The final 2011 rankings are out for all the big services here how the Minnesota class of 2011 did along with others who appeared locally.
Rivals
Joe Coleman #121
Others who appeared locally
Brad Beal (#4) - Florida
Cody Zeller (#15) - Indiana
Adonis Thomas (#17) - Memphis
Branden Dawson (#20) - Michigan St
BJ Young (#25) - Arkansas
Myck Kabongo (#26) - Texas
Ky Madden (#32) - Arkansas
Quinn Cook (#38) - Duke
Mychael Henry (#39) - Illinois
Julien Lewis (#57) - Texas
Marshall Plumlee (#79) - Duke
Hunter Mickleson (#100) - Arkansas
Jerome Seagears (#101) - Rutgers
Andre Hollins (#110) - Minnesota
TaShawn Thomas (#113) - Houston
Jarion Henry (#119) - New Mexico
Josh Oglesby (#122) - Iowa
Paul Jesperson (#136) - Virginia
Aaron Ross (#143) - Arkansas
Cedrick McAfee (#145) - Auburn
Spencer Dinwiddie (#146) - Colorado
Jarrod Uthoff (#149) - Wisconsin
Scout
No Minnesota players ranked
ESPN
Joe Coleman #93 behind Paul Jesperson #87
Hardwood Elite
Joe Coleman #80 behind Paul Jesperson #69
Ross Travis #91
Add #61 Todd Mayo (Marquette) to the list of others who appeared locally.
Andre Hollins #46
For the record, I think Coleman and Jesperson will have nice college careers. I don't think either is quite to the top 100 level. Coleman consistently dominated his higher level competition both in the winter and the spring. He averaged 22 PPG while sitting major minutes as Hopkins destroyed people. Jesperson's team was 11-11 this year in the regular season against inferior competition. If not for Onalaska's top 2 bigs blowing out knees, Jesperson's Merrill team doesn't get out of section play. He averaged 22.6 PPG playing big minutes. While he had 45 in a game here last spring, in the spring games that I saw Jesperson play against our top teams he generally struggled against more physical play. Coleman also did all of this with a loaded roster where Jesperson's team didn't have nearly that kind of talent. The general recruiting rule is that you can teach skills but not athleticism. Schools recruit bigger, stronger and faster because they have to. So put all of that together and even though I'm clearly no expert on player evaluation, based on the facts above, it really shocks me that at least 2 of the rankings put Jesperson ahead of Coleman. It proves my complaint with rankings. Anybody who says they can see kids enough to do an intelligent ranking at a state or national level is full of it. I spend as much time in the gym as anybody and I know first hand that you can't see a significant amount of any large number of players. Especially when many of the writers focus mostly on Nike events (but don't get me started on that). That's why kids like a Gordon Hayward or even Alec Brown fall through the cracks.
Showing posts with label Ross Travis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ross Travis. Show all posts
The Czar's 2011 Mr Basketball Final 5
Labels:
Estan Tyler,
Jake White,
Joe Coleman,
Jonah Travis,
Ross Travis
The Mr Basketball committee just trimmed their list of 20 candidates down to 5 finalists. Not that it matters since this is one of the easiest selections we'll have, but at least guessing how long we'll have to wait for the official announcement makes it interesting. Here's a refresher on who the original 20 were and who made the final cut. Then I'll tell you who I would have picked and why.
Finalists
Lucas Brown-Roseville
Joe Coleman - Hopkins
Shelby Moats - Waconia
Kyle Noreen - Minnesota Transitions
Jake White - Chaska
The other 15 candidates
Tom Schalk - Apple Valley
Marquel Curtis - Robbinsdale Armstrong
Marcus Alipate - Bloomington Jefferson
Ross Travis - Chaska
Benji Figini - Chisago Lakes
Zach Lofton - Columbia Heights
Raijon Kelly - Cretin-Derham Hall
Jonah Travis - DeLaSalle
Marvin Singleton - Hopkins
Alex Richter - Lakeville South
Seth Hinrichs - MACCRAY
Cole Olstad - Plainview - Elgin - Millville
Roosevelt Scott - St. Paul Johnson
Estan Tyler - St. Paul Johnson
Eric Robertson - Wayzata
The Czar's Final 5
Joe Coleman - Hopkins
Roosevelt Scott - Johnson
Marvin Singleton - Hopkins
Jonah Travis - DeLaSalle
Jake White - Chaska
Coleman, Singleton, Travis and White were easy choices as they were clear game changers and consistent night in and night out. I've been outspoken that I don't like picking 2 guys from the same team but Singleton was just that dominant compared to everybody else, couldn't keep him out. Coleman, Travis and White were monsters all season and dominated most of their competition. The last spot was really tough as there's a bunch of guys worthy of a look. So based on individual performance, importance to their team, overall team performance and college upside, Scott got my 5th spot. I had him as MVP of the St. Paul City, Johnson was undefeated in Minnesota until the Twin Cities Game, he played well in big games (40 vs MTS and end of Lakeville South game on opening night before Tyler's game winning tip are 2 examples) and he's a difference maker athlete even for Johnson and has large college upside.
Finalists
Lucas Brown-Roseville
Joe Coleman - Hopkins
Shelby Moats - Waconia
Kyle Noreen - Minnesota Transitions
Jake White - Chaska
The other 15 candidates
Tom Schalk - Apple Valley
Marquel Curtis - Robbinsdale Armstrong
Marcus Alipate - Bloomington Jefferson
Ross Travis - Chaska
Benji Figini - Chisago Lakes
Zach Lofton - Columbia Heights
Raijon Kelly - Cretin-Derham Hall
Jonah Travis - DeLaSalle
Marvin Singleton - Hopkins
Alex Richter - Lakeville South
Seth Hinrichs - MACCRAY
Cole Olstad - Plainview - Elgin - Millville
Roosevelt Scott - St. Paul Johnson
Estan Tyler - St. Paul Johnson
Eric Robertson - Wayzata
The Czar's Final 5
Joe Coleman - Hopkins
Roosevelt Scott - Johnson
Marvin Singleton - Hopkins
Jonah Travis - DeLaSalle
Jake White - Chaska
Coleman, Singleton, Travis and White were easy choices as they were clear game changers and consistent night in and night out. I've been outspoken that I don't like picking 2 guys from the same team but Singleton was just that dominant compared to everybody else, couldn't keep him out. Coleman, Travis and White were monsters all season and dominated most of their competition. The last spot was really tough as there's a bunch of guys worthy of a look. So based on individual performance, importance to their team, overall team performance and college upside, Scott got my 5th spot. I had him as MVP of the St. Paul City, Johnson was undefeated in Minnesota until the Twin Cities Game, he played well in big games (40 vs MTS and end of Lakeville South game on opening night before Tyler's game winning tip are 2 examples) and he's a difference maker athlete even for Johnson and has large college upside.
Flying to the end of the season
Labels:
Jake White,
Ross Travis
Prologue
To Hopkins for the final non State Tourney game of my 2010-2011 season. Its Chaska vs Eden Prairie in the 2AAAA final. Its a neutral floor rubber match as these teams split during the regular season with each winning at home. A surprisingly big line when I make my early entrance and then much to my horror I realize its a 7:30 start, not a 7:00 start. That means 2 things, 1 is that we'll have an SRO crowd (which we did) and that I won't make the end of this game. BOLSHEVIK! Kicking myself for that mistake. Taco in a Bag at Hopkins is always good but the sour cream seemed lumpy, just didn't mix well tonight, disappointing way to eat my way out of the season. Mr Basketball guys amongst those watching. We get both school's pep bands but with the final night of sections and the NCAA tourney getting underway, I'll steal from CBS.
