2013-14 Tri-Metro Preview

This is the 11th preview in my 2013-2014 season preview series.  To begin week 3, a look at the Tri-Metro Conference.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Blake Bears (2012-13 season 22-8, 9-1 Conference, 2nd)
Blake loses their inside presence Blaine Crawford and his team leading 16+ points per night.  5 year wing Kebu Johnson also departs.  Forward JR Bascom and point guard John Veil remain and give the Bears almost 30 per night.  Both are D3 committed and steals for their programs (Bascom to a school in Connecticut, Veil to St. Thomas).  Guards John Augustine and John Curran return to the rotation.  The other post Alex Smith also graduates leaving the Bears to search for size.

Breck Mustangs (2012-13 season 19-11, 6-4 Conference, 4th)
Wayzata assistant Mike Anderson takes over for the departed Matt McCollister.  Another quality private school coach run out of town.  Double figure scorer Tilyn Hollis departs along with forward Michael Marzec.  The backcourt is still full of talent.  Will Culliton averaged 18+ as a shooter on 1 wing.  Mo Lawal averaged 15 a night on the other wing and can score in bunches.  Kevin Linehan returns to run the point.  Graydon Kulick gives them a body inside.  Kwaku Bodom gives them depth on the wing.  Most of that crew is juniors so plenty to build around.

Brooklyn Center Centaurs (2012-13 season 16-12, 2-8 Conference, Tied 10th)
Brooklyn Center will have to replace most of their roster.  The top 3 scorers depart.  Sammie Watkins is a good athlete on the wing.  He's the top returning player.  Tyler Wilebski also returns to the starting lineup. 

Concordia Academy Beacons (2012-13 season 16-13, 5-5 Conference, 5th)
The top 3 scorers depart.  That includes the long Jared Schneidermann.  The lineup was balanced and returns junior point guard Roger Moore, Jr and his 10 points per game.  Austin Moldenhauer and Will Preble also return to the rotation.

De La Salle Islanders (2012-13 season 29-1, 10-0 Conference, 1st, AAA State Champion)
The two time defending state AAA champion Islanders are still loaded and the prohibitive favorite to win it all again.  Reid Travis is one of the top power forwards in the country.  Jarvis Johnson is a top 100 level talent at the point.  Sacar Anim is a lockdown defender and one of the top juniors in the state.  James Lawson returns up front as well.  Geno Crandall is a D1 talent who came off the bench last year because the Islanders were so deep.   Luke Scott's sharpshooting will be missed.  If the Islanders find consistent shooting to go with Travis inside they can play with just about anybody in the country.  They'll get a chance to find that out with a bunch of high-profile games against non-Minnesota teams.

Minnehaha Academy Redhawks (2012-13 season 26-6, 8-2 Conference, 3rd, AA State Champion)
In a feat that will be hard to duplicate, last year I made what may be my worst prediction ever picking the Redhawks 8th in conference and 9th in section.  The Redhawks lose their top 5 scorers and a ton of athleticsm from their AA state championship squad.  But the cupboard isn't bare.  Jahleel Davis returns to a forward spot along with Dane Birkeland.   Trenton McCarthy and Thomas Ostrom also should see time.  They bring in a couple of talented freshmen as well.

Mounds Park Academy Panthers (2012-13 season 4-16 Independent)
The Panthers once again will play an independent schedule this season and not be in conference play.  They will still participate in the end of season tourney.  The top 2 scorers are gone.  Guard Mark Miller is the top returning scorer.  Sophomore Cole Montour will also provide offense.

Providence Academy Lions (2012-13 season 12-12, 4-6 Conference, 6th)
Providence Academy brings in LaMar Detert to take over the program.  He returns to the bench after taking some time away.  He was previously the girls head coach at Rogers.  The guard duo of Joe Heck and Jackson Canfield were long time starters and double figures scorers but have now graduated.  There is size and interior scoring with seniors Ben Ratliff and Sean Healy both returning.  Soph wing Matt Richelsen returns after a full varsity season.   

St. Agnes Aggies (2012-13 season 10-17, 3-7 Conference, Tied 7th)
Double figure scorer Nick Bennett needs to be replaced.  Leading scorer Nick Turch returns at a wing slot after averaging 19 points a game.  Jack Fossand and Dante Davison give them some returning size.

St. Anthony Huskies (2012-13 season 12-16, 3-7 Conference, Tied 7th)
Longtime coach Dave Bratland stepped down in the offseason.  Chris Hergenrader takes over the reins of the program.  3 of the top 4 scorers depart.  That includes 19 points per game from point guard Nick Kampa.  Noah Bluth is the top returnee after averaging double digits last year.

St. Croix Lutheran Crusaders (2012-13 season 10-18, 2-8 Conference, Tied 10th)
A promising season took a quick downturn last season as the Crusaders finished 4-14 after the holidays.  All everything forward Cody Sticha and Jackson Goplen are 2 major pieces to replace though Goplen missed most of last season.  Soph Aage Rovney and Aaron Zoellner return to the lineup.  Josh Arndt and soph forward Trenton Krueger should also see time.  The sophomore class has 4 talented members that they'll build around for the future.

St. Paul Academy Spartans (2012-13 season 9-19, 3-7 Conference, Tied 7th)
The Spartans lost 11 of 13 to end last season.  Leading scorer Josh Gray getting hurt was a big part of that.  Him and backcourt mate Spencer Egly have graduated.  They have a pair of quality sophomores to build around.  Dalante Peyton returns for his 3rd year on varsity and averaged double digits.  Forward Kent Hanson joins him as a potent offensive force.  His return off sets losing 2 big bodies inside.  Senior Harrison Egly is the top returning scorer at 11+ per game. 

Predicted Order of Finish

1. DeLaSalle
2. Breck
3. Blake  
4. Minnehaha  
5. St. Paul Academy  
6. Providence Academy   
7. Concordia Academy 
8. St. Croix Lutheran   
9. St. Anthony
10. St. Agnes  
11. Brooklyn Center

Conference MVP: Reid Travis - De La Salle 

Conference Overview:
The discussion begins and ends with De La Salle who's a nationally ranked level team.  Many of the other teams are a year or 2 away so I see this year as a relatively down year.  See Minnehaha, Breck, St. Paul Academy, St. Croix Lutheran.  I like what Breck has coming back to pick them 2nd but arch rival Blake will give them a serious run.  Minnehaha will need some experience but they'll have athletes which is dangerous in this league.  St. Paul Academy is in that middle mix with their sophomore duo.  Providence and Concordia and St. Croix Lutheran all have a single piece or 2 back but need help.  St. Anthony and St. Agnes hope to jump up and steal the final playoff spot.  Brooklyn Center will struggle.

Blake, Breck, SPA, MPA, Minnehaha and Providence are leaving after the season to form their own league.  Thanks to restructuring the league will add Holy Angels, Fridley and Columbia Heights after this season.  Their leagues are folding.  Wouldn't shock me if Brooklyn Center tried to move as well as the geography makes sense (old Metro Alliance) but I can't see them competing with the remaining group of AAA schools.  The schools that left are basically AA schools and that would be a better fit.

Underclassmen to watch:  

• Jack Moe - Blake 
• Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman - Breck
• Samm Jones - De La Salle
• Joevon Walker, Simeon Davis - Minnehaha Academy
• Cole Montour - Mounds Park Academy
• Dominic Miller, Matt Richelsen - Providence Academy
• Aage Rovney, Trenton Krueger - St. Croix Lutheran
• Dalante Peyton, Kent Hanson - St. Paul Academy

Conference Games to Watch

• Blake at De La Salle - Dec 3rd
• De La Salle at Breck - Jan 16th
• Breck at Blake - Feb 4th
• Tri-Metro Championship - Feb 22nd

Non-Conference Games to Watch

• Breck vs Perham - Nov 30th (Anoka Ramsey Classic)
• De La Salle vs Apple Valley- Dec 7th (Girls Tipoff Classic at Hopkins)
• Breck vs Minnetonka - Dec 7th (Girls Tipoff Classic at Hopkins)
• Annandale at Breck - Dec 10th
• Blake at Holy Family - Dec 12th
• De La Salle vs Osseo - Dec 14th (Tipoff Classic at Minnetonka)
• De La Salle vs View Park (CA) - Dec 21st (Winter Classic Snow Jam, Waukesha, WI)
• De La Salle vs Findlay Prep (NV) - Dec 28th (Mike Miller Classic, Mitchell, SD)
• De La Salle vs Chicago St. Rita (IL) - Jan 4th (Timberwolves Shootout)
• Blake at Eden Prairie - Jan 7th
• De La Salle at Eden Prairie - Jan 14th
• De La Salle vs Iowa City West (IA) - Jan 18th (Midwest Players Classic, La Crosse, WI)
• Breck at Hill-Murray - Jan 18th
• De La Salle at Cretin-Derham Hall - Feb 8th

Rout around weekend

Prologue
Its a triple header with a pair of top ranked teams on the slate for a Friday night, Saturday afternoon trio of games.  Friday night with Czar's good pal The Caveman and oldest son at Heritage.  (Insert Captain Caveman and Son call here).  Then to Edison for a walking taco with meat and salsa only.  Interesting mix.  Finally to the island for a catholic battle.  Mr. Basketball represented at that one.

Game 1: Heritage at Maranatha (Fri)
Christian Pieper with 5 early points as Heritage opens a 9-7 lead at 13:35.  Pieper with another bucket before a 9-0 MCA run allows the Mustangs to open a 19-13 lead at the 9:05 mark.  After a Heritage bucket its a 17-4 MCA run.  Heritage would knock down a 3 and get a 3 point play for the last 6 of the half.  36-25 MCA at the half.  Heritage keeps that within 55-42 with 8 left.  MCA would run away from there for a 80-52 win.

Game 2: Mounds Park Academy at Edison
Mounds Park Academy would score the 1st 5 but Edison would counter with a 16-2 run.  The Panthers would cut that to a 20-14 margin at the 9 minute mark.  Isaiah Blackwell for 2 and then steps into a 3 from the top against the zone.  That expands the Edison lead to 14. Joe Anderson with 2 off a turnover to push the lead to 17.  Edison goes to halftime up 39-24.

The lead is 19 when MPA makes a run of 6 in a row.  49-36 Edison with 11 to play.  Brian Lichtor with a jumper in that run and then a 3 to cut the lead to 12 just inside of 9 to play.  Jonah Togbah too strong inside for Edison in the 2nd half.  He scores inside and adds a free throw.  The Panthers get a last chance as they're within 12 with 6 left and Lichtor can't get a great look at a 3 to fall.  Edison gets a 3 point play from Brian Givens on the other end.  Togbah inside then a bad intentional foul call leads to a 5 point Edison possession and the lead is back to 20.  Tommies go on to beat Mounds Park Academy 69-49.  Edison post Jonah Togbah with 15 points to lead all scorers.

Game 3: Cretin-Derham Hall at De La Salle
Sam Neumann for 3 and then a 4 point play as CDH opens a 13-9 lead.  Joe Rosga then fouled on a 3 and makes all 3 for a 20-16 CDH lead at the 10:54 mark.  Then off a Luke Scott miss off the glass, James Lawson flies in with the nasty 1 hand tip dunk and CDH takes an immediate timeout.  20 all at 9:49.  That sparks the Islanders.  Lawson almost tip dunks the next miss as well but its just a plain old tap in.  Reid Travis with 4 free throws sandwiched around a putback.  Luke Scott for 3.  Then with the defensive intensity at a crazy level, Travis jumps a passing lane.  He takes it the other way and gets absolutely clobbered on the breakaway.  That's the 3rd foul on Jashon Cornell and Frank Delaney already has 3 as Travis is drawing all kinds of fouls inside.  But that results in no points.  Scott runs for a layup to conclude the 18-2 DLS run.  They take that to halftime for a 47-31 lead.

