley inbounds package to push the lead to 17. Hernandez finishes the spurt with a 3 point play to make it 54-30 with 11 minutes to play. Taylor Sparkman with 8 late points for Minnehaha to try and make it interesting but the game is long over. Sibley wins 64-51. Mike Rostampour with 16 and 10. Hernandez with 18 for Sibley. Taylor Sparkman with 12 points all in the 2nd half. Greg Meyer also with 12 for Minnehaha. Sparkman was playing center and often guarded by Jake Kreuser. I thought Sparkman could exploit Kreuser by stepping outside, but that didn't happen until late in the game after the outcome was already determined.
In other session 5 action, Coon Rapids blew out Mankato 78-41. TNL blew out Mpls Demons 53-35.
Session 6: Hoops Training vs Armstrong. Armstrong ice cold early and in a major shock its 25-8 Hoops Training with 7:45 left in the 1st half. Then Damarius Cruz blows the roof off as he goes down the lane with a thunderous 1 handed dunk to put some life back in the Falcons. 29-15 Hoops Training with 5 minutes left in the half after the dunk. 33-21 Hoops Training at the break. Cruz the only offense for the Falcons as he had 15 points.
Trevor Gruis (Ellsworth) gets a couple of buckets for Hoops Training to keep the lead at 12, 39-27 after 3 minutes of the 2nd half. Its a 10 point lead with 13 minutes to play before Armstrong comes to life. Marquel Curtis with back to back blocks on the same possession leads to an Andy Seidlitz triple. Cruz finds Seidlitz for a layup and then gets another dunk plus a layin and Armstrong is all the way back to lead 52-49. That concluded a 19-6 Armstrong run over an 8 minute stretch. Gruis doing it all for Hoops Training down the stretch. He gets 2 buckets and then after an Armstrong turnover, gets the assist to give them the lead back 55-54. After a Curtis miss, Gruis dunks with 31 seconds left to give Hoops Training a 57-54 lead. Cruz with a clutch triple from straight away to tie it with 18 seconds left. Gruis doesn't touch it on the last possession and we go to overtime. Ted Vogt with an early bucket and Curtis with a free throw for the final 60-57 margin as Hoops Training doesn't score in the 2 minute OT. Cruz with at least 24 for the Falcons in the win.
Park Center def St. Paul Central 55-53 in the other game. PC missed a FT to give Central a shot at the buzzer to win it, but the 3 was off.
Session 7: Sibley vs Mpls Demons. A rout all the way. The Demons with only 3 1st half field goals. Sibley leads 27-11 at the break. More ugliness in the 2nd half as the Demons needs 7 minutes to get their 1st field goal of the half. So that's 4 field goals in 27 minutes. Yikes, nice job by Sibley on the defensive end. 45-21 Sibley wins. Bruesewitz with 12 and Halvorsen 11 for Sibley.
St. Peter def Mankato 60-47 in the other game.
Random thoughts from the days action:
Session 1 Scores: NYA def Blake 74-29, Maple Grove JV def North Branch JV 35-20 and Edison def Dunwoody Academy 56-28.
Session 2 Scores: Blake def North Branch JV 44-43, Maple Grove JV def NYA 44-37 and Maple Grove blew out Edison 63-35 in an ugly game.
Session 3: A couple of real good ones here to start my day. Armstrong vs Sibley in the one of the biggest games of the league in my featured game. Regular season rosters mostly intact for this game which adds to the excitement. The game is even early as Damarius Cruz goes over Jake Kreuser for an early bucket to pull Armstrong within 11-9 4 minutes into the action. Sibley uses 5 Mike Bruesewitz points and alley-oop to Chris Halvorsen to lead 27-18. 37-28 Sibley at the break behind 16 points and 5 rebounds from Bruesewitz.
Sibley opens the 2nd half on a 10-2 run over the 1st 3:50 of the 2nd half to blow the game open 47-30 with 16:10 to play. Maurice Hernandez with a couple of buckets in that run. They go on to win 68-55. Bruesewitz finishes with 25 and 11, Hernandez with 21 for Sibley. Damarius Cruz with 21 for Armstrong. Interesting to see Halvorsen spend some time guarding Cruz in this game. Armstrong with no answer for the Sibley size.