Song of the Day
One Shining Moment - Written by David Barrett performed by Luther Vandross (certainly NOT the disaster done by Jennifer Hudson last year)
Game Time
Ross Travis gets the assignment for Chaska guarding Dylan Stewart. Chaska gets the offense going inside with Jake White scoring their first 5 on the post. Then Travis with a jumper and a post up and White sticks back a miss. 11-8 Chaska at the 12 minute mark. Dylan Stewart already with a pair of drives for layups. He then runs out and challenges for a 3 point play. Robert Vishnevskiy off the EP bench for 3 and Grant Soderberg drives for an easy layup. The 8-0 run over 3:50 forces Chaska to take timeout at the 8:10 mark down 16-11. Chaska comes back with 5 in a row to tie as Travis goes to a nice spin move, White makes the 1st of 2 FTs and Travis puts back the 2nd one. 21-18 EP at 3:20 before Chaska runs off 7 in a row featuring a pretty give and go with White and Travis that resulted in a big 2 handed baseline flush from Travis. 25-23 Chaska at the half. EP comes back to take a 32-28 lead before Ross Travis converts an offensive rebound to tie the game at 32. Then EP takes over. Sander Mohn for 3, Jack Klukas on the post for 2 and then an EP 3. 42-35 Eden Prairie with about 9 minutes left when I have to head for the exits. Thanks to Ryan James' updates it looks like EP kept a 10 point lead most of the rest of the way as they win 67-57.
I had Mr Basketball finalist Jake White (one of the last 5 now) for a double double of 11 and 10 in the first half on his way to 22 points. Ross Travis 16 of his 25 in the second half and he had at least 3 blocks in the game that I saw. Only 5 points from the rest of the roster in each half. Chaska's offense never got into any kind of flow as Eden Prairie defensively made early adjustments to get back side help in the post out of a 4 out look. Chaska finishes the season 24-5 and has the entire base rotation that played tonight graduating.
Eden Prairie gets 4 in double figures as Jack Klukas scores all 15 of his points in the second half. Dylan Stewart 7 of his 11 in the first half. Derek Dedeker 12, Sander Mohn 11. Their defense really kept Chaska at bay and the pace was definitely to their liking. Eden Prairie is now 25-4 and the debate for the #2 seed with Osseo tomorrow should be very entertaining. EP's losses are to Johnson, Hopkins, Washburn and Chaska and they have a win over Hopkins plus a ridiculously tough schedule. Osseo is 27-2 with a loss to Hopkins and a league loss to Blaine. Best win might be Plainview-Elgin-Millville though as the rest of the schedule doesn't inspire (beating Buffalo once and Maple Grove twice is nice but not the same)
That leaves CDH and Lakeville South likely fighting for the last seed. Duluth East, Owatonna and Maple Grove are probably locks for the random draw. Duluth East will be a team nobody wants to draw with the lightning quick Taylor Stafford at the point (see performance vs Hopkins) and star wing Johnny Woodard.
To Hopkins for the final non State Tourney game of my 2010-2011 season. Its Chaska vs Eden Prairie in the 2AAAA final. Its a neutral floor rubber match as these teams split during the regular season with each winning at home. A surprisingly big line when I make my early entrance and then much to my horror I realize its a 7:30 start, not a 7:00 start. That means 2 things, 1 is that we'll have an SRO crowd (which we did) and that I won't make the end of this game. BOLSHEVIK! Kicking myself for that mistake. Taco in a Bag at Hopkins is always good but the sour cream seemed lumpy, just didn't mix well tonight, disappointing way to eat my way out of the season. Mr Basketball guys amongst those watching. We get both school's pep bands but with the final night of sections and the NCAA tourney getting underway, I'll steal from CBS.
Song of the Day
One Shining Moment - Written by David Barrett performed by Luther Vandross (certainly NOT the disaster done by Jennifer Hudson last year)
Game Time
Ross Travis gets the assignment for Chaska guarding Dylan Stewart. Chaska gets the offense going inside with Jake White scoring their first 5 on the post. Then Travis with a jumper and a post up and White sticks back a miss. 11-8 Chaska at the 12 minute mark. Dylan Stewart already with a pair of drives for layups. He then runs out and challenges for a 3 point play. Robert Vishnevskiy off the EP bench for 3 and Grant Soderberg drives for an easy layup. The 8-0 run over 3:50 forces Chaska to take timeout at the 8:10 mark down 16-11. Chaska comes back with 5 in a row to tie as Travis goes to a nice spin move, White makes the 1st of 2 FTs and Travis puts back the 2nd one. 21-18 EP at 3:20 before Chaska runs off 7 in a row featuring a pretty give and go with White and Travis that resulted in a big 2 handed baseline flush from Travis. 25-23 Chaska at the half. EP comes back to take a 32-28 lead before Ross Travis converts an offensive rebound to tie the game at 32. Then EP takes over. Sander Mohn for 3, Jack Klukas on the post for 2 and then an EP 3. 42-35 Eden Prairie with about 9 minutes left when I have to head for the exits. Thanks to Ryan James' updates it looks like EP kept a 10 point lead most of the rest of the way as they win 67-57.
I had Mr Basketball finalist Jake White (one of the last 5 now) for a double double of 11 and 10 in the first half on his way to 22 points. Ross Travis 16 of his 25 in the second half and he had at least 3 blocks in the game that I saw. Only 5 points from the rest of the roster in each half. Chaska's offense never got into any kind of flow as Eden Prairie defensively made early adjustments to get back side help in the post out of a 4 out look. Chaska finishes the season 24-5 and has the entire base rotation that played tonight graduating.
Eden Prairie gets 4 in double figures as Jack Klukas scores all 15 of his points in the second half. Dylan Stewart 7 of his 11 in the first half. Derek Dedeker 12, Sander Mohn 11. Their defense really kept Chaska at bay and the pace was definitely to their liking. Eden Prairie is now 25-4 and the debate for the #2 seed with Osseo tomorrow should be very entertaining. EP's losses are to Johnson, Hopkins, Washburn and Chaska and they have a win over Hopkins plus a ridiculously tough schedule. Osseo is 27-2 with a loss to Hopkins and a league loss to Blaine. Best win might be Plainview-Elgin-Millville though as the rest of the schedule doesn't inspire (beating Buffalo once and Maple Grove twice is nice but not the same)
That leaves CDH and Lakeville South likely fighting for the last seed. Duluth East, Owatonna and Maple Grove are probably locks for the random draw. Duluth East will be a team nobody wants to draw with the lightning quick Taylor Stafford at the point (see performance vs Hopkins) and star wing Johnny Woodard.
2011 Timberwolves Shootout Thoughts
Labels:
2011 Timberwolves Shootout,
Jake White,
Ross Travis
My thoughts from the 2011 Timberwolves Shootout.
Have to feel bad that Tom Schalk rolls an ankle late Thursday on a freak play and then has to miss his chance to play in the Shootout. The Tyus Jones injury just killed the turnout and any coaching interest in the game. Nice touch to announce the Marcus Paige verbal to North Carolina during the game. Except for the last game, nice to see 3 close games. 2nd game was hard to watch because of the officiating. 4 cheese pizza was disappointing and that's not just because it was $7. I was also surprised at how little we saw of Kyle Washington in the BSM game. To the games
Game 1: Roseville vs Viborg/Hurley, SD
I got this one exactly right by saying the game would be closer than people thought. 4 Viborg starters with 2 fouls in the first half, including 2 on star Cory Jacobsen in 3 minutes and Stephen Lee (the main guy defending Lucas Brown) got his second 20 seconds later. But that forced the Cougars to play 2-3 zone and Roseville had no answers for it. Viborg goes on a 15-6 run over the last 8:25 of the half thanks to 13 first half points from Dennis DeNeui off the bench. 40-29 Viborg at half. Roseville falls behind by 59-43 with 9:08 left as the drought continues and Cory Jacobsen's 9 points in the half. Roseville chips away and the lead is 62-51 with 6:10 left. Then the run kicks in. Sam Peterson 2 FTs, David Stanley with a layup and a 3 and Mack Johnson from the NBA line for 3 at 3:40 to cut the lead to 2. Then a Viborg turnover but Lucas Brown misses the breakaway dunk to tie it. Roseville had no answer for 6'9 center Zach Kraning all day and he scores on the other end. 65-61 with 2:52 left and the missed dunk looks to be a huge factor. But Mack Johnson from the NBA line again and Lucas Brown with a drive at 1:55 and Roseville is all the way back to lead 66-65. After a Viborg free throw ties it, Lucas Brown with a great drive but Peterson misses the layup with 1:15 left but he blocks a Kraning jump hook on the other end. Viborg gets it out of bounds with 43 seconds left and tries to go to Kraning again but Lucas Brown jumps around and takes it away. Out of a timeout, Lucas Brown gets it. He goes to the rim late, no good but Peterson tips it in at the buzzer for the 68-66 Roseville win in the best game of the day. Kraning leads Viborg with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cory Jacobsen all 13 in the 2nd half. I liked soph Trevor Jacobsen and his 12 points as well. Mack Johnson 4 triples including the 2 long bombs late to lead Roseville with 16 points. Lucas Brown 8 points on 2-15 shooting but he showed up big late with 3 clutch steals, a drive and pass that was a missed layup and the final drive that was tapped in at the buzzer.