A couple of quick 3s to pull CDH within 51-37 2 minutes into the 2nd half.  Its all De La Salle from there.  Travis with 7 in a row.  Geno Crandall on the run with a no look to Sacar Anim for a layup and then a layup of his own off a turnover.  Now the lead is 25, 62-37 with 12:45 left.  Then the St. Anthony SLOB play (look it up on YouTube) executed to perfect with Jarvis Johnson (not a big guy like the vid) getting the lob for a dunk.  A technical on CDH for 2 more free throws from Luke Scott and he buries a simple pin screen on a BLOB for a left wing 3. That sends us to running time 75-39 with 8:40 left.  De La Salle wins 85-49.

Reid Travis with 22 and 9 on my sheet for De La Salle.  Luke Scott 19 points with 3 triples. Sacar Anim getting more sets run for him all the time.  He ends with 15 and coach Thorson has dug out an old set he used to run for Jalen Jaspers to get him a top of key iso and rip to score (or hit Luke Scott for 3).  Sam Neumann 16 points and Joe Rosga with 14 for CDH.  Neumann got more looks against the Islanders defense than I expected.  But ultimately, the intensity of the defense from the Islanders was as off the charts as I've seen in a long time.  The ability to have interchangable parts and switch screens like they do allows great pressure.  Middle drives were an issue which allowed some good looks for CDH. 

Islanders dominate Tri-Metro Showdown

Prologue
Its a 1st place showdown in the Tri-Metro as #1AAA De La Salle visits #6AAA Blake.  Blake pulled the 50-44 upset here last year.  Could the Bears do it again?  Full house on hand.  I skip the Subway at the concession stand but still get in a 20 oz Powerade to support the program.  St. John's looking on.  Net Gain, Pump N Run and Minnesota Heat also in the building to represent the AAU side of things.

Game Time
John Veil just back from injury so he's not in the starting lineup. But he enters after the 1st timeout at 14:28.  This one gets out of hand in a hurry.  James Lawson layup, Reid Travis 3 putbacks, 1 of which was a tip dunk, and a breakaway dunk off of a turnover.  Luke Scott 5 in a row with a 3 included.  Trey Shepherd 2 buckets off of 2 more Bears turnovers.  23-4 De La Salle at the 9:52 mark after a 23-2 run in 7 minutes.  Blake already with 2 timeouts gone trying to stop the bleeding.  JR Bascom starts to pick it up with a 3, a jumper and a pair of free throw.  Kebu Johnson adds an inbounds layup.  Blake within 31-18.  Then Geno Crandall with a pair of layups off turnovers that sandwiches a missed front end by Blake.  Luke Scott on the drive for 2, Crandall with a putback after yet another Bears turnover.  Travis with a steal and hard fouled for 2 free throws and the lead is back to 21.  Luke Scott with the set play flare 3 that dead falls in at the buzzer.  46-26 Islanders at the half.  They come out strong with the 1st 10 of the second half.  Lawson with a couple of layups, Scott with a layup and Travis driving for 2.  56-26 De La Salle with 15:25 left.  Travis with 2 free throws and Jarvis Johnson to Sacar Anim for 3 for the biggest lead of the night, 61-28 with 14 minutes left.  The rest is meaningless.  De La Salle goes on to win 79-54 as Blake does avoid running time.

Post Game
Blake with no answers for the De La Salle pressure as turnovers were an absolute killer.  JR Bascom 15 points.  Kebu Johnson 14 points but struggled against the pressure.  John Veil with 1 3 ball for 3 in the game coming off of the injury.  Blake still 1 game ahead of Minnehaha for 2nd with the head-head tiebreaker with 2 winnable road games at St. Anthony and Brooklyn Center remaining.  Blake falls to 14-6.  A big home game in section 6AAA for the Bears against Richfield on Saturday. 

De La Salle puts up too much defense and converted the turnovers into a truckload of easy points.  16 points directly off of turnovers in the 1st half alone  Reid Travis with 23 points and 9 rebounds.  Luke Scott 15 of his 17 in the 1st half with 3 triples.  DLS 17-1 now with a perfect 9-0 record in the Tri-Metro.  They clinch the top seed in the conference tournament that starts next week.  But in a bit of goofy scheduling, the games will be played at the site of the team that did not host the regular season head to head meeting.  So for example, if Concordia, who plays at DLS on Thursday. happens to be the 8 seed then the Beacons would host De La Salle in the 1st round 1 vs 8 game.  Then they would have to play at 4th seed Breck in the 2nd round if seeds hold.  Then they would get to host Blake (the likely 2 seed) in the championship game.

2013 Border Battle Review

A great day of pizza , Pepsi and blowouts if you're a Minnesota supporter at the 2013 Border Battle.  Prior Lake (the finest resort town in the Kingdom) was a quality host for the event.   The 2 slices of pizza always quality and an event like this runs up the beverage tally with 48 more ounces.  Good early crowds on hand and a smaller than expected crowd for the big finale.  Tubby Smith making an appearance for most of the day.  My thoughts on the 7-0 sweep.

Gane 1: Mahtomedi vs Eau Claire Regis
Good to finally see Mahtomedi this season after I underestimated them in my season preview.  After a losing by 13 at Tartan on Friday night in a big Classic Suburban game, you know the Zephyrs had to be anxious to get that taste out of their mouth.  Turnovers would ultimately be the downfall of a young Ramblers team.  They would hang within 6 at half and about 10 until 10 minutes left.  7 in a row from Nuni Omot and Mahtomedi blows open a 14 point game from there.  77-49 Mahtomedi wins.  Omot with 26 on my sheet in a very productive performance for the lanky forward.  Zach Lindquist another double double of 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Game 2: Eden Prairie vs Manitowoc Roncalli
Without Jack Cottrell, Grant Shaeffer and Zach Hovey, the Eagles were shorthanded enough to give a sophomore and freshman time.  The story here was Eden Prairie's physical play and switching all of the screens in the great Roncalli offense.  That bothered the Jets and when they did have looks, they didn't make shots.  An 11-2 run in the 2nd half with 3 triples (2 triples and a bucket from Nate Lassila) would get the Jets as close as 44-39 with 8 minutes left but they would only score 5 more points.  Eden Prairie wins 59-44.  Lassila finishes with 23 and 4 triples.  Roncalli with 9 3s and 8 2s.  Andre Wallace with a quick spurt to start the 2nd half and a pair of 3 point plays late to extend the margin.  He leads Eden Prairie with 18.

Game 3: Hopkins vs DePere
Hopkins would open a 14 point lead in the 1st half against the Redbirds before a 48-39 lead at half.  Kamali Chambers with 8 early 2nd half points to push that lead out to 20, 69-49 with 11 minutes left.  A 10-0 from DePere would cut that lead in half as soph scorer Brevin Pritzl had 6 of those.  The lead would stay at 10 when Pritzl saw a 3 go in an out.  He would score again to cut the lead to 8 with 3 minutes left but Hopkins would hang on from there for a 85-70 win.  Pritzl leads all scorers with 27, 4 triples but I'd like to see him focus on better shot selection.  Hopkins gets 6 in double figures led by Jamal Davis and his 18 points.  The Hopkins pressure defense just too much for DePere as it really kept the Redbirds out of getting good looks in the halfcourt.

Game 4: DeLaSalle vs Appleton West
This one was all DeLaSalle from the start.  Reid Travis with a bucket in a 2 on 1 and then a post spin for a bucket and foul.  Jarvis Johnson with a 2 handed throw down and Travis facing up inside and knocking it down.  26-9 Islanders late in the 1st half.  West does get 7 in a row before DeLaSalle opens the lead back up to 34-20 at half.  Troy Mielke with with 4 points and a lob layup for E Illinois signee Jake Verhagen.  West within 46-37 with 8 minutes left.  Then Travis 2 chances at a putback and scores.  Another bucket on the break.  James Lawson for 2 on a turnover.  Jarvis Johnson takes another turnover for 2 more and the lead is back to 17.  Mielke with 2 buckets to keep it at 54-41 at 5:15.  Islanders outscore the Terrors 11-2 the rest of the way as Luke Scott hits a 3, Travis with bonus free throws and an emphatic dunk on a 3 on 0 break.  DeLaSalle wins 65-43.  Reid Travis 26 points for DeLaSalle.

Game 5: Osseo vs Hudson
Osseo just too talented here.  15 all game inside of 8 minutes left in the 1st half after an Alex Herink 3 for Hudson.  Then Osseo closes the half on a 19-5 run for a 34-20 halftime lead.  A Herink bucket and a Hudson 3 would cut the lead to 46-33 with 11 minute left but the Raiders would get no closer.  Osseo rolls from there to a 76-45 win.  Bridge Tusler 22 points 5 assists and 6 steals on my sheet as he was all over the place making plays.  Ian Theisen 12 of his 14 in the 2nd half as he got some great post looks.  Alex Herink 16 points to lead Hudson.

Game 6: Prior Lake vs Rice Lake
No Carson Shanks for Prior Lake in this one due to an injury.  Prior Lake up 18-17 at the 7 minute mark before Henry Ellenson gets it going.  He scores 8 points in a 14-4 run.  That leads Rice Lake to a 31-24 halftime lead.  Jon Sobaski with a nice sequence to start the 2nd half for Prior Lake.  He swats away a layup after a Lakers turnover, finds Nick Hart for a layup, screen and roll for 3, pass to Jeff Probert for a big throwdown and an inbounds triple at the 13:45 mark.  Prior Lake right back in it as that ties the game at 34.  Ellenson keeping his offensive up in the 2nd half as well. A 3, post for 2, a lob inbounds for a free throw and a putback.  49-45 Rice Lake with 7:43 left.  But the Warriors wouldn't score again for almost 6 minutes.  Jason Faul with a 3 point play for the lead and Taylor Heidecker with a back breaking 3 in a 17-0 run for Prior Lake.  Prior Lake goes on to win 66-53.  Henry Ellenson 27 points and 18 boards on my sheet.  Jon Sobaski 21 points and he came up big in the 2nd half after struggling to end the 1st half.

Game 7: Apple Valley vs Madison Memorial
Madison Memorial came in after a tough Big 8 loss to Sun Prairie the night before so you had to wonder where they'd be mentally.  Somehow I don't think it would have mattered.  Tyus Jones absolutely ridiculous in this one.  Tied at 9 just over 4 minutes in.  Tyus with a long 2 and a steal for 2.  Then an assist to Robert Tobroxen for 3.  Harry Sonie for 3 and a 2nd pass for a Brock Bertram layup.  21-12 Eagles at the 10:50 mark.  Memorial is within 27-21 before a 17-2 Eagles run.  Tyus with a steal for a 3 point play and a coast to coast bucket in that run.  That gives Apple Valley a 47-28 halftime lead. 7 assists in the half for Tyus along with a team leading 11 points.

Reggie Roemer would lead Memorial back as he had his way getting to the rim on 4 straight possessions.  That would allow Memorial to cut a 22 point lead down to 58-48 just inside 8 minutes to play.  But Tyus would have none of that.  He knocks down a 3 then pulls up in transition for 3 more.  He then takes a turnover for a bucket and drives for a 3 point play.  Its an 11-1 Tyus run over 2:26 for a 69-49 lead.  Apple Valley goes on to win 81-60.  Tyus Jones 26 points and 9 assists to go with at least 4 steals.  Brock Bertram 16 points inside for the Eagles.  Reggie Roemer 17 for Memorial.  Interesting strategy from Memorial as they started the game man to man on Sonie, Fronk, and Jones with a top/bottom zone from the other 2 defenders.  A couple easy layups out of that and with Memorial quickly falling behind, there wasn't much of a chance for coach Steve Collins to go into the bag of tricks.