In other session 3 action, Dunwoody Academy def NYA 47-35. In the other game, Minnehaha got 7 straight points in the last 2 minutes to go from 1 down to 6 up on TNL. Taylor Sparkman with the 1st 5 of those points to lead the Redhawks to the 76-70 win.
Session 4: Coon Rapids vs St. Peter. Ben Baker with a quick start for Coon Rapids with 10 of the first 13 Cardinal points. They lead 25-18 at the break. They start the 2nd half on a 15-4 spurt over the first 12 minutes of the 2nd half to break the game open. Coon Rapids wins 48-27. Baker with 20 points and 7 rebounds.
In other session 4 action, Hoops Training def Park Center 44-36. Maple Grove def St. Paul Central 52-44.
Session 5: Minnehaha vs Sibley in another premier league matchup. Parker Hines gets a steal and layup to give Minnehaha an early 10-6 lead. Sibley then goes on a 13-0 run over the next 8 minutes to take control. Chris Halvorsen with a nice drive and dunk within that run. A Mike Rostampour putback at the buzzer gives Sibley a 33-23 lead at the break. Nice balance on both sides as Rostampour and Bruesewitz each have 8 and Hernandez with 7 for Sibley. Greg Meyer, David Burnham and Hines all with 5 for Minnehaha.
Hernandez comes out and hits 2 quick threes and Halvorsen gets a dunk off of the nice Sibley inbounds package to push the lead to 17. Hernandez finishes the spurt with a 3 point play to make it 54-30 with 11 minutes to play. Taylor Sparkman with 8 late points for Minnehaha to try and make it interesting but the game is long over. Sibley wins 64-51. Mike Rostampour with 16 and 10. Hernandez with 18 for Sibley. Taylor Sparkman with 12 points all in the 2nd half. Greg Meyer also with 12 for Minnehaha. Sparkman was playing center and often guarded by Jake Kreuser. I thought Sparkman could exploit Kreuser by stepping outside, but that didn't happen until late in the game after the outcome was already determined.
In other session 5 action, Coon Rapids blew out Mankato 78-41. TNL blew out Mpls Demons 53-35.
Session 6: Hoops Training vs Armstrong. Armstrong ice cold early and in a major shock its 25-8 Hoops Training with 7:45 left in the 1st half. Then Damarius Cruz blows the roof off as he goes down the lane with a thunderous 1 handed dunk to put some life back in the Falcons. 29-15 Hoops Training with 5 minutes left in the half after the dunk. 33-21 Hoops Training at the break. Cruz the only offense for the Falcons as he had 15 points.
Trevor Gruis (Ellsworth) gets a couple of buckets for Hoops Training to keep the lead at 12, 39-27 after 3 minutes of the 2nd half. Its a 10 point lead with 13 minutes to play before Armstrong comes to life. Marquel Curtis with back to back blocks on the same possession leads to an Andy Seidlitz triple. Cruz finds Seidlitz for a layup and then gets another dunk plus a layin and Armstrong is all the way back to lead 52-49. That concluded a 19-6 Armstrong run over an 8 minute stretch. Gruis doing it all for Hoops Training down the stretch. He gets 2 buckets and then after an Armstrong turnover, gets the assist to give them the lead back 55-54. After a Curtis miss, Gruis dunks with 31 seconds left to give Hoops Training a 57-54 lead. Cruz with a clutch triple from straight away to tie it with 18 seconds left. Gruis doesn't touch it on the last possession and we go to overtime. Ted Vogt with an early bucket and Curtis with a free throw for the final 60-57 margin as Hoops Training doesn't score in the 2 minute OT. Cruz with at least 24 for the Falcons in the win.
Park Center def St. Paul Central 55-53 in the other game. PC missed a FT to give Central a shot at the buzzer to win it, but the 3 was off.