Game 2: Benilde-St. Margaret's vs Onalaska, WI
This one is close for most of the first half until Onalaska uses a Matt Thomas pull up and triple to push the lead to 21-14 at the 4:35 mark and force a BSM timeout. The Red Knights finish the half on a 10-1 spurt to end the half thanks to 6 Isaiah Zierden points, a Will Dunn hoop and a spinning drive from Sanjay Lumpkin who once again showed extra aggressiveness in this game. A Zierden drive gets him 2 free throws and more importantly is the 4th foul on Matt Thomas with 11:20 left. 35-34 Red Knights. The Hilltoppers counter with a 8-0 run with Thomas on the bench thanks to a Nick Arenz short J sandwiched between a pair of Clint Rihn 3s. 42-35 Onalaska with 9:06 left. 53-44 Onalaska with 4:44 to go and Matt Thomas back in the lineup. But BSM isn't quite done. Zierden with 2 free throws and a steal for 2, Isaiah Gray to the hoop and Lumpkin with 2 freebies. The 8-0 BSM run in only 51 seconds cuts the lead to 53-52 with 3:53 left. Lumpkin with a steal and assist to Dunn and BSM has a 56-55 lead with 1:57 left. Tony Thomas counters with a layup on the other end against the effective BSM pressure that got them back in it. Zierden with 2 misses and Tony Thomas gets another layup on a runout with 33 seconds left. The teams trade free throws and Isaiah Gray misses a 3 with 5 seconds left. Tony Thomas seals the deal with 2 freebies. 62-57 Onalaska wins. Isaiah Zierden 19 points on 5-15 shooting with only 1 triple. Will Dunn 11 points, Isaiah Gray 10 points. 4 of Onalaska's 5 scorers in double figures. Clint Rihn 4 triples for 16 points. Star Nick Arenz 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks on my sheet. Not dominant but effective.
Game 3: Chaska vs Cedar Rapids Washington
Big shock for me during the day was finding out that Minnetonka beat Washington (Iowa's 9th ranked team) at their place Friday night. So I expected Chaska to roll. 10-9 Washington at 10:05 after a Jake White bucket inside. Then Washington goes on a 18-4 run over the next 7 minutes thanks to a Josh Oglesby 3 point play and a pair of triples. 35-20 Washington at half in a major surprise. After a surprising low number of inside touches in the first half, Jake White gets going in the second half. He has 2 putbacks, a free throw and a nice reverse layup from Ross Travis along with 2 Max Watts triples and a long Adam Happ 3 to cut the lead to 45-40 on an 18-6 run. Wes Washpun keeps Washington afloat by scoring 3 straight hoops for them and he's challenging White and Travis at the rim. Then White with back to back hoops to cut the lead to 51-50, 4:50 left. Washpun 2 FTs help push the lead back to 5. White with the lefty layin, Washpun misses a front end and White again on the post with 1:30 left. 55-54 Washington. Oglesby 2 FTs with 1:09 left. Chaska patient on the possession down 3 and they find Ross Travis inside with 33.3 left. He makes 1 of the 2 free throws. Oglesby makes a mistake by giving the ball up and Washpun misses 2 free throws with 21.4 left. Washpun under 50% at the line on the season, not the guy Washington wanted there. Chaska misses a layup on the other end with 12 seconds left and Oglesby makes 2 free throws to seal it. 59-55 Washington wins. Josh Oglesby 14 of his 20 points in the 1st half. 5-14 FGs and 7 turnovers with Ross Travis hounding him for a part of the night when Chaska wasn't playing 1-3-1. Wes Washpun leads the way with 23 points and I didn't recall the lefty having those kinds of hops. Ross Travis 13 points, 7 boards, 3 blocks on 4-10 shooting. Jake White 18 of his 26 points in the second half along with 8 rebounds.
Game 4: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
No Schalk or Jones for this one and we got the expected blowout. Apple Valley keeps this close at 30-21 with 2:35 left in the half, but a 13-0 run by Linn-Mar to end the half puts it away. Matt Bohannon 14 of his 19 in the first half. Marcus Paige outstanding as expected with 16 points. Shane Benton with a nice second half before the starters were pulled to finish with 17 points. 81-35 Linn-Mar wins. Should be fun to see Linn-Mar again next weekend vs Madison Memorial at the Midwest Players Classic. Jordan Crockett with 7 points to lead Apple Valley.
The Czar's All-Shootout Team
Marcus Paige- Linn-Mar (MVP)
Matt Bohannon - Linn-Mar
Matt Thomas - Onalaska
Josh Oglesby - Cedar Rapids Washington
Jake White - Chaska
Have to feel bad that Tom Schalk rolls an ankle late Thursday on a freak play and then has to miss his chance to play in the Shootout. The Tyus Jones injury just killed the turnout and any coaching interest in the game. Nice touch to announce the Marcus Paige verbal to North Carolina during the game. Except for the last game, nice to see 3 close games. 2nd game was hard to watch because of the officiating. 4 cheese pizza was disappointing and that's not just because it was $7. I was also surprised at how little we saw of Kyle Washington in the BSM game. To the games
Game 1: Roseville vs Viborg/Hurley, SD
I got this one exactly right by saying the game would be closer than people thought. 4 Viborg starters with 2 fouls in the first half, including 2 on star Cory Jacobsen in 3 minutes and Stephen Lee (the main guy defending Lucas Brown) got his second 20 seconds later. But that forced the Cougars to play 2-3 zone and Roseville had no answers for it. Viborg goes on a 15-6 run over the last 8:25 of the half thanks to 13 first half points from Dennis DeNeui off the bench. 40-29 Viborg at half. Roseville falls behind by 59-43 with 9:08 left as the drought continues and Cory Jacobsen's 9 points in the half. Roseville chips away and the lead is 62-51 with 6:10 left. Then the run kicks in. Sam Peterson 2 FTs, David Stanley with a layup and a 3 and Mack Johnson from the NBA line for 3 at 3:40 to cut the lead to 2. Then a Viborg turnover but Lucas Brown misses the breakaway dunk to tie it. Roseville had no answer for 6'9 center Zach Kraning all day and he scores on the other end. 65-61 with 2:52 left and the missed dunk looks to be a huge factor. But Mack Johnson from the NBA line again and Lucas Brown with a drive at 1:55 and Roseville is all the way back to lead 66-65. After a Viborg free throw ties it, Lucas Brown with a great drive but Peterson misses the layup with 1:15 left but he blocks a Kraning jump hook on the other end. Viborg gets it out of bounds with 43 seconds left and tries to go to Kraning again but Lucas Brown jumps around and takes it away. Out of a timeout, Lucas Brown gets it. He goes to the rim late, no good but Peterson tips it in at the buzzer for the 68-66 Roseville win in the best game of the day. Kraning leads Viborg with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Cory Jacobsen all 13 in the 2nd half. I liked soph Trevor Jacobsen and his 12 points as well. Mack Johnson 4 triples including the 2 long bombs late to lead Roseville with 16 points. Lucas Brown 8 points on 2-15 shooting but he showed up big late with 3 clutch steals, a drive and pass that was a missed layup and the final drive that was tapped in at the buzzer.