All Border Battle Team
Tyus Jones - Apple Valley (MVP)
Jon Sobaski - Prior Lake
Bridge Tusler - Osseo
Henry Ellenson - Rice Lake
Reid Travis - De La Salle

2013 Timberwolves Shootout Review

Its the 2013 Timberwolves Shootout.  I've been very critical of the scheduling but let's give some credit where credit is due.  A quality job done by Jeff Munneke and his staff putting together the best set of games we've had to look forward to in many years.  No food but 64 oz of Pepsi to keep me awake and refreshed for the early games.  Here's are some of the sights and sounds.

Game 1: #5A Lakeview Christian vs Onalaska (WI)
Iowa State in the building early to take in their recruit Matt Thomas from Onalaska.  Onalaska goes with the expected diamond and 1 on Anders Broman.  Bjorn Broman knocks down a pair of NBA 3s for an 8-4 Lakeview Christian lead. Matt Thomas gets it going with a stretch where he scores 10 of 12 Hilltoppers points.  23-13 lead for Onalaska at the 7:50 mark.  LCA  goes on a 9-2 run to cut the lead to 25-22 at the 5:50 mark.  Thomas with 9 more (11 per the book on a tip that he probably didn't get) as Onalaska goes up 43-32 at the half.

Thomas 3 of 4 free throws as the lead stays 51-39 with 12:16 left.  Anders Broman to Bjorn Broman for 3 and a Bjorn runner.  Thomas right back with 4 in a row.  Anders with 2 more buckets.  Thomas scores and the lead is 64-48 with 6:55 left.  Anders with a 3 point play as LCA hangs within 11.  Thomas slams the door with a pair of free throws and then gets undercut in a dangerous looking play but its a 3 point play.  That helps push the lead to 18 and Lakeview Christian never threatens again.  Onalaska wins 77-62.  Matt Thomas officially listed with 43 and 14 coming up 1 point short of Rick Rickert's Shootout record.  Anders Broman 10-19 for 26 points.  Bjorn Broman 21 points and 9 rebounds.  LCA goes 5-21 from behind the arc while Onalaska only shot 4-22 from there.  Give an undermanned LCA squad credit for hanging in on the glass and keeping the game from becoming from a blowout early.

Game 2: #1 3A De La Salle vs Blue Valley Northwest (KS)
Hoiberg hanging around to see another Cyclones recruit Clayton Custer.  Reid Travis starts out 1-4 but he does get it going for the 1st Islanders points of the game.  7-2 Islanders at the 13:55 mark.  Travis adds 2 free throws at the 8:36 mark for a 13-6 lead.  A critical adjustment by the Huskies in a timeout sees them go to a 5 out look.  Interestingly they call it False Motion.  Clayton Custer with a 3 point play and a Kyle Harrison 3 cut the lead to 1. Then Custer on the drive for 2 and a pair of bonus free throws for a 12-2 run.  Only Islander offense is 2 more Travis buckets inside.  The Huskies run down the clock for a Custer pullup at the buzzer.  24-19 Huskies at the half.

Back and forth we go to start the half.  Travis on a high/low feed, Custer 4 in a row and Travis 2 more.  32-29 Blue Valley at the 13:10 mark.  Then a David Salach tip dunk for his only 2 of the day and Custer with a steal for 2 more.  38-31 Blue Valley with all the momentum and Dave Thorson needs a timeout.  The Huskies get a T in the celebration (questionable but head of refs loves the call).  Jarvis Johnson with a pair of free throws and a drive for 2 more.  42-39 Blue Valley with 8:15 left.  Custer on the drive countered by Travis with 2 free throws and another inside bucket.  Then a great set call for a Scott 3 and De La Salle is back on top 46-44 with 5 minutes left.  Back and forth until a Travis free throw off a Luke Scott missed free throw ties the game at 50 with 1:43 left.  Blue Valley gets a bucket, followed by an impatient miss looking for Travis inside.  De La Salle has to foul and the bonus free throws from Vince Fritz are good.  De La Salle misses a 3 and Clayton Custer makes 3 of 4 free throws to put the game away.  Blue Valley Northwest defeats De La Salle 57-52 to give head coach Ed Fritz his 500th career win.  Clayton Custer 26 points and 8 rebounds.  Reid Travis 29 and 15.  3 point shooting crazy cold in this one too.  Blue Valley 1-15 and De La Salle 2-11 from deep.  15 offensive rebounds for De La Salle for a 37-20 overall advantage on the glass.  That helped keep DLS in it but 18 turnovers to 8 hurt their cause.

Game 3: #3AAAA Roseville vs West Des Moines Valley (IA)
Mack Johnson out of the Roseville lineup with a bum ankle.  That's a big loss.  Iowa commit Peter Jok off to a quick start for Valley with 14 points in the 1st 7:16.  Roseville has lots of pieces but they don't really have a good piece to defend an athletic high caliber wing like Jok.  Jok picks up his 2nd foul with 10:30 left and has to sit with Valley leading 22-11.  Jordan Burich very active and effective for Roseville in the half.  His putback starts a 7-0 run after Jok sits.  Burich inside for 2 free throws after Jok returns late in the half.  Jok with a putback before he sits for the last minute to avoid the 3rd foul.  30-26 Valley at the half.  Jok 16 points and only played 9 minutes.  Burich almost a double double in the half with 9 points, 9 boards and 3 blocks thanks to 7-10 FTs.

Logan Brown 4 quick points to tie the game in the 1st 40 seconds of the half.  Jok off an inbounds lob and a dunk for a 42-38 Valley lead with 11:32 left.  Roseville staying close with Burich in the post at the 9 minute mark to cut the Valley lead to 44-41.  Jok with a 3 point play off a turnover and the lead expands to 55-46 with 5:43 left.  Brown with back to back 3s and a Burich free throw with 3:53 left.  55-53 Valley holding on.  Then head coach and former Iowa star Jeff Horner decides to face guard Brown.  That strategy is huge as Valley finishes the game from there on a 14-0 run to win 69-53.  Peter Jok 34 and 8 on 13-20 shooting for Valley.  Logan Brown 20 and 5 for Roseville.  Jordan Burich ends up with Andrei Kirilenko type numbers of 15 points, 14 boards, 4 steals, 5 blocks. 9-16 at the line held his point total down but 8 offensive boards were big.  Valley 1-13 from 3 in a recurring theme of the day.  Roseville 6-16 from 3 but only 15-52 overall (28.8%) as the loss of Johnson really stunted their offense.

Game 4: #2AAAA Apple Valley vs Robbinsdale Cooper
Roy Williams and Hubert Davis from North Carolina along with Tubby Smith join Fred Hoiberg at courtside for this one.  Rashad Vaughn with a drive for 2 and then a dunk 3 minutes in for a 10-5 Cooper lead.  Dennis Austin 4 in a row to tie the game at 12. Then Tyus Jones for 2 and a 3 point play.  Vaughn picks up his 2nd foul but no way he sits.  Austin still effective as his layup at 8:15 extends the Apple Valley lead to 26-19.  Then Vaughn with 2 buckets in an 8-2 run to cut the Eagles lead to 28-27 at the 6:15 mark.  Vaughn with a fade away in the post and a Billy Kellogg 3 and the Cooper lead is 36-30.  Dustin Fronk for 3 and then Vaughn turns it over and Tyus Jones takes it the other way just in time to beat the buzzer.  36-35 Cooper at the half.  Vaughn 15 points, Jones 9 and 5 assists.

Vaughn fading in the post and going glass on a very slick move.  Cooper countering the option of Harry Sonie on defense by posting Vaughn.  That caused big James Horton to get some minutes guarding Vaughn.  Vaughn makes 2 free throws for a 5 point lead with 15:38 left.  Austin has his own matchup advantage and Apple Valley makes the adjustment by finding him inside.  Back to back hoops for him down low.  Vaughn with 2 huge 3s and another bucket for 8 straight Cooper points.  What do we have here, its Cooper leading 54-43 with 11:40 left.

But the rest of the game is all Apple Valley.  Fronk with a layup and a 3 in a 10-0 to cut the lead to 54-53 with 9:22 left.  After Vaughn swats Tyus in transition and a Cooper timeout.  Fronk with a bomb to tie the game at 56.  Vaughn right back with a nasty 3.  Austin killing inside as he's fouled and misses 2 free throws.  Back to him for the hoop and harm but another missed freebie and another post bucket.  A Cooper layup keeps them within 1, 61-60 with 5:05 left.  Sonie for 3, Tyus with a 3 point play.  Austin with 2 free throws, Tyus with a bucket and 2 free throws and Cooper is down 9.  Vaughn blocked on 1 end and Tyus converts it with an assist to Austin running for 2.  Timeout Cooper with 2:33 left but its out of reach down 74-63.  Apple Valley wins 80-70.  Rashad Vaughn leads all scorers with 35 points and 7 boards.  He shot 14-33, 4-11 from 3.  Tyus Jones 18 points, 4 boards, 8 assists, 2 steals on 7-10 shooting.  Dennis Austin came up large with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Dustin Fronk added another fine performance of 21 points and 5 rebounds.  The rest of the Cooper roster shoots a blistering 16-29.  But their lack of defense reared its ugly head again as Apple Valley shot 57.7% for the game and 62.5% for 2nd half.  They held Cooper to 38.9% in the 2nd half.

All Timberwolves Shootout Team
Matt Thomas - Onalaska
Peter Jok - West Des Moines Valley
Clayton Custer - Blue Valley Northwest
Reid Travis - De La Salle
Dennis Austin - Apple Valley

2nd Team
Tyus Jones - Apple Valley
Anders Broman - Lakeview Christian
Rashad Vaughn - Cooper
Dustin Fronk - Apple Valley
Jordan Burich - Roseville

Pirates battle Islanders for number 1

Prologue
Thank you downtown flood for an absolutely miserable trip to the island.  Its #1AAAA Park Center visiting #1AAA De La Salle for the title of the state's best overall team.  Standard issue hot dog and a Sprite on the concessions menu.  A sellout crowd with Northern Iowa and Western Michigan looking on.

Game Time
Reid Travis starting out strong with a dunk off a high/low feed.  Quinton Hooker not to be out done for Park Center.  A steal for 2 and then a chance at  3 point play off another Islanders turnover.  Hooker knocks down a jumper and shakes for 2 more.  Luke Scott off a set flare screen knocks down his 3rd 3.  17-12 De La Salle at the 9:50 mark.  Hooker on the drive for 2 and a kickout to soph Arione Farrar for 3 and a drive off a ball screen for 2 more.  Travis back to back buckets inside.  27-24 De La Salle holding on to the lead at the 4:15 mark.  Isaiah McKay with a pair of freebies and a inbounds triple.  Scott another 3, Travis again on the post.  Hooker another assist off a screen and roll.  He adds a tip at the buzzer for a 38-34 Park Center lead at the break.  Hooker 14 points and 3 assists.  Reid Travis 11 and 4.  Scott 4 bombs for 12 in the half.

Big dunk by Travis to open the half and a 6 -0 run to put the Islanders on top.  Travis with a 3 point play and an old DLS inbounds set for a Luke Scott 3.  Travis on the offensive glass for 2 free throws.  The Islanders run is 16-3 to start the half.  50-41 De La Salle with 13:30 to play.  Josh Matthews with a bucket to cut it to 7.  Park Center would have a couple of layups missed thanks to challenges at the rim.  That puts them on a 6 minute drought from the floor.  Travis dominating inside as he scores the next 6 for a 60-47 lead inside of 6 to play.  Travis with 4 more as he gets a putback and a nice feed from Geno Grandall.  That opens up a 66-49 lead and ends a 12-2 that officially puts this one out of reach.  Travis with a spin and exclamation point dunk with a minute left for the icing on the cake.  De La Salle wins the battle of number ones 74-60.