Session 7: Sibley vs Mpls Demons. A rout all the way. The Demons with only 3 1st half field goals. Sibley leads 27-11 at the break. More ugliness in the 2nd half as the Demons needs 7 minutes to get their 1st field goal of the half. So that's 4 field goals in 27 minutes. Yikes, nice job by Sibley on the defensive end. 45-21 Sibley wins. Bruesewitz with 12 and Halvorsen 11 for Sibley.
St. Peter def Mankato 60-47 in the other game.
Random thoughts from the days action:
- You can really tell the teams that use this for the regular season and those who don't. The dead giveaway is the teams that are running all of their regular season stuff (Armstrong, Sibley) and those who are just running around (Edison, Mpls Demons). Its one thing to build the system for the regular season. Its entirely another to build bad habits that have to be broken once the regular season comes along.
- This was my 1st chance to see Sibley's Mike Rostampour play. He didn't play varsity last year, but he's grown 5 inches in the last year and he's got the same motor that Mike Bruesewitz has. He was very active on the glass and around the basket all day. He'll be fun to watch this season.
- Chris Halvorsen's cold shooting continues to surprise me. He didn't shoot well when I saw him at the Twin Cities Summer Classic and today he was 5-16 shooting free throws. I'm not sure I saw him hit an outside shot all day.
- Sibley's biggest question this year in my mind will be point guard play. They really struggled with that today. Granted they had a kid missing there, but they used Maurice Hernandez and Mike Bruesewitz (especially vs pressure) to do some of the ball handling. Shows the skills that Bruesewitz has and how he'll be a nice fit for Bo Ryan. But it also shows that this is an area that the Warriors will continue to look at.
2008 Magic Fall League Info
Labels:
2008 Fall Leagues,
2008 Magic Fall League
I've added the MN Magic Fall League to the schedule on the Fall Leagues page. Here's the full schedule for this week. I'll be adding each week as it approaches as its too long to post it all here. Note the Titans team that is playing in this league. They have Marshall Bjorklund (Sibley East) and Jordan Reetz (Fall Creek, WI) from the MN Magic 16 Elites along with 2010 star Evan Anderson of Eau Claire North (committed to Wisconsin).
Saturday 9/27/08 at Bloomington Kennedy:
1 PM: Raiders vs Chaska - Ct 1
2 PM: Raiders vs Watertown - Ct 1
2 PM: Chaska vs Bethany - Ct 2
3 PM: Eden Prairie vs Bethany - Ct 1
4 PM: Transitions I vs Watertown - Ct 1
5 PM: Transitions I vs Eden Prairie - Ct 1
Sunday 9/28/08 at Bloomington Jefferson:
12 PM: Titans vs Eagan - Ct 2
1 PM: Prior Lake vs Como Park - Ct 2
1 PM: Transitions II vs Bethany - Ct 3
2 PM: Titans vs Belle Plaine - Ct 2
2 PM: Eagan vs Como Park - Ct 3
3 PM: Prior Lake vs Belle Plaine - Ct 2
3 PM: Transitions II vs PL Hoops - Ct 3
4 PM: Titans vs BSM - Ct 2
4 PM: Bethany vs PL Hoops - Ct 3
5 PM: Transitions II vs BSM -Ct 2
Saturday 9/27/08 at Bloomington Kennedy:
1 PM: Raiders vs Chaska - Ct 1
2 PM: Raiders vs Watertown - Ct 1
2 PM: Chaska vs Bethany - Ct 2
3 PM: Eden Prairie vs Bethany - Ct 1
4 PM: Transitions I vs Watertown - Ct 1
5 PM: Transitions I vs Eden Prairie - Ct 1
Sunday 9/28/08 at Bloomington Jefferson:
12 PM: Titans vs Eagan - Ct 2
1 PM: Prior Lake vs Como Park - Ct 2
1 PM: Transitions II vs Bethany - Ct 3
2 PM: Titans vs Belle Plaine - Ct 2
2 PM: Eagan vs Como Park - Ct 3
3 PM: Prior Lake vs Belle Plaine - Ct 2
3 PM: Transitions II vs PL Hoops - Ct 3
4 PM: Titans vs BSM - Ct 2
4 PM: Bethany vs PL Hoops - Ct 3
5 PM: Transitions II vs BSM -Ct 2
NY2LA Sports comments on local players
NY2LA Sports released comments on a few players this week. Their article includes comments on Rodney Williams, Billy Giddings (Blaine), Cole Stefan and Nick Latzke (Minnetonka) along with a couple of Wisconsin players that I saw last season and one of the sons of the best player ever. The entire article can be read here.