Game 2: Benilde-St. Margaret's vs Onalaska, WI
This one is close for most of the first half until Onalaska uses a Matt Thomas pull up and triple to push the lead to 21-14 at the 4:35 mark and force a BSM timeout. The Red Knights finish the half on a 10-1 spurt to end the half thanks to 6 Isaiah Zierden points, a Will Dunn hoop and a spinning drive from Sanjay Lumpkin who once again showed extra aggressiveness in this game. A Zierden drive gets him 2 free throws and more importantly is the 4th foul on Matt Thomas with 11:20 left. 35-34 Red Knights. The Hilltoppers counter with a 8-0 run with Thomas on the bench thanks to a Nick Arenz short J sandwiched between a pair of Clint Rihn 3s. 42-35 Onalaska with 9:06 left. 53-44 Onalaska with 4:44 to go and Matt Thomas back in the lineup. But BSM isn't quite done. Zierden with 2 free throws and a steal for 2, Isaiah Gray to the hoop and Lumpkin with 2 freebies. The 8-0 BSM run in only 51 seconds cuts the lead to 53-52 with 3:53 left. Lumpkin with a steal and assist to Dunn and BSM has a 56-55 lead with 1:57 left. Tony Thomas counters with a layup on the other end against the effective BSM pressure that got them back in it. Zierden with 2 misses and Tony Thomas gets another layup on a runout with 33 seconds left. The teams trade free throws and Isaiah Gray misses a 3 with 5 seconds left. Tony Thomas seals the deal with 2 freebies. 62-57 Onalaska wins. Isaiah Zierden 19 points on 5-15 shooting with only 1 triple. Will Dunn 11 points, Isaiah Gray 10 points. 4 of Onalaska's 5 scorers in double figures. Clint Rihn 4 triples for 16 points. Star Nick Arenz 12 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks on my sheet. Not dominant but effective.
Game 3: Chaska vs Cedar Rapids Washington
Big shock for me during the day was finding out that Minnetonka beat Washington (Iowa's 9th ranked team) at their place Friday night. So I expected Chaska to roll. 10-9 Washington at 10:05 after a Jake White bucket inside. Then Washington goes on a 18-4 run over the next 7 minutes thanks to a Josh Oglesby 3 point play and a pair of triples. 35-20 Washington at half in a major surprise. After a surprising low number of inside touches in the first half, Jake White gets going in the second half. He has 2 putbacks, a free throw and a nice reverse layup from Ross Travis along with 2 Max Watts triples and a long Adam Happ 3 to cut the lead to 45-40 on an 18-6 run. Wes Washpun keeps Washington afloat by scoring 3 straight hoops for them and he's challenging White and Travis at the rim. Then White with back to back hoops to cut the lead to 51-50, 4:50 left. Washpun 2 FTs help push the lead back to 5. White with the lefty layin, Washpun misses a front end and White again on the post with 1:30 left. 55-54 Washington. Oglesby 2 FTs with 1:09 left. Chaska patient on the possession down 3 and they find Ross Travis inside with 33.3 left. He makes 1 of the 2 free throws. Oglesby makes a mistake by giving the ball up and Washpun misses 2 free throws with 21.4 left. Washpun under 50% at the line on the season, not the guy Washington wanted there. Chaska misses a layup on the other end with 12 seconds left and Oglesby makes 2 free throws to seal it. 59-55 Washington wins. Josh Oglesby 14 of his 20 points in the 1st half. 5-14 FGs and 7 turnovers with Ross Travis hounding him for a part of the night when Chaska wasn't playing 1-3-1. Wes Washpun leads the way with 23 points and I didn't recall the lefty having those kinds of hops. Ross Travis 13 points, 7 boards, 3 blocks on 4-10 shooting. Jake White 18 of his 26 points in the second half along with 8 rebounds.
Game 4: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
No Schalk or Jones for this one and we got the expected blowout. Apple Valley keeps this close at 30-21 with 2:35 left in the half, but a 13-0 run by Linn-Mar to end the half puts it away. Matt Bohannon 14 of his 19 in the first half. Marcus Paige outstanding as expected with 16 points. Shane Benton with a nice second half before the starters were pulled to finish with 17 points. 81-35 Linn-Mar wins. Should be fun to see Linn-Mar again next weekend vs Madison Memorial at the Midwest Players Classic. Jordan Crockett with 7 points to lead Apple Valley.
The Czar's All-Shootout Team
Marcus Paige- Linn-Mar (MVP)
Matt Bohannon - Linn-Mar
Matt Thomas - Onalaska
Josh Oglesby - Cedar Rapids Washington
Jake White - Chaska
2011 Timberwolves Shootout Preview
Labels:
2011 Timberwolves Shootout,
Jake White,
Ross Travis
A light schedule at the 2011 Timberwolves Shootout and it may be the worst shootout in recent memory, but it's not all bad. Here's what I'm looking for. Next year let's all campaign for Shootout director Jeff Munneke to get Eleate Sports star Jeremy Lieberman in from California to take on Tyus Jones and bring back the old days of the shootout when it was a must see event. Those stars do bring in extra fans contrary to popular belief.
1 PM: Viborg/Hurley, SD vs Roseville
The Cougars make the trip from South Dakota with a record of 5-0 and are ranked #2 in the South Dakota Class A poll. These were separate schools before forming a combined program this season. Their star is 6'1" G Cory Jacobsen. He has over 1700 career points and is averaging 19.4 PPG this season. He also helped lead the Cougars to a state runner-up finish in football.. There are 5 players who were members of the Dakota Schoolers this summer and have appeared locally. 6'9" senior center Zach Kraning is their man in the middle. 5'8" Soph Trevor Jacobsen is having a nice year at the point guard spot. He was one of the members of the very good Schoolers 15s.
Roseville features Wofford signee Lucas Brown on the wing. He's averaging 16.7 points a night. Point guard David Stanley leads the way at 18 PPG. Don't be surprised to see Emeche Wells get the assignment guarding Cory Jacobsen. Wells and Soph Mack Johnson each average 11 PPG. Johnson is one of the top shooters in the sophomore class and has range from anywhere in the building. 8th grader Kobe Critchley may also see time as a reserve guard.
Czar's Pick: Roseville but something tells me this game might be better than expected.
3 PM: Onalaska, WI vs Benilde-St. Margaret's
Onalaska is 8-0 and currently ranked #1 in Wisconsin's Division 2 poll. Coach Craig Kowal returns to the Target Center after leading neighboring La Crescent to the state tournament in 2008. The Hilltoppers star is 6'8" Jr forward Nick Arenz. He's averaging 15.9 PPG and has a handful of D1 mid-major offers already. He was MVP at last week's 3 day WBY Shootout, Wisconsin's top event of the year. 6'1 soph shooting guard Matt Thomas is one of the top shooters in Wisconsin's sophomore class. He's averaging 12.1 PPG. Older brother Tony is a 6'6" senior and does the dirty work up front for the Hilltoppers.
Benilde-St. Margaret's has one of the most loaded classes I've seen in my time. Their juniors lead the way. PG Isaiah Zierden leads the way at 16.2 PPG. 6'8" Kyle Washington has blown up in the last 6 months. He averages 10.4 PPG and is a major presence inside blocking shots with his length. 6'6" Sanjay Lumpkin is used as the defensive stopper on the wing but is capable of going off for 30. These are 3 of the top 2012 prospects in Minnesota. 6'3" Will Dunn averages 11.2 on the wing and is a very good shooter but has been successfully attacking the basket when teams run out at him.