Post Game
For Park Center, Quinton Hooker finishes with 24 points.  A quiet 2nd half as he missed 6 of his 1st 7 shots of the half on my sheet.  Without him to carry the offense, the Pirates couldn't keep up.  Treyton Daniels with 11 but too litle too late.  Isaiah McKay and Devin Buckley 8 each. Its the Pirates 1st loss of the season, they fall to 9-1.  A tough back to back at home against 7-0 Elk River awaits.

For De La Salle, Reid Travis takes over and dominates in the 2nd half.  He finishes with 36 points and I had him for 12 rebounds.  25 and 8 in the 2nd half alone.  They get 5 3s from Luke Scott and a total of 19 points.  De La Salle ran Sacar Amin, Trey Shepherd, Geno Crandall and Luke Scott at Hooker on the defensive end.  With Hooker going all 36 minutes, having the fresh defenders definitely helped.  Islanders only used a 7 man rotation.  Lots of ball screen and high low looks out of their offense.  Islanders get yet another premier team from another state when they play Blue Valley NW (Overland Park, KS) in the Timberwolves Shootout on Saturday (see my preview here).  Then trips to St. Croix Lutheran and Moorhead next week.

2013 Timberwolves Shootout Preview

Its once again time for the annual Timberwolves Shootout.  This year is a different schedule with only 4 games but some of the better games we've seen in the event in a few years.  Those games are early thanks to the Timberwolves hosting Portland in the night cap.  Here's my look at what to expect from the 4 games.

9:00 AM Game 1 - #5A Lakeview Christian vs #2 D2 Onalaska (WI)
Onalaska makes a return trip to the shootout after losing at the end to Apple Valley last season.  They are 7-2 with their only losses to #5 D1 Milwaukee Hamilton with national star Kevon Looney and conference rival La Crosse Aquinas with Wisconsin signee Bronson Koenig (see more about that battle here).  Their star Matt Thomas is ranked #58 in the nation by Rivals.com in the class of 2013.  The sweet shooting guard is averaging 27.8 points per game for the Hilltoppers.  But they aren't a 1 man band.  With a supporting cast of players like Clint Rihn, the Hilltoppers are a serious threat to repeat as Division 2 state champions.  

Lakeview Christian features the Broman brothers, Anders and Bjorn.  Anders is 6'2 wing who just set the all time career scoring record in Minnesota.  Bjorn runs the show but can fill it up as well.  He had 10 3s against Blake in the tipoff classic.  The rest of the roster is thin but they will knock down 3s, specifically lefty Josh Plys.  They had 21 bombs in that Blake game.

Expect Onalaska to use the same tactics as they did last year against Tyus Jones, a 1-3 zone with 1 man face guarding Anders Broman.  Gaps in the middle of the zone could be exploited.  Onalaska doesn't have a serious inside threat so that helps Lakeview Christian out.  But Onalaska is too talented and Lakeview Christian is not a good defensive team.  I'll take the Hilltoppers to cruise in this one.

11:00 AM Game 2 - #1AAA De La Salle vs #1 6A Blue Valley Northwest (KS)
De La Salle returns from The Corn Palace after 2 impressive wins against ranked teams from New York and South Dakota.  Junior forward Reid Travis is ranked #41 nationally by Rivals.com (#29 by ESPN) and just picked up an offer from Michigan State to add to his many offers.  The forward is having a huge year putting up over 30 a night for the Islanders.  Point guard Jarvis Johnson also has high major interest.  Shooting guard Luke Scott is one of the top shooters in Minnesota.  Wing Sacar Amin is one of the top sophomores in Minnesota.  So in other words, the Islanders are loaded and a major favorite to repeat as state champs in class AAA.

The Huskies from Blue Valley NW (Overland Park, KS) are currently ranked #1 in Kansas class 6A, the largest schools.  They have a sweet shooting guard in junior Clayton Custer.  He's ranked #97 by Rivals.com and has committed to Iowa State.  Keep an eye on fellow 2014 guards Ben Richardson, Vince Fritz and Kyle Harrison as well.  All 4 played with Nike program Mokan Elite during the summer.  Blue Valley NW is ranked #4 in the current PrepNation.com Midlands region poll and they've already beaten #5 Nixa, MO.  De La Salle is #6 in that same poll.  These 2 teams saw each other play in Des Moines in December.  Blue Valley NW knocked off fellow TWolves Shootout team West Des Moines Valley 55-51 in that event.  I expect this to be the best game of the event.

1:00 PM Game 3 - #3AAAA Roseville vs #8AAAA West Des Moines Valley (IA)
Roseville enters the game 8-0 and just put up 113 points against formerly ranked Moorhead on their home court.  The Raiders are loaded at the guard spots with Mack Johnson, another sweet shooter, Logan Brown, Kobe Critchley and Ben Farmer.   Jordan Burich controls the inside as 1 of 4 players averaging double figures for the Raiders.  Johnson leading the way at 21 a game.  They are as deep as any team in the state with at least 10 guys who give them quality minutes.

Valley comes in to the game with a record of 6-2 with losses to Blue Valley Northwest in Des Moines and Ankeny.  De La Salle beat Ankeny at the event in Des Moines.  Their 6'6 star wing Peter Jok will play at Iowa next season.  He's averaging almost 25 a night as one of the top scorers in Iowa.  He adds almost 8 rebounds a night.  When he played here in the Best Buy Summer Classic after his freshman year he was one of the top 20 players in the country.  Then he injured a knee right after that.  That injury cost him the next 2 seasons.  He finally came back for last July's open period.  Its a fascinating story.  It will be very interesting to see him now after seeing him the 1st week of July right after he came back.  6'5 Senior Clint Boffeli gives them a 13.1 a night.  Both him and Jok are making over 2 3s per game with over 40% from deep.

3:00 PM Game 4 - #2AAAA Apple Valley vs Robbinsdale Cooper.
The local matchup of the 2 best players in the class of 2014 will be the biggest circus we've seen in a while at the shootout. Tyus Jones is #1 overall in the ESPN 2014 rankings while Rashad Vaughn is #10.  Of course the big question is will Tyus play or not.  He aggravated his back in the game against Hopkins on December 18th and hasn't played since.  My info is that its questionable but if I had to guess, I would guess he sits out.  But Apple Valley has proven they can win without him all fall and this season.  They just knocked off #5 Osseo in St. Cloud without Jones playing.  They also came from behind to knock off #4 Hopkins after Jones left that game with only 5 minutes of playing time.  Shooter Dustin Fronk has played very well in Jones absence with over 25 a night in those 4 games.  Freshman center Brock Bertram seeing more time for the Eagles as well as one of the state's top 2016 prospects.  Dennis Austin is a difficult matchup with strength and quickness.  They have shooters in players like Chris Laymon and Robert Tobroxen.

On the Cooper side, Vaughn is one of the most dynamic 1 on 1 players we've seen in the state in a long time.  Lavar McCollough is an athletic wing who may really surprise some people in this event.  He's averaging over 15 a night and was dynamite in the tipoff classic against Minnetonka.  With or without Tyus, this will be a classic example of team over individual.  Vaughn will likely put on a show to keep it close, but Apple Valley is that good.  If Tyus plays it could get ugly as Cooper is not good defensively giving up over 68 a night.

Thoughts from Pulley Jamboree and week 1

With Minnesota getting its annual late start, once again I decided to return to The Old Kingdom to start my season.  3 games last week with a surprisingly limited supply of food (no meals at games in Wisconsin) but a worthwhile week anyway.  Here are some thoughts on what I saw.

Pulley Jamboree
The annual jamboree is amongst the best around and didn't disappoint this year.  2 sessions of 10 minutes each comprised the games.  Many teams choose to use the last 5 minutes for their JV guys so the 1st half has far more meaning.  As usual, the pizza was worth the purchase.

Game 1: Minneapolis South vs Braham.  South won both sessions by scores of 19-16 and 23-7.  Braham with their usual running of THE WORLD'S WORST OFFENSE.  The big surprise here was how porous the Braham defense was.  South did whatever they wanted getting to the rim, especially in the 2nd session.

Game 2: St. Thomas Academy vs Orono.  The revamped Cadets won both sessions by scores of 17-16 and 14-11.  Jalen Patterson impressive for the Cadets.  St. Thomas longer and taller than expected.

Game 3: Rosemount vs Tartan.  Tartan releasing the hounds as they blew out the Irish 26-9 in the 1st half.  Brody Jackson getting easy buckets inside thanks to great ball movement from the Titans.  Defensively Tartan showing the expected nastiness.  They will be no fun to play against.  Rosemount going with the dribble drive motion.  They definitely have the guards to shoot it.  Soph Logan Halvorsen looks like he'll be in the rotation after a nice spring and summer season.  Rosemount won the 2nd half 18-9

Game 4: Columbia Heights vs Hill-Murray.  Marshawn Wilson on the bench in street clothes for Hill-Murray was the big news of this game.  Hill-Murray swept both halves 15-14 and 18-15.

Game 5: Osseo vs Cretin-Derham Hall.  CDH featuring a young lineup with 3 sophs and without soph forward Jashon Cornell up front.  Add in an off day from Sam Neumann against a bigtime opponent and you can guess the results.  Ian Theisen had his way inside, Bridge Tusler controlled play and Osseo rolled out those role players.  Orioles roll 23-14 and 27-13.

Game 6: Minnetonka vs Prior Lake.  Coaching pals going at it in this one.  No Andrew Grosz in the building for Minnetonka.  That's a major loss at a guard spot.  Prior Lake jumped out to a 13-1 lead in the 1st half.  Backup center Jeff Probert with a pair of nice hooks inside during that run.  Minnetonka would score the last 11 of the half but never got over the hump.  With the benches seeing lots of time, Minnetonka took the 2nd half 12-7.

Game 7: Hopkins vs Holy Angels.  No Charlie Koontz for the Stars.  Hopkins steamrolled through the 1st half 27-4.  Just way too much defense.  People don't appreciate just how intense they are on that end.  Totally different level than everybody else.   Holy Angels kept the 2nd half close but lost 16-15.

Game 8: Park Center vs Cooper.  Section rivals at it in this one.  Quinton Hooker with a hot 1st half as the Pirates jumped out to a 16-2 lead.  Park Center would win the half 24-15 behind 14 Hooker points.  Rashad Vaughn showed all game he could get any place he wanted with the ball.  He goes for 14 in the 2nd half including a 360 slam on the break.  Lavar McCollough with a huge slam as well as it got out of hand.  Cooper wins 2nd half 30-15.

Game 9: Apple Valley vs De La Salle
Tyus Jones with a quiet 1st half until a late dunk.  He added a couple of clutch assists for 3s late in the 2nd half to seal that half.  Apple Valley wins both halves by identical 18-13 scores.  Reid Travis without a field goal.  Soph Sacar Anim in the starting lineup and played well for the Islanders.  Dustin Fronk struggled with his shot early but hit a pair of big 3s in the 2nd half for Apple Valley.  Frosh Brock Bertram very active on the glass.  Surprised he didn't start this one but I expect that to be remedied sooner rather than later.

The Week in Wisconsin
Earlier in the week I took in 3 games in Wisconsin.  The JustAGame Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells may be known to some in Minnesota as it hosts a couple of nice AAU tournaments during the spring and summer.  They use a showcase court for section play and this year's inaugural Iowa vs Wisconsin border battle.  The actual games were absolutely dreadful as Wisconsin Dells pounded Racine Park 90-54 and Kimberly mauled Baraboo 72-16.  SW MN State recruit MJ Delmore 24 of his 29 in the 1st half.