It also mentions the 2008 Full Court Fall Showcase camp that will be held at Minnetonka on Oct 11 and 12th. This is put on by Net Gain Sports. More info can be found on the Net Gain Sports website.
The article mentions Tyler Brown and Brett Meinecke from Wisconsin. Brown plays in the shadow of 2010 star Evan Anderson (committed to Wisconsin, ranked #37 Rivals.com, #17 Scout.com, #24 ESPN), but he's the best scorer on his Eau Claire North team. Can play inside and has the ability to step all the way out to the 3 point line and make shots. Nice pickup for Central Michigan. I'll get another chance to see him play December 2nd for their big game at the Swamp vs La Crosse Logan and one of Wisconsin's top 2011 prospects, Trevor Jorgenson (offered by UW-Milwaukee). Its a matchup of some of the best big guys in Wisconsin.
Meinecke is also in the shadow of another star Kameron Cerroni (26.5 PPG last year as a sophomore, committed to UWGB). He's part of a young and small Sussex Hamilton squad that is building to be very dangerous in 2009-2010. He's a small guard but can shoot it. A nice compliment. He struggled with injuries this summer. They play De La Salle in the Border Battle in Owatonna on Saturday January 24th, 2009 in a compelling matchup.
Giddings has sufficient physical tools. Playing without the ball and his defense are areas he continues to work on. But he can definitely score.
Latzke is a lot like his older brother Andrew who played for the Skippers this last year. Another sweet shooting lefty who will be a big contributor down the road.
And what more needs to be said about Cole Stefan. His stock continues to rise and with a full year to shine now that all of the Tonka seniors are gone, expect him to have a monster year.
It also mentions the 2008 Full Court Fall Showcase camp that will be held at Minnetonka on Oct 11 and 12th. This is put on by Net Gain Sports. More info can be found on the Net Gain Sports website.
The article mentions Tyler Brown and Brett Meinecke from Wisconsin. Brown plays in the shadow of 2010 star Evan Anderson (committed to Wisconsin, ranked #37 Rivals.com, #17 Scout.com, #24 ESPN), but he's the best scorer on his Eau Claire North team. Can play inside and has the ability to step all the way out to the 3 point line and make shots. Nice pickup for Central Michigan. I'll get another chance to see him play December 2nd for their big game at the Swamp vs La Crosse Logan and one of Wisconsin's top 2011 prospects, Trevor Jorgenson (offered by UW-Milwaukee). Its a matchup of some of the best big guys in Wisconsin.
Meinecke is also in the shadow of another star Kameron Cerroni (26.5 PPG last year as a sophomore, committed to UWGB). He's part of a young and small Sussex Hamilton squad that is building to be very dangerous in 2009-2010. He's a small guard but can shoot it. A nice compliment. He struggled with injuries this summer. They play De La Salle in the Border Battle in Owatonna on Saturday January 24th, 2009 in a compelling matchup.
Giddings has sufficient physical tools. Playing without the ball and his defense are areas he continues to work on. But he can definitely score.
Latzke is a lot like his older brother Andrew who played for the Skippers this last year. Another sweet shooting lefty who will be a big contributor down the road.
And what more needs to be said about Cole Stefan. His stock continues to rise and with a full year to shine now that all of the Tonka seniors are gone, expect him to have a monster year.
MN Fury head coach moves up to college level
Ben Davis has stepped down from his position running the Minnesota Fury boys program in order to become an assistant coach at Macalester. The remaining coaches in the Fury system will take over. Read the entire release here.