Czar's Pick: Benilde-St. Margaret's in the best game of the day. Washington vs Arenz and Lumpkin guarding Matt Thomas are matchups I'm watching. I think the Benilde depth puts them over the top. Worth noting that both teams have big conference games on Thursday night so hopefully there are no big game hangovers.
5 PM: Cedar Rapids, IA Washington vs Chaska
Washington comes into the shootout with a record of 5-2 and ranked #9 in Iowa's Class 4A. They feature a pair of Iowa Barnstormers that have played locally. 6'6" senior SG Josh Oglesby has signed with Iowa. He's ranked #118 in the nation by Rivals.com. This season he's averaging 21.6 PPG and shooting 29-55 (52.7%) from the 3 point line. That includes 8-10 in a 56-51 to Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Wisconsin signee Jarrod Uthoff. Point guard Wes Washpun is averaging 18.3 PPG but only shooting 16-38 from the foul line (42.1%). He nailed a buzzer beater on Tuesday to beat Iowa City West (video in this article). In a bit of irony, they host Minnetonka on Friday night before making the trip on Saturday.
Chaska features 6'8 Power Forward Jake White inside. He's signed with Wichita State and is having a huge year. He's averaging 27.3 PPG this season and was averaging 12.7 Rebounds through the 1st 7 games. 6'7" Penn State signee Ross Travis is a catalyst on the perimeter. He's averaging 18.1 PPG and has 27 or more points in 3 of his last 4 games, all against quality competition. Shooter Max Watts is averaging 13.3 PPG.
Czar's Pick: Chaska. Jake White is the difference inside and Travis can take over at anytime. But they'll have to keep Oglesby in check.
7 PM: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
Linn-Mar returns to the shootout (for the 4th time in my memory) at 7-0 and ranked #1 in Iowa's class 4A. They're also #6 in the Midlands region according to PrepNation.com (Hopkins is #1, Johnson is #9 for comparison). 6'1" lefty point guard Marcus Paige is ranked #37 in the nation by Rivals.com. He has numerous high major D1 offers including Kansas and Minnesota. Gopher fans would love for him to fill a desperate point guard need. He put on a show vs Minnetonka last year with his passing and scoring and I expect no less this year. He's averaging 19 PPG this season. But he's not the whole show.
6'4" shooter Matt Bohannon impressed last year. He's averaging 14.7 PPG this season and will attend Northern Iowa next year. 6'3 Shane Benton has only played 3 games this year and is averaging 8.7 PPG. He'll attend North Dakota. 6'6 multi-sport athlete Josh Montague mans the interior. He's averaging 11 PPG and has interest in both football and basketball. A group that is well coached and runs great stuff, a pleasure to watch.
Apple Valley will play the game without star freshman Tyus Jones at the point. His kidney injury suffered on opening night will keep him out until February according to published reports this week. That takes away the star attraction of the entire event. But 6'7" William and Mary signee Thomas Schalk is having a monster year filling in the gap. He's averaging 28.7 points a game this season. He can play inside or out with his 3 point shooting range. Soph shooter Dustin Fronk is averaging 9.3 PPG. Gavin Bronson and Josh Johnson have picked up their game as well.
Czar's Pick: Linn-Mar. Too deep, too talented, too good vs a depleted Apple Valley squad.
1 PM: Viborg/Hurley, SD vs Roseville
The Cougars make the trip from South Dakota with a record of 5-0 and are ranked #2 in the South Dakota Class A poll. These were separate schools before forming a combined program this season. Their star is 6'1" G Cory Jacobsen. He has over 1700 career points and is averaging 19.4 PPG this season. He also helped lead the Cougars to a state runner-up finish in football.. There are 5 players who were members of the Dakota Schoolers this summer and have appeared locally. 6'9" senior center Zach Kraning is their man in the middle. 5'8" Soph Trevor Jacobsen is having a nice year at the point guard spot. He was one of the members of the very good Schoolers 15s.
Roseville features Wofford signee Lucas Brown on the wing. He's averaging 16.7 points a night. Point guard David Stanley leads the way at 18 PPG. Don't be surprised to see Emeche Wells get the assignment guarding Cory Jacobsen. Wells and Soph Mack Johnson each average 11 PPG. Johnson is one of the top shooters in the sophomore class and has range from anywhere in the building. 8th grader Kobe Critchley may also see time as a reserve guard.
Czar's Pick: Roseville but something tells me this game might be better than expected.
3 PM: Onalaska, WI vs Benilde-St. Margaret's
Onalaska is 8-0 and currently ranked #1 in Wisconsin's Division 2 poll. Coach Craig Kowal returns to the Target Center after leading neighboring La Crescent to the state tournament in 2008. The Hilltoppers star is 6'8" Jr forward Nick Arenz. He's averaging 15.9 PPG and has a handful of D1 mid-major offers already. He was MVP at last week's 3 day WBY Shootout, Wisconsin's top event of the year. 6'1 soph shooting guard Matt Thomas is one of the top shooters in Wisconsin's sophomore class. He's averaging 12.1 PPG. Older brother Tony is a 6'6" senior and does the dirty work up front for the Hilltoppers.
Benilde-St. Margaret's has one of the most loaded classes I've seen in my time. Their juniors lead the way. PG Isaiah Zierden leads the way at 16.2 PPG. 6'8" Kyle Washington has blown up in the last 6 months. He averages 10.4 PPG and is a major presence inside blocking shots with his length. 6'6" Sanjay Lumpkin is used as the defensive stopper on the wing but is capable of going off for 30. These are 3 of the top 2012 prospects in Minnesota. 6'3" Will Dunn averages 11.2 on the wing and is a very good shooter but has been successfully attacking the basket when teams run out at him.
Czar's Pick: Benilde-St. Margaret's in the best game of the day. Washington vs Arenz and Lumpkin guarding Matt Thomas are matchups I'm watching. I think the Benilde depth puts them over the top. Worth noting that both teams have big conference games on Thursday night so hopefully there are no big game hangovers.
5 PM: Cedar Rapids, IA Washington vs Chaska
Washington comes into the shootout with a record of 5-2 and ranked #9 in Iowa's Class 4A. They feature a pair of Iowa Barnstormers that have played locally. 6'6" senior SG Josh Oglesby has signed with Iowa. He's ranked #118 in the nation by Rivals.com. This season he's averaging 21.6 PPG and shooting 29-55 (52.7%) from the 3 point line. That includes 8-10 in a 56-51 to Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Wisconsin signee Jarrod Uthoff. Point guard Wes Washpun is averaging 18.3 PPG but only shooting 16-38 from the foul line (42.1%). He nailed a buzzer beater on Tuesday to beat Iowa City West (video in this article). In a bit of irony, they host Minnetonka on Friday night before making the trip on Saturday.
Chaska features 6'8 Power Forward Jake White inside. He's signed with Wichita State and is having a huge year. He's averaging 27.3 PPG this season and was averaging 12.7 Rebounds through the 1st 7 games. 6'7" Penn State signee Ross Travis is a catalyst on the perimeter. He's averaging 18.1 PPG and has 27 or more points in 3 of his last 4 games, all against quality competition. Shooter Max Watts is averaging 13.3 PPG.
Czar's Pick: Chaska. Jake White is the difference inside and Travis can take over at anytime. But they'll have to keep Oglesby in check.
7 PM: Linn-Mar (Marion, IA) vs Apple Valley
Linn-Mar returns to the shootout (for the 4th time in my memory) at 7-0 and ranked #1 in Iowa's class 4A. They're also #6 in the Midlands region according to PrepNation.com (Hopkins is #1, Johnson is #9 for comparison). 6'1" lefty point guard Marcus Paige is ranked #37 in the nation by Rivals.com. He has numerous high major D1 offers including Kansas and Minnesota. Gopher fans would love for him to fill a desperate point guard need. He put on a show vs Minnetonka last year with his passing and scoring and I expect no less this year. He's averaging 19 PPG this season. But he's not the whole show.