The start of the season was #8 Appleton West at #3 De Pere.  This one will interest local fans as these teams both play in the border battle at Prior Lake on Feb 2nd.  Its a tough road for them as the opponents are Hopkins and De La Salle.  Appleton West star Jake Verhagen (Eastern Illinois recruit) struggled in the 1st half at 0-6 but came back to finish with 17 points and 8 rebounds.  Lefty guard Matt Reader is a junior who is receiving low D1 looks and NSIC attention.  He controlled the game and never changed his speed.  Very impressive control of the game from him. Add in 24 points and that was enough for West to win 64-48 and they had the lead the entire way.  Final score was worse than it appeared as it was a 40-36 game with 7 minutes left.  De Pere's Adam Beyer is an Augustana recruit.  He was held to 10 points.  Soph shooting guard Brevin Pritzl is one to keep an eye on when he comes here.  He had 15 points to lead the Redbirds.

De Pere didn't look good in the game but you can see they'll be a handful for opponents.  You'll see 5 out action from them on offense with some wing ball screens.  Defensively you'll see man but they also showed some 1-3-1 that I was surprised they didn't go back to late in the game.  Appleton West is a 4 out motion team and will play man on defense.

What to watch for in the 2012-13 Season

The Czar's 2012-2013 Season Preview Series concludes after 5 weeks and 25 previews.  In this final preview let's condense everything for the casual fan.  Its who to see, what to see, when and where to see it.

10 Teams You Should Watch

1. Apple Valley
2. Hopkins
3. De La Salle
4. Osseo
5. Edina
6. Roseville
7. Park Center
8. Eden Prairie
9. Blake
10. Maranatha

Apple Valley and Hopkins are the top 2 teams in AAAA with a gap after them.  De La Salle is a landslide pick to repeat as champions in AAA.  Defending AAAA champs Osseo can't be discounted either.  They'll get a stiff run in the NW Suburban from a potent Park Center squad.  The Lake continues to be completely loaded with Edina and Eden Prairie expected to push for the top 5 all season.  Blake looks to make this their year and section 6AAA has opened up for them.  Roseville has a ton of pieces coming back as they look to get over the hump and reach state out of section 4AAAA.  Maranatha was upset last year but they're loaded as a top 10 team in class A and a yearly powerhouse in section 4.

10 Players You Should See

1. Tyus Jones (Apple Valley)
2. Rashad Vaughn (Cooper)
3. Reid Travis (De La Salle)
4. Anders Broman (Lakeview Christian)
5. Riley Dearring (Minnetonka)
6. Graham Woodward (Edina)
7. Reggie Lynch (Edina)
8. Quinton Hooker (Park Center)
9. Brock Bertram (Apple Valley)
10. Amir Coffey (Hopkins)

3 of the top 2014 players in the nation (Jones, Vaughn and Travis) top the list.  Next I'll include Anders Broman since he'll be making a few trips to the metro this year.  He's almost certain to have the state scoring record wrapped up by the end of the calendar year.  That means metro fans won't see the record breaker but they'll still get a treat in having multiple chances to see an outstate star.  A Wisconsin commit, yeah that's a no brainer for this list (Dearring).  The Edina duo of Graham Woodward and Reggie Lynch were 2 of the biggest stockraisers of the summer.  Hooker is a hard-nosed point guard who's a pleasure to watch.  The next big thing in Minnesota ends our list as freshmen stars Brock Bertram and Amir Coffey will see plenty of varsity time and are stars in the making.

10 Events You Should Attend (ordered by date)

1. Breakdown Tipoff Classic at Minnetonka- Dec 8th
2. Hopkins at Apple Valley - Dec 18th
3. Park Center at De La Salle - Jan 3rd
4. Timberwolves Shootout - Jan 5th
5. Super 60 Showcase at Heritage- Jan 26th
6. Border Battle at Prior Lake- Feb 2nd
7. Park Center at Osseo  - Feb 5th
8. Maranatha at Heritage - Feb 15th  
9. Apple Valley at Prior Lake - Feb 26th
10. Tri-Metro Conference Tournament Championship - Mar 1st

The best event of the year is the Breakdown Tipoff Classic.  This year is no exception and a couple of Wisconsin teams are making the trip across the border to join in the fun.  The regular season's toughest ticket will be Hopkins at Apple Valley in a possible state championship preview.  Expect a jam packed raucous atmosphere for that one.  I love the contrast with the run and gun and quick lineup of Park Center having to go to the island jungle to face the defensive minded Islanders and Reid Travis.  Point guard play of Quinton Hooker vs 2015 star Jarvis Johnson on display there too.  There are few environments better than a full house for a big game on the island.  The Timberwolves shootout features the top 2014 players (Tyus vs Rashad is the showcase) but also features Iowa State recruit Matt Thomas vs Anders Broman along with Iowa commit Peter Jok and top 100 player Clayton Custer from Kansas.  Broman returns to the metro for the Super 60 showcase at the end of the month.  That also features St. Paul Johnson vs Edina in a major contrast of styles.

Then a jam packed last month of the season.  The Border Battle is stacked once again.  Apple Valley vs Madison Memorial is the showcase game but there's lots more than that.  I'll see Appleton West take on De Pere to open my season.  That's a pair of Wisconsin conference favorites who will test their luck here against De La Salle and Hopkins in the Border Battle.  Park Center at Osseo is a matchup that could finalize the NW Suburban championship.  When these 2 district rivals get together the intensity is at a higher level.  Unfortunately the 1st meeting at Park Center is the same night as Hopkins vs Apple Valley.  Then a pair of teams expected to be in the top 10 in class A.  Maranatha returns to the scene of last year's bounce out of the playoffs.  This one could have major implications.  The MCAA North Division title, top seed in the conference tourney and top seed in section 4A could all be on the line.  If Apple Valley gets knocked off in league play it might just be at Prior Lake on Feb 26th.  The Lakers gave Apple Valley all they wanted last year in both games.  The point guard and post matchups are enough to make a fan drool.  The inaugural Tri-Metro title game will likely feature a rematch of 2 of the best in class AAA, De La Salle and Blake.  They also meet at Blake on Feb 12th in a game that will almost certainly determine the regular season champion. 

12-13 Tri-Metro Preview

This is the 12th preview in my 2012-2013 season preview series.  In this preview, a look at the Tri-Metro Conference.  For a list of all the season previews, click here.

Blake Bears (2011-12 season 24-4, 15-1 Conference, Tied 1st West)
The Bears jumped up into the elite of class AAA last season.  This season all the stars return.  Wing Kebu Johnson is returns for his 5th season.  He was the top scorer at 16.7 per night.  JR Bascom is long and and elite defender on the other wing.  Junior point guard John Veil also averaged double figures.  Forward Blaine Crawford broke out late last season and will be a major inside factor.  But he's best known for his debate skills so you won't win that argument.

Breck Mustangs (2011-12 season 11-15, 6-10 Conference, 5th West)
The rebuilding process continues for coach Matt McCollister.  His sophomore class will once again play a major role.  Mo Lawal is a guard who can score in a hurry, he averaged 13 a game last year.  Wing Will Culliton averaged 12 a night.  Graydon Kulick is expected to return from a back injury.  The 4 member of that sophomore group Kwaku Bodom played in 25 games last year.  Senior Tilyn Hollis returns after leading the team with 13.7 points per game.

Brooklyn Center Centaurs (2011-12 season 6-21, 3-13 Conference, 6th West)
The Centaurs have plenty of players back from last season with Deandre Bell, Jacob Catteledge and Travonte Marshall all returning.  That returns their top scorers.  The lineup always seems to change, can they add stability this season?

Concordia Academy Beacons (2011-12 season 16-14, 8-8 Conference, 3rd East)
Top scorer Zach Osmundson, forward Joshua Falk and guard Christan Koehn all need to be replaced.  Lanky Jared Schneidermann and David Paulson are a pair of seniors who will anchor the front line.  Guard Alex Galloway is the top returning guard.  Look for junior Austin Moldenhauer to step into the point guard role.

De La Salle Islanders (2011-12 season 26-5, 15-1 Conference, Tied 1st West)
The defending state AAA champion Islanders return one of the most talented lineups in the state.  Top 50 national forward Reid Travis averaged 20 a night and is a force inside.  Luke Scott is one of the state's best shooting guards.  Soph Jarvis Johnson returns to run the point full time.  James Lawson is another big body up front.  Shawn Fitzgibbons was a solid scorer early in the year before missing the last month or so of the season.

Minnehaha Academy Redhawks (2011-12 season 15-13, 8-8 Conference, 3rd West)
The Redhawks were poised for a big season with all but 1 player returning, then came the news that almost 23 PPG from guard Gerald McCarver transfered to Coon Rapids.  Forward Kaharri Carter should see his 13+ a night go up.  Thomas Gedion is another front court option.  Guards Jesse Johnson and Evan Taddonio also return.  

Mounds Park Academy Panthers (2011-12 season 2-24, 0-16 Conference, 6th East)
The Panthers will play a limited schedule this season and not be in conference play.  They will still participate in the end of season tourney (more on that below).

Providence Academy Lions (2011-12 season 13-14, 7-9 Conference, 4th West)
The Lions had a solid inaugural season in the Tri-Metro and won the most games in school history.  Only 1 piece departs from a team that had 4 double figure scorers.  Ben Ratliff was the leading scorer at 16.6 a game.  He returns up front with Eric Richelsen   Jackson Canfield and Joe Heck will anchor the perimeter play.  Freshman Matt Richelsen will see an increased role

St. Agnes Aggies (2011-12 season 9-19, 3-13 Conference, 5th East)
The Aggies will have to replace the athletic forward duo of Antonio McGhee and leading scorer Dakari Davison.  Junior guard Nick Turch averaged just under 12 PPG. Senior guards Jordan Delaney and Nick Bennett return after a combined 15 PPG last season.  Jack Fossand is the only returning size.

St. Anthony Huskies (2011-12 season 21-7, 13-3 Conference, 1st East)
Forward Anthony Brama averaged almost 23 a game.  Guard Dustin Iannazzo averaged just under 19 a game.  Those will be 2 difficult players to replace.  Point guard Nick Kampa is the top returning scorer at 7.8 PPG.  Tim Rubbelke is the other returnee of note.  Mike Studer will step into a spot on the front line. 

St. Croix Lutheran Crusaders (2011-12 season 24-7, 12-4 Conference, 2nd East)
The Crusaders coming off an impressive season that resulted in a trip to the state tournament.  5 players averaged double figures.  Leading scorer Cody Sticha returns with 13 points per game.  Guard Jackson Goplen averaged 12.4 PPG and will anchor the backcourt.  Wing Wesley Tucker, shooter Mark Lawrence and forward Mark Olson are double figure scorers that need to be replaced.  Tyler Wood and Lincoln Hochmuth should also see time.

St. Paul Academy Spartans (2011-12 season 12-17, 6-10 Conference, 4th East)
The Spartans look to take a step forward this season.  They return their backcourt of Spencer Egly at the point and leading scorer Josh Gray at the 2.  Dalante Peyton is one of the top freshmen in the state.  He was the 2nd leading scorer at 10.7 a game last season.  Harrisen Egly and center Steve Olson also return to the lineup.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. DeLaSalle
2. Blake  
3. St. Croix Lutheran  
4. Providence Academy   
5. Breck  
6. St. Paul Academy 
7. St. Anthony
8. Minnehaha 
9. Concordia Academy
10. Brooklyn Center
11. St. Agnes  
    

Conference MVP: Reid Travis - De La Salle 

Conference Overview:
A year of change in the Tri-Metro.  The schedule moves from a divisional schedule to the old MCAA model.  Its a 1 game round robin with everybody, no divisions.  The top 8 will then play a 3 game tournament for bragging rights.  The bottom 3 + Mounds Park Academy will fill out their schedules with a round robin group of 3 friendship games.  The league is looking to move the championship day games to a local MIAC school in the near future.