Congrats to coach Davis on this new opportunity. He was the head man for the MN Fury 16U South and MN Fury 17U teams this past season. He didn't have the most talent or high profile names, but he got as much out of his 2 teams as anyone this summer. His local AAU and high school background should be a great asset to the Macalester program.
Congrats to coach Davis on this new opportunity. He was the head man for the MN Fury 16U South and MN Fury 17U teams this past season. He didn't have the most talent or high profile names, but he got as much out of his 2 teams as anyone this summer. His local AAU and high school background should be a great asset to the Macalester program.
Gopher Hole talks recruiting with Rodney Williams
Labels:
2009 Recruiting,
Rodney Williams
After his mom talked recruiting with the Star Tribune yesterday, Rodney Williams Jr talked to Gopher Hole about his recruitment today. Some highlights.
Read the entire Gopher Hole interview here.
- While he's cleared by the NCAA, he still has to retake the ACT and get a higher score than his previous score.
- The U of M is the front runner to get him, but he'll still visit Santa Clara.
- Wisconsin quit calling him. (OK that's not news, but being a Wisconsin guy I'm compelled to mention it)
Read the entire Gopher Hole interview here.
Week 1 of the MBA Fall League
Labels:
2008 Fall Leagues,
2008 MBA Fall League
Fall leagues opened today with a full day of action at Minnehaha Academy as part of the Minnesota Basketball Assocation fall league. I attended the 1st half of the day (4 boys sessions) and here's what I saw.
Session 1: Coon Rapids vs TNL Express (Champlin Park based)
A battle of NW Suburban foes in the opening session. 28-24 TNL at the half and then a couple of Jay Sewer 3s in the 2nd half breaks the game open. TNL goes on to a 62-48 win. Sewer with 5 triples and a total of 22 pts in the win. Jasper Duberry with 20 points for TNL. Ben Baker with 10 pts and 7 rebs for Coon Rapids in the loss.
Session 2: Maple Grove vs Redhawks (Minnehaha Academy)
We continue the NW Suburban theme here as Maple Grove takes on the home team. No Taylor Sparkman for the Redhawks. I believe it was David Burnham on the bench watching and Greg Meyer playing but I may have them reversed. I'm going with Meyer and an apology if I mixed them up. 23-22 Maple Grove at halftime. Nothing for Meyer in the 1st half. MG comes out in a 2-3 zone in the 2nd half after playing man in the 1st half. This gets them out to a 41-33 lead with 9:10 to play. Them Meyer hits a 3 and gets a 3 pt play and Parker Hines knocks down a 3 to complete a 14-0 Redhawks run. 47-41 Minnehaha with 3:20 left. MG only gets 1 FG and 3-6 FTs in the last 9:10. Minnehaha goes on to win 56-47. Meyer with 9 pts, all in the 2nd half. Hines with 7 late points to put the game away.
In other session 2 action, Maple Grove JV def Blake 65-62.
Session 3: TNL Express vs Park Center
Tied at 26 at the break. Devon Knopke comes out and has a great 2nd half and we're tied at 46 with 5:20 to play. A 4 point play and a TNL technical foul give PC a 54-49 lead with 2 minutes left. But TNL gets the next 6 as Knopke gets the assist on a 3 by Josh Pratt (St. Anthony) with 45.2 seconds to play to give TNL a 55-54 lead. PC gets a layup with 28 seconds left to regain the lead. TNL then gives Knopke the ball again on a clear out and he delivers with a nice floater in the lane with 3 seconds left to give TNL the 57-56 win. Jasper Duberry made a living at the FT line in this game (7-9 FTs) and finished with 11 points. Jay Sewer quiet with 10 points.
In other session 3 action, Edison defeats Coon Rapids 58-46 after the scoreboard operator flipped the teams on the scoreboard. A shame to see situations like that. Armstrong blew out Maple Grove 86-67.