6'4" shooter Matt Bohannon impressed last year. He's averaging 14.7 PPG this season and will attend Northern Iowa next year. 6'3 Shane Benton has only played 3 games this year and is averaging 8.7 PPG. He'll attend North Dakota. 6'6 multi-sport athlete Josh Montague mans the interior. He's averaging 11 PPG and has interest in both football and basketball. A group that is well coached and runs great stuff, a pleasure to watch.
Apple Valley will play the game without star freshman Tyus Jones at the point. His kidney injury suffered on opening night will keep him out until February according to published reports this week. That takes away the star attraction of the entire event. But 6'7" William and Mary signee Thomas Schalk is having a monster year filling in the gap. He's averaging 28.7 points a game this season. He can play inside or out with his 3 point shooting range. Soph shooter Dustin Fronk is averaging 9.3 PPG. Gavin Bronson and Josh Johnson have picked up their game as well.
Czar's Pick: Linn-Mar. Too deep, too talented, too good vs a depleted Apple Valley squad.
10-11 Missota Preview
Labels:
10-11 Season Previews,
Jake White,
Ross Travis
This is the fifth in my 2010-2011 season preview series. In this preview, a look at the Missota Conference. For a list of all the season previews, click here.
Its a year of new faces in the Missota. Still 8 teams but Hutchinson and Prior Lake are gone for Chaska and Chanhassen. Interesting to see Chaska back in the league after they had a ton of success here before moving to the Lake Conference and now they're back in a big way.
Academy of Holy Angels Stars (2009-10 season 17-12, 11-3 Conference, tied 2nd)
A typical year for coach Larry McKenzie's crew. They started 3-8 against a tough schedule and then ran off 14 of 18 to end the year. But they did come up 1 game short of McKenzie's conference title prediction. This year is a rebuilding year with the top 6 scorers including center Andy Jirik and shooter Sam Gullickson all gone. Guards Parker Bredow and Damon Woods return. Watch frosh Jordan Dembley and soph Danny Sullivan.
Chaska Hawks (2009-10 season 17-12, 12-10 Lake Conference, tied 6th)
The Hawks move into the league with visions of winning the league. Wichita State commit Jake White leads the front line at 21.2 a night dominating inside. Penn State commit Ross Travis is a super athletic wing who does a bit of everything for them. Add in guard Max Watts and you have a returning group of top 3 scorers that can match anybody in the league.
Chanhassen Storm (2009-10 season 4-23, 2-20 Lake Conference, 12th)
Year 2 at Chanhassen should look better than year 1 with everyone back and a much softer bottom of the league than the Lake. Shooter Chance Panning averaged 11.9 PPG last year to lead the team. Talented junior Kevin Jensen was the other double figure scorer at 10.8 a night and is the goto player. After that, the talent drops off quickly.
Farmington Tigers (2009-10 season 7-20, 5-9 Conference, 5th)
The Tigers were the best of the have nots in the league last year. Now 4 of the top 5 players are gone. Senior Alex Michels averaged 11 points a game last year and returns. Sophomore Darren Beenken averaged almost 5 points a night in 15 games.
New Prague Trojans (2009-10 season 19-10, 9-5 Conference, 4th)
All everything Danny Geiger and his 20.6 PPG are gone but most of the rest of the roster is back. Forward Cale Girten figures to be a matchup problem in the dribble drive system for most teams. Senior shooters Alex Dittberner and Jed Kreuser return. Junior Jake Meyer returns to man the post.
Northfield Raiders (2009-10 season 5-21, 3-11 Conference, tied 6th)
Tons of losses here as well from a team that had a rough year. But they have one of the best names around, Otto Pfefferle, to man the front line. He tall and lean but can step out and shoot it. He'll be their top player this season.
Red Wing Wingers (2009-10 season 6-20, 3-11 Conference, tied 6th)
The Wingers return 3 of their top 4 players including guard Pat Kelly who lit up Prior Lake for 32 points at the end of last season. They have some size back as well. Expect them to be improved this season, but the top of the league is still too strong for them.
Shakopee Sabers (2009-10 season 21-7, 12-2 Conference, 1st)
I learned a long time ago not to go against the Sabers so I won't this season. Versatile Jason Perkins returns up front. Ethan Petrill returns to hold down either guard position. Dylan Ulferts is an athletic wing who can go off at any time. They're well coached and they defend.
Predicted Order of Finish
Underclassmen to watch:
Jordan Dembley, Anthony Baysah, Danny Sullivan - Holy Angels
Darren Beenken - Farmington
Eric Shepley - Northfield
Games that will determine the conference title
Its a year of new faces in the Missota. Still 8 teams but Hutchinson and Prior Lake are gone for Chaska and Chanhassen. Interesting to see Chaska back in the league after they had a ton of success here before moving to the Lake Conference and now they're back in a big way.
Academy of Holy Angels Stars (2009-10 season 17-12, 11-3 Conference, tied 2nd)
A typical year for coach Larry McKenzie's crew. They started 3-8 against a tough schedule and then ran off 14 of 18 to end the year. But they did come up 1 game short of McKenzie's conference title prediction. This year is a rebuilding year with the top 6 scorers including center Andy Jirik and shooter Sam Gullickson all gone. Guards Parker Bredow and Damon Woods return. Watch frosh Jordan Dembley and soph Danny Sullivan.
Chaska Hawks (2009-10 season 17-12, 12-10 Lake Conference, tied 6th)
The Hawks move into the league with visions of winning the league. Wichita State commit Jake White leads the front line at 21.2 a night dominating inside. Penn State commit Ross Travis is a super athletic wing who does a bit of everything for them. Add in guard Max Watts and you have a returning group of top 3 scorers that can match anybody in the league.
Chanhassen Storm (2009-10 season 4-23, 2-20 Lake Conference, 12th)
Year 2 at Chanhassen should look better than year 1 with everyone back and a much softer bottom of the league than the Lake. Shooter Chance Panning averaged 11.9 PPG last year to lead the team. Talented junior Kevin Jensen was the other double figure scorer at 10.8 a night and is the goto player. After that, the talent drops off quickly.
Farmington Tigers (2009-10 season 7-20, 5-9 Conference, 5th)
The Tigers were the best of the have nots in the league last year. Now 4 of the top 5 players are gone. Senior Alex Michels averaged 11 points a game last year and returns. Sophomore Darren Beenken averaged almost 5 points a night in 15 games.
New Prague Trojans (2009-10 season 19-10, 9-5 Conference, 4th)
All everything Danny Geiger and his 20.6 PPG are gone but most of the rest of the roster is back. Forward Cale Girten figures to be a matchup problem in the dribble drive system for most teams. Senior shooters Alex Dittberner and Jed Kreuser return. Junior Jake Meyer returns to man the post.
Northfield Raiders (2009-10 season 5-21, 3-11 Conference, tied 6th)
Tons of losses here as well from a team that had a rough year. But they have one of the best names around, Otto Pfefferle, to man the front line. He tall and lean but can step out and shoot it. He'll be their top player this season.
Red Wing Wingers (2009-10 season 6-20, 3-11 Conference, tied 6th)
The Wingers return 3 of their top 4 players including guard Pat Kelly who lit up Prior Lake for 32 points at the end of last season. They have some size back as well. Expect them to be improved this season, but the top of the league is still too strong for them.
Shakopee Sabers (2009-10 season 21-7, 12-2 Conference, 1st)
I learned a long time ago not to go against the Sabers so I won't this season. Versatile Jason Perkins returns up front. Ethan Petrill returns to hold down either guard position. Dylan Ulferts is an athletic wing who can go off at any time. They're well coached and they defend.