De La Salle is absolutely stacked and the prohibitive favorite to repeat as the class AAA champions.  Blake will once again be a top 5 AAA team.  Brooklyn Center and St. Agnes will have long seasons.  The middle of the league from 3 to 9 is going to be a fight.  With only 1 chance against a team, every game has bigger meaning.  St. Croix Lutheran gets a nod based on last year's performance.  Providence beat Breck who beat SPA who played St. Anthony tough.  I can't drop a Dave Bratland team lower than 7.  Minnehaha is more talented than 8th but where do you put them?  Concordia is better than 9th but I can't find a reason to move them up.

Underclassmen to watch:  
Dalante Payton - St. Paul Academy
Will Culliton, Mo Lawal - Breck
Jarvis Johnson, Sacar Anim - DeLaSalle
Matt Richelsen - Providence
Roger Moore Jr - Concordia

Conference Games to Watch

• De La Salle at Blake - Feb 12th
• Tri-Metro Championship - Mar 1st

Non-Conference Games to Watch

• Blake at Chaska - Dec 4th
• Blake vs Lakeview Christian - Dec 8th (Tipoff Classic at Minnetonka)
• Blake at Edina - Dec 14th
• Park Center at De La Salle - Jan 3rd
• De La Salle vs Blue Valley NW (KS) - Jan 5th (Timberwolves Shootout)
• Holy Angels at Blake - Jan 8th
• Blake vs Hopkins - Jan 21st (MLK Day Classic at Minneapolis Henry)
• Eden Prairie at De La Salle - Jan 26th
• De La Salle vs Appleton West (WI) - Feb 2nd (Border Battle at Prior Lake)
• Cretin-Derham Hall at De La Salle - Feb 16th
• Richfield at Blake - Feb 16th

2012 Best Buy Summer Classic Preview

Its a big week in Minnesota summer basketball as Howard Pulley visits the Peach Jam, Select and Glory invade Louisville and Net Gain visits Milwaukee but most everyone else is home for the 4th annual Best Buy Summer Classic at Jefferson and Kennedy.  Pool play begins at 4 PM Thursday and ends Friday night.  Bracket play Saturday and Sunday with championships at 2:20 Sunday afternoon.  As is the case with most college coaches, focus here will be on the 17U division.

2 super pools in 17U with M33M, Dakota Schoolers I, Indiana Elite Stars MN PNR making up the 1st super pool.  The Schoolers bring in one of their better teams in recent memory.  Center Zach Hanson just committed to Creighton but had offers from Iowa St and Missouri.  Wing Lane Severyn just picked up an NDSU offer and athletic Skyler Flatten is another player at a D1 level for the Schoolers.  Guard Jordan Pickett leads the Indiana Elite Stars who were the 2nd Indiana Elite super pool team last week in Indianapolis.  They were 1-2 and knocked out in the round of 32.  Then you have the host Minnesota Pump N Run.  Reid Travis just picked up a USC offer.  Point guard Graham Woodward and guard Gerald McCarver both played well last week.

The team to watch is M33M.  #11 in the Rivals national ranking is 6'5 wing Robert Hubbs.  6'7 wing Austin Nichols is ranked 43rd by Rivals.  Then a couple of highly touted freshmen in 6'10 Skal Labissiere (#8 ESPN's 2015 rankings) and point guard Nyck Smith.  Hubbs stock has really shot up since he played here last.

Pool B has perennial power Franchize All-Stars, the returning Michigan Hurricanes, Illinois Warriors and the top team from last year's champion PrymeTyme.  Franchize features a pair of 2014 star wings in Mavin Saunders and Joe Burton.  The Hurricanes return with wing Bo Ziegler (#118 Rivals).  Hurricanes were bounced out of the top bracket last year by PrymeTyme.  Will PrymeTyme have another Fred Van Vleet (last year's MVP)?

Pool C is topped by Fury Davis and Bucknell commit Ben Oberfeld.  Heat Reese tops Pool D with Fury Ouse and Comets Stock.  Pool E features Comets Hanson.  Should be very interesting to see what D1 crowd turns out to see 7 footer Connor Voss.  The Wisconsin Jets were champions of the Dakota Showcase.  Guard Tim Wagner leads the Jets.

Duez Henderson's Iowa PNR squad highlights Pool G.  6'8 Forward Rylan Murray has offers from North Dakota, Nebraska Omaha and Central Michigan.    Dakota Pride and Triple Threat could decide pool J.  Heat Ogorek gets our sleeper BYC Elite (NM) in their pool.  Guard John Dawson has been outstanding all year for BYC.  Colorado just offered him.  Pool L closes out the list with a bang.  MN Lockdown and Logan Doyle have WI Starz Black with their center Blake Derickson.  ECI Prospects with NDSU commit AJ Jacobsen also in this pool. 

Other players of note include Taylor Schaefer of the ECI Prospects 16s and elite guard 5'10" Hyron Edwards of Team Indiana/Indiana Elite 15s.  He's #12 in the ESPN 2015 rankings and has offers from Purdue and Indiana.  They're in the PNR 15s super pool.  That game is at 6:20 Thursday night.

A couple of other very nice matchups.  Fury Dixon and Comets Lewis meet up once again in their 16U super pool.  That game is also at 6:20 Thursday.  Back in the 15U bracket, the Cyclones take on tNBA in their pool at 10 AM Friday morning.  tNBA has been off the radar due to conflicting schedules but they get their shot at Alex Illikainen et al.  Last we saw of tNBA was their loss to the very good WI Blizzard-Pronchinske group in the Best Buy Spring Tournament semis.

Heat Biwan 14s step up to 15U with a Schoolers group and SW MN Stars in their pool.  Fury Shelman, MN Phenom and Heat Lesewski also representing the best of MN in 15U.  Also looking forward to taking another look at the MN Warriors and Heat Garvis.  Looking forward to seeing all of the top teams come through Jefferson in all levels which is a change from last year.  I like it.  More of the premier games will be in the activity center which considering the weather is a good choice as well.  Don't expect another power outage though.

July 2012 Open Period Day 3 Results

Bracket play underway in the1st open period, here's how the MN teams stand.

St. Louis (Mullen's High Exposure)
MN Cyclones def Kansas Heat Elite 87-44

Ames (IMBBall part 1)
MN Lockdown and MN Suns Brown both lost their bracket games.

Local (IMBBall part 2)
Howard Pulley White 17s lost 55-43 to All Iowa Attack Moore.  21 pts and 9 rebs for Peter Jok of the Attack.
tNBA 17s def La Crosse YMCA Steger 61-53
Heat Schumann 16s def Iowa Cornsharks 68-63
Howard Pulley Blue 15s def NIB Raptors 58-39.
Howard Pulley White 15s def ND Phenom 59-55

Milwaukee (NY2LA)
Bracket play is set.
15U
Fury Shelman will take on Net Gain in the round of 16.
MN Select takes on Chicago Select in the same quarter of the top bracket.
Heat Lesewski/Bui takes on Schoolers Mueller
Comets Elite will play WI Blizzard Kuranda in a Gold bracket pigtail.

16U
Round of 16
MN Select has a pigtail game with WI Swish for the right to play Ray Allen Select
SW MN Stars will play the winner of SYF and Milwaukee Rebels
Those 2 games are in the same quarter
Fury Grosz will play winner of IA Mavs Uthoff and WI Swing Litscher on the same side of the bracket.
On the opposite side.
Fury Dixon gets winner of WI Blizzard Pop vs ECI Prospects
In the same quarter Comets Elite gets a rematch with MN Warriors (who won a tight one at the Pulley tourney).  Winner will play top WI Blizzard team and then possibly Fury Dixon.

17U
Net Gain takes on ECI Prospects
Magic Elite takes on Ramey
Winner of that plays winner of Fury Davis and S. Dakota Heat.
Staying in that quarter of the draw Select Blue takes on Comets Hanson
Winner of that to play WI Playmakers White vs SW MN Stars winner.
On the other half
MN Select White vs Playground Elite Wilson

In the Gold Bracket
Magic Maroon vs WI Blizzard Thomas to take on WI Shooters/WOTN winner
Comets Stock vs top WI Blizzard to play winnner of IA Mavs Putz vs Fury Newll.

Comets Seevers and Fury Ouse are in the Silver bracket.

Indianapolis (Adidas Invitational)
17U
PNR def Ohio Phenoms 78-64 to finish 2-1 in their super pool.  Reid Travis over 20 points again.  They then beat Texas GCBC Cagers 87-77 in pigtail game to advance to final 32 of Championship bracket

Heat Ogorek lost to MBA Select in the 1st round of the Gold Bracket to finish 2-2.
Heat Reese def Illinois Exclusive to advance to final 16 of Silver Bracket.
Heat Frasier def TN Chosen Few in 1st round Bronze bracket thanks to a Robert Ben buzzer beater.
Heat Altena lost to Q6 All-Stars Elite in 1st round Bronze bracket to finish 0-4.

16U
PNR finished 2nd in their pool and then picked up a very good 3 pt win over Florida Elite to advance to the final 16 of the championship bracket.

Heat Vang had the day off after finishing 2nd in their pool.  They'll play Michigan Mustangs in the Final 16 of the Gold Bracket
Heat Frank finished 0-3 in pool and will play Indy Ice in 1st round of the Bronze Bracket.
MN Glory 0-3 will play Triple Balance in 1st round of the bronze bracket.

15U
MN PNR won their super pool with a 65-60 win over the WI Playground Warriors (where the Ellenson's once played).  They then lost to Indiana Elite Blaze 73-68 in the 1st round of the Championship Bracket.

July 2012 Open Period Day 2

Here are results from 2nd day of play in the July 2012 open period.

IMBBall (Ames)
17U
MN Suns Brown go 2-1 and finish 2nd in their pool.  Only loss was to the All Iowa Attack EYBL team 70-51.  They defeated Iowa Legacy 56-44 and 72-49 over Omaha Crusaders Foster.
MN Lockdown 2-0 to win their pool but lost to All Iowa Attack Moore 62-46 on Wed.  They defeated Omaha Crusaders Woodard 52-44 and All Iowa Attack Jensen 65-60.

Lockdown vs Cornsharks and Suns vs All Iowa Moore in brackets play was not yet posted.

16U
Howard Pulley top 16s go 0-3.  Lost to Omaha Crusaders 67-57, NE Select by 3 and 76-68 to the Iowa Cornsharks.

Heat Select 1-2 to finish 3rd in their pool
MN Lockdown was 1-1 to finish 2nd in their pool.

15U
Howard Pulley Top 15s swept their pool 3-0.  79-57 over IA Legacy, 79-38 over Omaha Crusaders and 56-39 over All Iowa Attack Johnson.
MN Suns Russell 2-1 to be 2nd in their pool.
Howard Pulley White was 0-2 and 3rd in their pool.

Adidas Invitational (Indianapolis)
17U
MN Pump N Run split their 2 games.  63-55 Loss to Team Nashville and 75-57 win over Dallas Mustangs.  Reid Travis 19 and 22 points in those 2 games.

Heat Altena lost to MBA Select 72-62, then lost 70-59 to Tennesse Tigers to finish pool 0-3.

Heat Frasier was swept in their 3 pool games.  They lost to Southern Indiana Spartans 61-55 and S. Texas Irish 64-45

Heat Ogorek split their games during the day.  They beat Club Elite Warriors 81-67.  They lost the pool title game 62-56 to Texas GCBC Cagers.  They finish 2-1 in pool.  Jack Martinek 20 pts in the loss.