Session 4: Armstrong vs St. Paul Central
No Ted Vogt for Armstrong but their guards were out in force in this game. Armstrong out to a quick 11-4 lead after 2 and a half minutes. 42-28 Armstrong at halftime. Central gets as close as 51-45 with 12 minutes to play, but a 17-4 Armstrong run puts the game away. Falcons win 77-57.
A typical Armstrong game with at least 9 triples. That includes a very cold shooting game for Damarius Cruz who started 2-12 before making a couple in the 2nd half. 4-15 shooting overall with 9 points. Andy Seidlitz with 3 triples and 15 points. David Weber with a real nice game of 4 triples and 16 points. Seidlitz had 9 triples in a JV game vs Hopkins last season. A real sniper and you know coach Miller will get him good looks over the next 2 seasons.
In other session 4 action, Dunwoody Academy blew out Blake 50-27. Minnehaha held off the Mpls Demons 72-65 after leading by 13 at halftime. The Demons squad has Jalen Jaspers and Jonah Travis of De La Salle as players of note.
Random thoughts from the day's action:
Session 1: Coon Rapids vs TNL Express (Champlin Park based)
A battle of NW Suburban foes in the opening session. 28-24 TNL at the half and then a couple of Jay Sewer 3s in the 2nd half breaks the game open. TNL goes on to a 62-48 win. Sewer with 5 triples and a total of 22 pts in the win. Jasper Duberry with 20 points for TNL. Ben Baker with 10 pts and 7 rebs for Coon Rapids in the loss.
Session 2: Maple Grove vs Redhawks (Minnehaha Academy)
We continue the NW Suburban theme here as Maple Grove takes on the home team. No Taylor Sparkman for the Redhawks. I believe it was David Burnham on the bench watching and Greg Meyer playing but I may have them reversed. I'm going with Meyer and an apology if I mixed them up. 23-22 Maple Grove at halftime. Nothing for Meyer in the 1st half. MG comes out in a 2-3 zone in the 2nd half after playing man in the 1st half. This gets them out to a 41-33 lead with 9:10 to play. Them Meyer hits a 3 and gets a 3 pt play and Parker Hines knocks down a 3 to complete a 14-0 Redhawks run. 47-41 Minnehaha with 3:20 left. MG only gets 1 FG and 3-6 FTs in the last 9:10. Minnehaha goes on to win 56-47. Meyer with 9 pts, all in the 2nd half. Hines with 7 late points to put the game away.
In other session 2 action, Maple Grove JV def Blake 65-62.
Session 3: TNL Express vs Park Center
Tied at 26 at the break. Devon Knopke comes out and has a great 2nd half and we're tied at 46 with 5:20 to play. A 4 point play and a TNL technical foul give PC a 54-49 lead with 2 minutes left. But TNL gets the next 6 as Knopke gets the assist on a 3 by Josh Pratt (St. Anthony) with 45.2 seconds to play to give TNL a 55-54 lead. PC gets a layup with 28 seconds left to regain the lead. TNL then gives Knopke the ball again on a clear out and he delivers with a nice floater in the lane with 3 seconds left to give TNL the 57-56 win. Jasper Duberry made a living at the FT line in this game (7-9 FTs) and finished with 11 points. Jay Sewer quiet with 10 points.
In other session 3 action, Edison defeats Coon Rapids 58-46 after the scoreboard operator flipped the teams on the scoreboard. A shame to see situations like that. Armstrong blew out Maple Grove 86-67.
Session 4: Armstrong vs St. Paul Central
No Ted Vogt for Armstrong but their guards were out in force in this game. Armstrong out to a quick 11-4 lead after 2 and a half minutes. 42-28 Armstrong at halftime. Central gets as close as 51-45 with 12 minutes to play, but a 17-4 Armstrong run puts the game away. Falcons win 77-57.
A typical Armstrong game with at least 9 triples. That includes a very cold shooting game for Damarius Cruz who started 2-12 before making a couple in the 2nd half. 4-15 shooting overall with 9 points. Andy Seidlitz with 3 triples and 15 points. David Weber with a real nice game of 4 triples and 16 points. Seidlitz had 9 triples in a JV game vs Hopkins last season. A real sniper and you know coach Miller will get him good looks over the next 2 seasons.