Predicted Order of Finish
- Chaska
- Shakopee
- New Prague
- Holy Angels
- Chanhassen
- Red Wing
- Northfield
- Farmington
Underclassmen to watch:
Jordan Dembley, Anthony Baysah, Danny Sullivan - Holy Angels
Darren Beenken - Farmington
Eric Shepley - Northfield
Games that will determine the conference title
- Chaska at New Prague - Jan 14th
- Shakopee at Chaska - Feb 1st
- Shakopee at New Prague - Feb 15th
- Chaska at Shakopee - Mar 1st
- Holy Angels at Minneapolis Henry - Dec 7th
- Minneapolis Washburn vs Shakopee - Dec 11 (Breakdown Tipoff Classic)
- DeLaSalle vs Chaska - Dec 11th (Breakdown Tipoff Classic)
- Apple Valley at Chaska - Dec 14th
- Shakopee at Waconia - Dec 17th
- Shakopee vs Lakeville South - Dec 29th (projected championship Lakeville Rotary Tourney)
- Shakopee at Eden Prairie - Jan 4th
- Chaska vs Cedar Rapids Washington - Jan 8th (Timberwolves Shootout)
- Chaska vs St. John's Military Academy - Jan 22nd (East Metro Showcase)
- Eden Prairie at Chaska - Feb 8th
Minnesota Players in new Hardwood Elite rankings
Labels:
2011 Recruiting,
2012 Recruiting,
Joe Coleman,
Ross Travis
Hardwood Elite just released their post-July 2010 rankings for the 2011-2013 classes. Here's how the Minnesota kids came out and then my commentary. The full rankings can be found here.
2011
Joe Coleman #76
Ross Travis #87
Others that have appeared locally include
Brad Beal #3
Adonis Thomas #10
Myck Kabongo #14
Cody Zeller #17
Branden Dawson #19
Ky Madden #23
Quinn Cook #24
BJ Young #51
Todd Mayo #56
Paul Jesperson #66
Jarrod Uthoff #79
Cedric McAfee #80
Hunter Mickelson #81
Josh Oglesby #91
2012
Isaiah Zierden #94
Others that have appeared locally.
Marcus Paige #22
Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell #25
Rasheed Sulaimon #27
Jordan Adams #28
J-Mychal Reese #29
LJ Rose #30
Cameron Biedscheid #33
DeMarquise Johnson #35
Jordan Price #37
Shaquille Goodwin #38
Torian Graham #49
Junior Lomomba #73
Cinmeon Bowers #74
Philip Nolan #80
2013
No Minnesota Players. #7 Peter Jok and #9 Deonte Burton have both appeared locally.
The Czar's Commentary
Another analyst picks Paul Jesperson above Joe Coleman. I think Coleman has consistently done more and been flat out dominant against better competition both in the summer and during the high school season. Its a fun problem of rankings. You have Coleman (the athlete), Jesperson (the shooter) and Josh Oglesby (the most well-rounded of the 3). Oglesby is the most ready of the group and he finishes lowest in the rankings out of the 3.
Very interesting to see Zierden coming in before Howard Pulley teammate Siyani Chambers (Chambers is #81 in the Rivals 2012 rankings as I write this). I think Chambers performance at the Pacesetter Sweet 16 definitely elevated him.
As to Deonte Burton, I saw him twice at the East Metro Showcase in January. Didn't average double figures against the top 2 St. Paul teams (and Central may have been the most overrated team in the state last year). Nice player with some upside, but I saw Peter Jok in 2 events this summer and Jok was a man amongst small children. Definitely didn't see that from Burton.
Let's give Hardwood Elite credit for showing up for the Best Buy Summer Classic unlike the rest of the national media. Shame on the national services for sending your entire staffs (basically) to the Peach Jam when they already attended Nike event after Nike event after Nike event after Nike Event after Nike Event. Its a flat out crime that the Best Buy Summer Classic had 25 top national players and couldn't get any kind of real national publicity. Yet, the same folks could attend all 4 of the Nike EYBL events.
2011
Joe Coleman #76
Ross Travis #87
Others that have appeared locally include
Brad Beal #3
Adonis Thomas #10
Myck Kabongo #14
Cody Zeller #17
Branden Dawson #19
Ky Madden #23
Quinn Cook #24
BJ Young #51
Todd Mayo #56
Paul Jesperson #66
Jarrod Uthoff #79
Cedric McAfee #80
Hunter Mickelson #81
Josh Oglesby #91
2012
Isaiah Zierden #94
Others that have appeared locally.
Marcus Paige #22
Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell #25
Rasheed Sulaimon #27
Jordan Adams #28
J-Mychal Reese #29
LJ Rose #30
Cameron Biedscheid #33
DeMarquise Johnson #35
Jordan Price #37
Shaquille Goodwin #38
Torian Graham #49
Junior Lomomba #73
Cinmeon Bowers #74
Philip Nolan #80
2013
No Minnesota Players. #7 Peter Jok and #9 Deonte Burton have both appeared locally.
The Czar's Commentary
Another analyst picks Paul Jesperson above Joe Coleman. I think Coleman has consistently done more and been flat out dominant against better competition both in the summer and during the high school season. Its a fun problem of rankings. You have Coleman (the athlete), Jesperson (the shooter) and Josh Oglesby (the most well-rounded of the 3). Oglesby is the most ready of the group and he finishes lowest in the rankings out of the 3.
Very interesting to see Zierden coming in before Howard Pulley teammate Siyani Chambers (Chambers is #81 in the Rivals 2012 rankings as I write this). I think Chambers performance at the Pacesetter Sweet 16 definitely elevated him.
As to Deonte Burton, I saw him twice at the East Metro Showcase in January. Didn't average double figures against the top 2 St. Paul teams (and Central may have been the most overrated team in the state last year). Nice player with some upside, but I saw Peter Jok in 2 events this summer and Jok was a man amongst small children. Definitely didn't see that from Burton.
Let's give Hardwood Elite credit for showing up for the Best Buy Summer Classic unlike the rest of the national media. Shame on the national services for sending your entire staffs (basically) to the Peach Jam when they already attended Nike event after Nike event after Nike event after Nike Event after Nike Event. Its a flat out crime that the Best Buy Summer Classic had 25 top national players and couldn't get any kind of real national publicity. Yet, the same folks could attend all 4 of the Nike EYBL events.
43 Hoops too much for Pump N Run
Labels:
Jake White,
Jonah Travis,
Ross Travis
Prologue
To 43 Hoops for a 17U showdown between Pump N Run and 43 Hoops. All the notables in the building including the obvious ones (Monter, James, me) along with JohnnyGopher, UWOle and GopherLady of GopherHole fame. Willie Vang from the MN Heat makes an appearance as well. Lots of notables including Randy Carter, Eric Coleman, Zach Towle, Ryan Duxbury, Anthony Tucker all playing tonight in the early games just to name a few. Men meet boys. Sorry folks, no food or beverage at the game but I did have a messy Pulled Pork sandwich with Sierra Mist for dinner prior to venturing over to 43.
Funny moment before the game as I was one of many people who moved back and forth between courts about 5 times until we finally got it right that the curtain would be opened and we'd have action on court 2. The court lined with fans all the way around with 3 quality officials working the game. Gotta like that. PNR without Estan Tyler (unknown), Eric Robertson (ankle), Joel Lindberg (Wisconsin camp) and Kyle Noreen (west coast college tour). They added Carlos Emory and Jonathon Crockett from last year's 17U PNR squad. No Jordan Smith for 43 as he was suffering from tendonitis and just resumed work outs today. Let the record show with Matt Sellers' mom as my witness that I predicted an 8 point 43 Hoops win right before tip.