Heat Reese fell to Spiece Higher Level 85-82 and beat Team Pro Look Boys 63-55.  They finish 1-2 in pool.  Brendan Taylor was 7-7 from 3 in the 1st half of that Team Pro win.

16U
MN Pump N Run lost to a very good Indiana Elite team 61-38.  They bounced back to defeat Devin Harris Super Stars 79-65 behind 20 and 9 from Paul Friendshuh.

Heat Vang won both of their games to finish 2-1 in pool play.  They beat Indy Jazz 2014 93-60 and Hoop Dreams 73-59.  Jake Knupp 6 3s, 25 pts in that last win.

Heat Frank lost 64-46 to Grand Rapids storm and 64-38 to Select Basketball to start 0-2 in pool.

Glory 16s lost to FIST 68-67 and to Atlanta Celtics 2 58-36 to start 0-2.

15U
MN PNR def CIA Bounce 65-49 and Colorado Hawks 71-51. Marshawn Wilson 2 huge dunks and 18 points in that Hawks game. 

NY2LA (Milwaukee)
17U
Magic Maroon lost to Next Level Basketball by 4
Fury Davis lost by 17 to WI Swing.
Net Gain def Iowa Mavs Putz (max +15)
Magic Elite def Iowa Mavs Green (max +15) and Playground Elite Wilson by 2
WOTN lost to WI Blizzard Kellett (max -15)
Comets Hanson def Colorado Titans by 6 and Playmakers Blue by 9 to finish 2-1 in pool but they can't win the pool even with help.
MN Select White def WI Shooters White 49-41 and def Team NLA-MA by 14.
Fury Ouse lost a couple of heartbreakers by 2 each to WI Starz and Kingdom Hoops Red
Comets Stock lost to top Schoolers team by 16 then def Flint Dream Team by 12.
MN Select Blue def Rockford Wildcats by 5 and WI Ballers Elite by 7
Comets Seevers loses by 4 to WI Blizzard Thomas

16U
MN Warriors def Next Level Basketball 65-62.  Garrett Goetz 37 points (17-17 FTs) to lead the Warriors
Fury Dixon def WI Swing-Litscher 70-67 in 2 OT.  
Fury Grosz def WI Blizzard Popp (max + 15)
MN Select def WI Swing-Smith (max +15)
SW MN Stars 16s def Randolph Boys Club White by 2
Comets Lewis def HLC Buch by 25 to start their pool play.


15U
MN Select def WI Blizzard Thomas by 12
Heat Lesewski def Randolph Boys Club by 3
Net Gain def Kingdom Hoops Red (max +15)
Fury Shelman def Peoria Irish by 4
Comets Elite lost by 2 to WI Blizzard Schneider

5 Players to watch in July 2012

With the July recruiting period upon, here are 5 players who's progress I'll be watching this month.


#5) Carson Shanks - Minnesota Select White 17s
The list begins with the big man in the middle.  Select has struggled this spring as has Shanks.  Now Grassroots basketball is definitely not a big man's game so good matchups have been difficult to find.  Witness the bracket game in St. Cloud where Select couldn't find a good lineup to play against a smaller, more athletic Heat Reese team.  That was with or without Shanks on the floor.  Shanks definitely has the skills to perform above the level he played at in the spring.  Will he show that in July?

#4) Anders Broman - Howard Pulley Blue 17s
Broman took his game to another level this spring.  With Tyus Jones out at the Pulley tournament, he showed the ability to run the point.  He also showed quality ability to knock down open jump shots along with his usual scoring prowess.  That garnered him a handful of D1 offers.  The Peach Jam in the middle period is July's biggest stage.  Does he move to yet another level there?

#3) Connor Voss - Minnesota Comets Hanson 17s
Voss is the other big man in the middle on our list.  His story is entirely different.  He sat out a large chunk of the high school season due to injury.  That carried over to him missing the entire April recruiting period as well.  But he's gotten his legs back over the last 2 months and its showed. His performance at the North Dakota camp earned him an offer from the (insert non-offensive NCAA complaint nickname here).  Is he trending toward a July where he breaks through onto a bigger stage?

#2) Reid Travis - Minnesota Pump N Run 17s
The final 2 both fall into the category of "His team will go as far as he takes them".  Reid Travis was the catalyst for the PNR 15s run to the Super 64 title game last year.  For now, he's the 2014 player that has kind of been forgotten about.  The PNR team is his again and needs him to play at a high level.  Does he solidify a high major ranking with his play this month?

#1) Darrion Strong - Minnesota Magic Robertson 17s
I would argue that no single player has been more critical to his team's success than Darrion Strong.  Before joining the Magic, they were struggling to score points and their record (albeit against a difficult schedule) showed it.  It also showed when the Comets trounced the Magic 2 weeks ago with Strong not playing.  Strong joined the Magic in May and has been the single most dominant offensive player I've seen in the last 2 months.  He led the Magic to the Northstar Hoops Report State Championship with a virtuoso performance in the title game and to a runner up finish (double OT loss at the buzzer) at the Great Plains Alliance tournament at the end of the month.  It will be very interesting to see what interest he has after the month is over.

2012 Comets Shootout Review

Results and my random thoughts from the 2012 Comets Shootout.

The food was outstanding with the pulled pork at the concession stand.  I had to hit that twice on Saturday.  I conned my way into mini-donuts on Sunday otherwise I would have done it again.  Good crew of college coaches from the NSIC, MIAC, WIAC etc on hand.  The play was generally ragged and I'm shocked that the officials basically worked the entire day.  The official formerly known as Al Sharpton worked enough games for a lifetime.  Not sure we have enough refs for a solution but getting these guys in and out quicker would make things much better all the way around.  I've seen in Denver where the refs are on for 2 and then they're gone. 

A great way to end the weekend as a Fury team was playing and upon closer look, there was the one and only HAT LADY!!!  All purple and the hat was outstanding as usual.

17U
Pool Winners: ECI Prospects, 43 Hoops, Select White, PNR, Heat Ogorek, NGS, Playmakers, Heat Reese

My predictions had 15 of the 16 teams in the Championship Bracket (Fury-Ouse miss).  Comets/ECI and Heat Reese/Fury Davis flip spots so I get 11 of the 16 spots exactly right.  6 of the 8 quarterfinal winners right with the correct team losing in the other 2 games.  I got half of the games in the quarters right.  Then my bracket fell apart and got nothing else right.

Round of 16 results:  ECI def Glory 64-48, 43 Hoops def GetShook 63-61, Select over Comets Hanson, PNR over Playmakers Blue, Triple Threat 59-52 over Heat Ogorek, NGS 82-78 over Fury Davis, Playmakers White 70-54 over Comets Stock and Heat Reese over SD Heat.

Quarters: ECI def 43 Hoops 77-68, PNR def Select 78-51, NGS def Triple Threat 76-53, Heat Reese def Playmakers White (no Matt Thomas) 79-71.

Semis: PNR def ECI 71-60, NGS def Heat Reese 70-65.

Championship NGS def PNR 70-66.  25 and 10 from Reid Travis of PNR.  18 points from Riley Dearring to lead Net Gain.

Phil Nolan showing up with Net Gain was a major surprise.  A big center might show up, but this wasn't the name on everybody's mind, see Akolda Manyang.  NGS built with a crew of Sean Scott, Ater Manyang and Nolan with their regulars.  Heck, maybe we'll see Tommy McDermott with them again at some point this season.  With NGS, you never know.  They showed some early struggles like last year.

Heat Reese not only beat Fury Davis in pool play to win their pool but also beat the Wisconsin Playmakers top club that still had 2 D1 kids.  They held a double digit lead for a large chunk of the 2nd half so no fluke.  They were down double digits to NGS in the 2nd half before storming back and taking the lead.  They had a good look late to tie as well before NGS held on.

43 Hoops has some pieces for Chris Carr to work with.  Nick Anderson to run the show, Markus Taylor Knighten to score.  It'll be interesting to see how that team evolves.  Select White didn't play well but a 27 thrashing from Pump N Run was a surprise.  Comets Hanson was throttled by ECI Prospects in the pool deciding game late Saturday night and then immediately went out to Select White in the round of 16.  Much higher hopes here for the top Comets club.  Worth noting that 7 footer Connor Voss is probably out another month at minimum.  That certainly impacts what you want to do on the defensive end.

16U
In the 16s results, I don't know the Pool H finishes but other than those I know I went a perfect 14 for 14 in the title bracket.  8 for 8 in the round of 16.  Both quarters in the top half right along with the semifinalist and champion from that half.

Pool Winners: Comets Lewis, Heat Vang, Select, Fury Dixon, Comets Stanfield, Fury Grosz and PNR 15s (Pool H???).

Round of 16: PNR def MN Rush, EOTO def Heat Schumann, Fury Dixon def NGS 15s, Dakota Pride win, Fury Grosz over Comets Stanfield, PNR 15s win, Select def Heat Frank, Comets Lewis def Heat Vang

Quarters: PNR def EOTO 62-59, Fury Dixon def Dakota Pride 80-65, PNR 15s def Fury Grosz 59-51, Select def Comets Elite 77-71 in 3OT.

Semis: PNR 16s def Fury Dixon 65-54, PNR 15s def Select 65-59

Championship: PNR 16s retain in house bragging rights with 69-66 win over PNR 15s.

Furious comebacks in this division.  EOTO was down 16 vs PNR and made big run late.  PNR 15s need a run vs Fury Grosz and then ended their game with Select on a 17-4 run to come from 9 down in the last 5 minutes.  The 15s also made a run from double digits down to the 16s in the title game but just didn't have enough left to pull it off.

Fury Dixon blasted a quality Heat Frank team 71-27 in their pool opener.  That Fury club has size and outstanding guard play.  Very very dangerous.  Liked how the South Dakota Heat 16s played in terms of moving the ball and not beating it to death with the dribble.  Henry Ellenson of the PNR 15s looks so much wider and stronger than a year ago.  Was more than physically capable enough in the 16U bracket let alone vs 15s.  PNR 16s struggled vs TVA in the pool opener (a team they should pound) and were down 3 with 12 to play before pulling that out.  EOTO (last year's Heat Select) still has a dangerous squad of athletes even without Andre Wallace.  Kyle Kalivoda is a nice pickup for that group.

15U
I only saw semis and finals of the 15U bracket because almost all of pool play was up in Foley.  But no surprise that the Cyclones ran through it with no problem.  They won their semifinal over Magic 73-34 and throttled Heat Bui/Lesewski in the championship 81-49 (though that was an 11 point game late in the 1st half).  Fury Johnson gave them their best game with a loss by just over 10.

Here were the matchups in the 15u championship bracket

MN Comets Elite v TC Running Rebels
MN Heat Calistro v Triple Threat Westberg
43 Hoops I v MN Fury Shelman
WI Playmakers v MN Heat Lesewski
South Dakota Heat v MN Magic Blue
Triple Threat High v Grassroots
MN Fury Johnson v WOTN Gold
MN Select v MN Cyclones

??, Heat Calistro, Fury Shelman, Heat Bui/Lesewski, Magic Blue, TT High, Fury Johnson and Cyclones won in the round of 16.

Heat Calistro won, Heat Bui/Lesewski beat Fury Shelman by 20+, Magic Blue def Triple Threat, Cyclones def Fury Johnson

Heat Bui/Lesewski def Heat Calistro, Cyclones def Magic Blue

Cyclones win 15U title over Heat Bui/Lesewski

2012 Class AAA Championship

Another amazing game at the 2012 state tournament.  Washburn doesn't take the lead until the overtime and then a very exciting 20 seconds of basketball to end the overtime.  Love to see no timeouts.  I can't say I've ever seen as many people in the upper deck of the Target Center for a state tournament game in my time.  An amazing atmosphere.  My entire game log will be on Northstar Hoops Report.