In other session 4 action, Dunwoody Academy blew out Blake 50-27. Minnehaha held off the Mpls Demons 72-65 after leading by 13 at halftime. The Demons squad has Jalen Jaspers and Jonah Travis of De La Salle as players of note.
Random thoughts from the day's action:
- TNL's running game is fun to watch in addition to their trapping style defense. The long outlet pass off of a score or rebound is what makes it go and it appears they really work on that.
- Along similar lines, Champlin Park had better be a running and trapping team this year as Josh Pella and Kyle Zimmerman will be their biggest players. The loss of Calvin Nolte and Emeka Okafor is definitely something big for the Rebels.
- Dunwoody Academy has some athletes, but they too are a small team.
- Sloppy play all day and a surprising amount of playground antics like behind the back passes.
- Henry Sibley joins the party next week. Should be real interesting to see how they look.
UW-Stout hires 2 assistants with Twin Cities roots
UW-Stout announced the hiring of 2 assistant coaches from the metro today, Josh Hawton and Larry Ronglien.
Coach Ronglien will be the recruiting coordinator after spending 31 years coaching locally (20 as a head coach at numerous local schools, last at St. Louis Park). Head Coach Eddie Andrist said this in the press release.
“Larry’s background and experience speak for themselves. He knows the game inside and out and will be extremely valuable in evaluation of our team and players. On the recruiting side, he knows a ton of coaches and good people inMinnesota
Josh Hawton will also be involved in recruiting in addition to his assistant coach duties. He's had local stints with Augsburg and Breck in addition to work with the 43 Hoops AAU program. Coach Andrist said this in the press release.
“We are very excited to welcome Josh to the Blue Devil basketball family here at Stout. He is young and energetic and every program needs that infectious enthusiasm to keep everyone sharp. Josh will handle a variety of duties for us with recruiting being right at the top of the list.”
Stout isn't as local to many Wisconsin players as other schools in the UW system. So with that, they continue to look at Twin Cities players. With these 2 hires, this gives some real good access and knowledge of the Twin Cities area.
Coach Ronglien will be the recruiting coordinator after spending 31 years coaching locally (20 as a head coach at numerous local schools, last at St. Louis Park). Head Coach Eddie Andrist said this in the press release.
“Larry’s background and experience speak for themselves. He knows the game inside and out and will be extremely valuable in evaluation of our team and players. On the recruiting side, he knows a ton of coaches and good people in
Josh Hawton will also be involved in recruiting in addition to his assistant coach duties. He's had local stints with Augsburg and Breck in addition to work with the 43 Hoops AAU program. Coach Andrist said this in the press release.
“We are very excited to welcome Josh to the Blue Devil basketball family here at Stout. He is young and energetic and every program needs that infectious enthusiasm to keep everyone sharp. Josh will handle a variety of duties for us with recruiting being right at the top of the list.”
Stout isn't as local to many Wisconsin players as other schools in the UW system. So with that, they continue to look at Twin Cities players. With these 2 hires, this gives some real good access and knowledge of the Twin Cities area.
Gopher Hole interviews Jake Kreuser
Labels:
2010 Recruiting,
Chad Calcaterra,
Jake Kreuser
In an interview today with GopherHole.com, Sibley junior Jake Kreuser talked about his recruitment and game. He hits it on the head when he says he needs to get stronger. Talk is that he had a nice summer for 43 Hoops though I didn't get to see him play for them. I expected him to be a varsity regular last season based on his freshman season, but he had a load of talent in front of him. With Mike Bruesewitz, Chris Halvorsen and Mike Rostampour on the front line this season, he may be in a similar situation. But there are benefits to that. He won't be called upon to carry the offensive load, so he'll be able to defend, block shots and rebound which I think would maximize his effectiveness. Certainly a different situation than fellow 2010 big man Chad Calcaterra who needs to be the offense for Cloquet. Both of these players are scheduled for this season's Timberwolves Shootout (Jan 3, 2009) and it will be interesting to follow their progress.