Czar's Class AAA All-Tournament Ballot (all 10 on official team)
Jerry Pratt - Minneapolis Washburn
Nick Anderson - Minneapolis Washburn
Joseph Doby - Minneapolis Washburn
Reid Travis - De La Salle
Luke Scott - De La Salle
Jarvis Johnson - De La Salle
Alex Illikainen - Grand Rapids
Austin Pohlen - Grand Rapids
Marcus Marshall - St. Paul Johnson
Quashingm Smith-Pugh - St. Paul Johnson

3AAA Top Seeds Move On

Prologue
Off to Blaine for the section 3AAA semifinals.  They're the only game in town and the coaches were out.  Augsburg, UW-River Falls, St. John's, St. Thomas, Crookston, Bemidji St, Dakota County, Rochester Community and Tech College just some of the colleges in the building.  No food at the building as I had Burger King on the way and no I didn't wear the crown afterwards.  Don't laugh.  You all wanted the Burger King cardboard crown as kids too, you know you did.  Hot dogs looked pretty good though.   Respectable crowd on hand and great props to the Blaine crowd control for putting students in their own area and helping fans (e.g me) not get stuck behind them.  Rare to have crowd control at a game and have it do its job well.  Also the usual outstanding performance from the St. Anthony pep band.

Game 1: #1 Spring Lake Park vs #4 Totino-Grace
Game of contrasts here with the small and frenetic Panthers taking on the slow paced Eagles and their big man Nick Carr.  Jordan Thimmesch-Slepica with 3 bombs.  Sean Scott adds 2 more bombs and a takes a steal for a dunk.  23-13 Spring Lake Park at the 8:30 mark.  The full court man pressure from Spring Lake Park really bothering Totino-Grace and they're turning it over.  Scott knocks down 2 free throws and another 3 after a pair of turnovers.  That 3 pushes the lead to 40-20 at the 4:12 mark.  45-29 Spring Lake Park at half.  Nick Carr with 13 in the half for Totino-Grace. Scott 15 for Spring Lake Park.

The Panthers shot selection in the 2nd half allows the Eagles to get back in the game.  Carr 2 inside buckets, a kick to Sam Meyer for 3 and a post bucket on the side out of bounds.  Meyer adds another 3 and Spring Lake Park needs a timeout.  47-41 Spring Lake Park with 13:25 to play.  21-7 Eagles run in less than 8 minutes.  Thimmesch-Slepica a putback and his 4th 3 of the night and its back to double digits.  But he commits his 4th foul moments later and sits with 11:01 to play.  Carr with the lefty finish for 2 and an assist on an Andy Moritko layup.  57-50 Panthers with 9:35 left.  Robert Ben with back to back layups on the same inbounds play underneath as the lead grows back to 13.  Carr on the block and Meyer to the fadeaway and its back down to 9 with 5:38 to play, 63-54.  Scott with a tip for 2 and Thimmesch-Slepica back in with a steal for 2 as Spring Lake Park puts it away.  73-56 Spring Lake Park wins despite a very ugly second half.  Sean Scott 19 points to lead the Panthers.  Jordan Thimmesch-Slepica 14 points and was the glue guy.  Nick Carr was a handful inside with 25 points.  Sam Meyer got loose for 4 3s and 23 points.  The Eagles did try some triangle and 2 on Scott and Bryce Williams in a strategy that made sense but Slepica was big early.

Game 2: #2 De La Salle vs #3 St. Anthony
St. Anthony really focused on Reid Travis and Luke Scott in this one.  They used triangle and 2 with both in the game and diamond and 1 with only 1 of them in the game.  Throw in some 2-3 zone to boot.  Huskies star Anthony Brama starting strong with a drive for 2 and a layup.  Timeout DLS at the 11:31 mark with St. Anthony leading 11-8.  He scores 12 of the 1st 15 for St. Anthony before DLS slows him down.  After a couple of early buckets Jarvis Johnson adds 2 more buckets as DLS opens the lead to 27-21 at the 4 minute mark.  Then Johnson with back to back 3s from in front of the Huskies and Spike Lee must be on the Huskies bench as Johnson has some words.  33-23 Islanders at the 2 minute mark.  33-25 Islanders at the half.  Brama and Johnson with 14 each.

The second half has Reid Travis take control.  His back to back buckets push the lead to 41-28 at the 15:15 mark.  After a Huskies timeout, he catches on the right block and goes to the Hakeem Olajuwon baseline spin (always a travel) for the dunk.  He adds a layup and the lead is 17.  Travis on the offensive glass for 2 more and his backup James Lawson with a tip for 2.  49-31 with 12:15 left.  That ends a 16-4 run.  Then some deja vu as Brama would make 3 triples to keep it respectable (like the 1st meeting).  But the lead is never less than 14 again.  De La Salle wins 73-54.  Reid Travis 26 points and 9 rebounds.  18 of those points in the 2nd half.  Jarvis Johnson 14 of his 16 in the 1st half.  Luke Scott 3 more bombs and 15 points. Anthony Brama finishes his career with 29 points.

From Mayari to Moorhead

Prologue
Its the final day of the 2011-2012 regular season and that means the annual Twin Cities series.  This year moved back to Arlington (St. Paul Washington I know, but tradition dictates) for the 1st time since the 2009 melee that forced the games to be alternated between city champion sites.  A very good crowd on hand for the varsity game.  Arlington wins the hot dog battle for the day.

Session 1: Twin Cities Series
I begin with Mayari Marshall and Johnson taking on Washburn in the freshmen edition of the series.  Johnson used a big run before halftime to open a 7 point lead.  Washburn would come back and take the lead 43-42 with 4:28 to go.  Sedrick Clark would break a 47 all tie with 1:30 to go and Washburn couldn't get a bucket after that.  Johnson wins 55-48.  Dametris Davis-Crosby 17 points to lead the Govs.  JoBreil Powell 15, Tyrell Howze 14 for Washburn.

Central broke the Johnson stranglehold on the league by being the JV rep for St. Paul.  Washburn again the JV champ from Minneapolis.  Washburn with 3 freshman starting on the JV squad which makes their frosh title even more impressive.  That includes star Evan Shepherd and point guard Kevin Gleason.  Central controls the game early before Washburn claws back to within 26-24 at the half.  Shepherd with a strong 2nd half to bring the Millers back.  A poor call of a T on Central with 8:08 left leads to 5 of 6 free throws for Washburn.  They open a 48-42 lead with 7:40 left.  Central would rally and Davontrell McAdory would make a running bank from the left wing with 4 seconds left for the game winner.  62-61 Central wins.  I loved Gleason's passing and the lefty Shepherd is one of the better players in the 2015 class.

To the main event.  Johnson has jumped back into the state polls and this game showed its legit.  No Wayland Johnson which is a missed athlete against Washburn.  A very back and forth game.  7-0 Johnson runs puts them up 9-5 at the 15:32 mark.  Extra pass to Jeff Jones for 3 and he takes a turnover for a layup.  Noah Scarver on the post for 3 before Jones converts another turnover into a 3.  25-23 Washburn at the 9:05 mark.  That finishes a 10-2 Washburn run.  Marcus Marshall playing as well as he has all year with a bucket and pair of 3s.  38-34 Johnson at 4:30 mark.  Late in the half the scoreboard gets whack.  Its says 50-44 and then magically changes to 49-48 Washburn at the half.  Somehow that stands.

Charles Smith for 3, Joseph Doby with a putback, Dejon Davis with a free throw and dunk.  Doby another jumper and Dwight Anderson for 3.  62-50 Washburn with 14:24 remaining.  Then Johnson's defense ignites a run.  Marshall with a steal for 2, a bucket and a putback.  Marshall for 3 around a pair of De'Vonta Durr buckets.  Quashingm Smith-Pugh with a putback and adds on a 3 point play.  74-66 Johnson with 9:10 left after a 24-4 run in 5 minutes.  Jerry Pratt runs the floor, gives it up and gets it back from Nick Anderson for the dunk for Washburn.  Darius Watson drives with 6:45 left and the Johnson lead remains 8, 78-70.

Washburn took good to not have another run.  Dejon Davis for 3, Dwight Anderson 2 free throws, Smith with a bucket.  80-78 Johnson with 4:50 left and we'll go right to the end.  Pratt with the strong post move in the middle of the lane and no charge.  Marshall counters to keep the lead at 4.  Bajuan Adams with an inbounds layup at the 2:35 mark for an 86-80 Johnson lead.  The teams trade buckets and after an Adams free throw with 1:28 left, Johnson leads 89-82.  Davis with another bomb with 1:10 left and Johnson turns it over with a minute left.  Pratt from Nick Anderson again for an easy bucket with 50 seconds left.  Then Washburn gets a trap on the sideline and its a total mugging.  But the call is a jump ball and it goes to Washburn with 41.7 left.  Millers down 89-87.  Smith with a 3 that goes in and out, Doby rushes a 3 and misses.  Washburn gets it back for a 3rd time and Smith is fouled with 21.7 left.  Washburn in a huge hurry and there was tons of time left.  Smith has the 1st free throw go around and out.  2nd is good and Johnson has the ball and the lead 89-88.  Adams steps up and misses 2 so Washburn has a chance to win.  Nick Anderson's 18 footer is long with 5.5 left and out of bounds underneath to Washburn.  Pratt curls off a stack and his shot is no good.  But he tips the miss in with 2 seconds left and the clock runs out.  Washburn comes from 7 down in the last 1:28 to steal the Twin Cities Title 90-89.  This was the highest combined score in Twin Cities game history.  Marcus Marshall scores 15 in each half and leads all scores with 30 points.  3 triples on the day and the best I've seen him play all year.  De'Vonta Durr 14, Quashingm Smith-Pugh 13.  Jerry Pratt again impressive with 25 points.  Charles Smith and Dejon Davis 15 each.  Davis with 3 bombs and his game has come along during this sophomore campaign.

Session 2:  Moorhead at De La Salle
Back to Minneapolis for Moorhead's visit to the island.  DLS getting Reid Travis started.  He finds Jarvis Johnson on the back screen for 2.  Then Travis drives for 2 and scores on the inbounds.  He adds a 3 point play as DLS opens a 14-6 lead.  Spuds junior star Aaron Lien trying to keep Moorhead close as he buries back to back triples.  He scores 14 of the 1st 17 points for the Spuds.  He finishes his run with a 3 point play off a nice back door set.  21-17 DLS at the 7:15 mark.  Then its all Islanders.  Luke Scott with a pair of 3s.  Travis with a 3 point play on the block and he even buries a straight away 3.  39-23 DLS at the half.

The 2nd half is even worse for the Spuds.  Travis off the bounce and another bucket.  Then he turns and faces and knocks down the 10 foot jumper with the defender backing off.  James Lawson the post.  Trey Shepherd coast to coast for a layup and he tacks on a 3 point play.  Lawson with another inside bucket and we're at running time with 8:37 to go.  De La Salle rolls 79-38 over a solid Moorhead team that can contend in 8AAAA.

Reid Travis absolutely dominates with 30 points.  He knocks down a 3, he faces up and scores, he scored with contact, he took guys off the bounce.  This was like his play in Vegas during the Super 64 last summer.  Luke Scott 4 more 3s and 14 points.  Aaron Lien leads Moorhead with 14 points but all early.  6'5 PG (yes PG) Austin Nelson with 3 3s and 13 points.  He's a sleeper kid to keep an eye on this spring (if you can find him)