Read the entire Gopher Hole Interview here.
Read the entire Gopher Hole Interview here.
Interview on Sam Dower's Signing and Cole Stefan's Future
Labels:
2009 Recruiting,
2010 Recruiting,
Cole Stefan,
Sam Dower
Gonzaga student blog The Kennel Report did an interview yesterday with Net Gain Sports coach Marquise Watts regarding the signing of Osseo standout Sam Dower and the future for up and coming Minnetonka junior Cole Stefan. Nice job by TKR as this provides some nice insight on both players. It was interesting to see that Stefan may be a better baseball player as Ryan James of Minnesota Preps just wrote an article that Stefan may be the top junior basketball player in the state. Should be interesting to see how he performs in front of at least 5 schools at an open gym tonight. With Wazoo hard after him and watching Tony Bennett play at UWGB when I was young, I'd be happy to see another Minnesota player end up in the Pacific Northwest. Stefan could really light it up in that system.
Read the entire TKR interview here.
Read the entire TKR interview here.
NY2LA Sports names MN Stars to midwest top 5
Labels:
2009 Recruiting,
Rodney Williams,
Royce White
NY2LA Sports named their top 100 players in the midwest region this week. Royce White and Rodney Williams come in at 2 and 3 in that list. Wisconsin players Jamil Wilson and Jeronne Maymon come in at 1 and 4 in the list. Read the NY2LA Sports Midwest top 5 with comments on each player here.
I saw the top 4 kids play in person last season so here's how I'd rank them.
I saw the top 4 kids play in person last season so here's how I'd rank them.
- White, hands down, due to his polished offensive game.
- Maymon, due to versatility. He's a horse inside, but can handle too. 30 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3 assists averages during the Wisconsin state tournament don't lie.
- Williams, due to athleticism. A highlight reel waiting to happen every time he plays.
- Wilson, he didn't impress when I saw him during last year's WBY Shootout.
Three more 2009 players make college choices
Labels:
2009 Recruiting,
Sam Dower
Congrats to the following local players for their college choices over the last few days.
Sam Dower (Osseo) - Gonzaga
Mike Broghammer (Hopkins) - Notre Dame
Ethan Wragge (Eden Prairie) - Creighton
Here are links to a couple of articles by respective local papers on the signings.
Spokesman review article on Sam Dower signing
South Bend Tribune article on Mike Broghammer signing
Sam Dower (Osseo) - Gonzaga
Mike Broghammer (Hopkins) - Notre Dame
Ethan Wragge (Eden Prairie) - Creighton
Here are links to a couple of articles by respective local papers on the signings.
Spokesman review article on Sam Dower signing
South Bend Tribune article on Mike Broghammer signing
Cole Aldrich leader of Kansas in 08-09
Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com wrote a piece today on Cole Aldrich (Bloomington Jefferson 07) being a major piece for Kansas in the 2008-2009 season. Goodman writes "Seven of the team's top nine scorers are gone, which means that Aldrich and Collins will be the de facto leaders this season." This is after his impressive performance vs North Carolina in the NCAAs last season. Interesting how he comments that he's focused on the future and hasn't watched that UNC game and really doesn't appear to have much current interest in it. You have to like that focus if you're a Jayhawk fan.
Cole was a top flight recruit coming in (#30 in the final 2007 Rivals.com Top 150 and #6 Center, #38 Scout.com and a McDonald's All-American). This is a season where it appears he'll have every opportunity to live up to that. Travis Releford (played here in 2007 Sabes Invitational) will join him next season.
Read the full article here.
Cole was a top flight recruit coming in (#30 in the final 2007 Rivals.com Top 150 and #6 Center, #38 Scout.com and a McDonald's All-American). This is a season where it appears he'll have every opportunity to live up to that. Travis Releford (played here in 2007 Sabes Invitational) will join him next season.
Read the full article here.
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