Game Time
Jake White gets the assignment on Jonah Travis in this one. Travis immediately spins and is fouled. He shoots the 1st free throw and its good. But the ball is trash so let's put that one out of play and pick a new one. Travis drives for 2 more, Emory for 3 and then the alley oop from Crockett. 13-5 PNR leads at the 14:45 in a very low scoring half (these are 25 minute running time halves). But 43 cranks up the pressure and without their regular point guards PNR struggles to get into offense. Schalk with 2 free throws and a 3 ball and 43 has the momentum and the crowd on their side. Emory strong for 1 free throw as he's fouled on a dunk attempt to try and stem the tide. Zach Romashko for 2 and Freddie Young with a steal for 2 and PNR wants time. 14 all with 9 minutes left in the first half. 20-19 43 Hoops leads after 1 Jonah Travis freebie at the 3:40 mark. Raijon Kelly with a pair of big 3s that counter a pair of Travis dunks. 28-23 43 Hoops at the half. Marquel Curtis and Jonah Travis each with 9 points in the half to lead their teams.
Jonah Travis stays hot as he knocks down a pair of left wing triples but the lead is still 5 for 43. A Curtis steal for 2 free throws pushes the lead to 39-33 with 18 minutes left. PNR won't go away. Roosevelt Scott with a 1 handed hammer and Crockett with a layup. Ross Travis emerges with a strong 2 and the foul through Mike Yahnke. Curtis puts in a miss for a 44-39 lead with 14 minutes left. Jonah Travis with 1 free throw, Crockett with 2 freebies of his own and a tough step back jumper. Alex Richter with a layup, Scott with 2 free throws and Emory goes strong and makes 2 more PNR free throws. Its an 11-2 PNR run over 6:30 with 7 free throws and it gives the Pumps a 50-46 lead with 7:30 to play.
Then 43 steps it up. Ross Travis for 3 and a layup. Curtis with a steal for a dunk. Scott misses a layup. Curtis offensive rebounds an airball and puts it back just in time to beat the 30 second shot clock with 3 minutes left. That concludes a 9-0 43 Hoops run and they lead 55-50 with 3 minutes left. Jonah Travis with 2 free throws but 43 is on the offensive board again. This time its Jake White grabbing a Ross Travis miss and making 2 free throws from it at the 1:47 mark. Ross doesn't miss on the next trip as he hammers home a dunk at the 1:10 mark for a 7 point lead. A Crockett steal for 2 cuts the lead to 4 but it doesn't matter. Curtis with the exclamation point dunk and 43 Hoops wins 63-55.
Post Game
For Pump N Run, Jonah Travis leads the way with 18 points and 7 rebounds on my officially unofficial (but I use it anyway) stat sheet. Carlos Emory with 16 points but his turnovers down the stretch were critical. Trying to take over is great but it can be said on this night that he tried to do too much. Jon Crockett 9 points, Roosevelt Scott 8 points, Alex Richter a rough night of 4 points on 1-8 shooting to round out the PNR scoring. Surprisingly PNR gave up critical buckets on the offensive glass. Not surprisingly, when Crockett wasn't handling the ball, 43 did have success with pressure defense and that included Emory.
For 43 Hoops, Marquel Curtis is your game MVP with 21 points. His numerous forays to the rim and off handed finishes (lefty on right side too) had no answer. 12 of those 21 in the 2nd half. 6 in the last 6 minutes to put 43 over the top. Raijon Kelly lived large in this one too with 13 clutch points right across the halftime boundary. Ross Travis a quiet first half but had all 12 of his points in the 2nd half. Versatile too with a putback, an old-fashioned 3 point play with power and then a 3 ball. Tack on a steal for a dunk to show off the athletic ability. Jake White quiet with 8 points and 6 boards but a board for 2 free throws late was large. Tom Schalk 5 points, Zach Romashko 2 and Freddie Young 2 to round out the scoring for 43 Hoops. All in all, a hard fought battle of 2 high quality teams that was greatly enjoyed by all. 43 was the better team on this night and no griping about missing players etc. PNR had plenty of chances in this one and had a lead just outside 6 minutes to play. Let's hope they again in July in Chicago and/or Las Vegas.
Marquel Curtis photo courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net
To 43 Hoops for a 17U showdown between Pump N Run and 43 Hoops. All the notables in the building including the obvious ones (Monter, James, me) along with JohnnyGopher, UWOle and GopherLady of GopherHole fame. Willie Vang from the MN Heat makes an appearance as well. Lots of notables including Randy Carter, Eric Coleman, Zach Towle, Ryan Duxbury, Anthony Tucker all playing tonight in the early games just to name a few. Men meet boys. Sorry folks, no food or beverage at the game but I did have a messy Pulled Pork sandwich with Sierra Mist for dinner prior to venturing over to 43.
Funny moment before the game as I was one of many people who moved back and forth between courts about 5 times until we finally got it right that the curtain would be opened and we'd have action on court 2. The court lined with fans all the way around with 3 quality officials working the game. Gotta like that. PNR without Estan Tyler (unknown), Eric Robertson (ankle), Joel Lindberg (Wisconsin camp) and Kyle Noreen (west coast college tour). They added Carlos Emory and Jonathon Crockett from last year's 17U PNR squad. No Jordan Smith for 43 as he was suffering from tendonitis and just resumed work outs today. Let the record show with Matt Sellers' mom as my witness that I predicted an 8 point 43 Hoops win right before tip.
Game Time
Jake White gets the assignment on Jonah Travis in this one. Travis immediately spins and is fouled. He shoots the 1st free throw and its good. But the ball is trash so let's put that one out of play and pick a new one. Travis drives for 2 more, Emory for 3 and then the alley oop from Crockett. 13-5 PNR leads at the 14:45 in a very low scoring half (these are 25 minute running time halves). But 43 cranks up the pressure and without their regular point guards PNR struggles to get into offense. Schalk with 2 free throws and a 3 ball and 43 has the momentum and the crowd on their side. Emory strong for 1 free throw as he's fouled on a dunk attempt to try and stem the tide. Zach Romashko for 2 and Freddie Young with a steal for 2 and PNR wants time. 14 all with 9 minutes left in the first half. 20-19 43 Hoops leads after 1 Jonah Travis freebie at the 3:40 mark. Raijon Kelly with a pair of big 3s that counter a pair of Travis dunks. 28-23 43 Hoops at the half. Marquel Curtis and Jonah Travis each with 9 points in the half to lead their teams.
Jonah Travis stays hot as he knocks down a pair of left wing triples but the lead is still 5 for 43. A Curtis steal for 2 free throws pushes the lead to 39-33 with 18 minutes left. PNR won't go away. Roosevelt Scott with a 1 handed hammer and Crockett with a layup. Ross Travis emerges with a strong 2 and the foul through Mike Yahnke. Curtis puts in a miss for a 44-39 lead with 14 minutes left. Jonah Travis with 1 free throw, Crockett with 2 freebies of his own and a tough step back jumper. Alex Richter with a layup, Scott with 2 free throws and Emory goes strong and makes 2 more PNR free throws. Its an 11-2 PNR run over 6:30 with 7 free throws and it gives the Pumps a 50-46 lead with 7:30 to play.
Then 43 steps it up. Ross Travis for 3 and a layup. Curtis with a steal for a dunk. Scott misses a layup. Curtis offensive rebounds an airball and puts it back just in time to beat the 30 second shot clock with 3 minutes left. That concludes a 9-0 43 Hoops run and they lead 55-50 with 3 minutes left. Jonah Travis with 2 free throws but 43 is on the offensive board again. This time its Jake White grabbing a Ross Travis miss and making 2 free throws from it at the 1:47 mark. Ross doesn't miss on the next trip as he hammers home a dunk at the 1:10 mark for a 7 point lead. A Crockett steal for 2 cuts the lead to 4 but it doesn't matter. Curtis with the exclamation point dunk and 43 Hoops wins 63-55.
Post Game
For Pump N Run, Jonah Travis leads the way with 18 points and 7 rebounds on my officially unofficial (but I use it anyway) stat sheet. Carlos Emory with 16 points but his turnovers down the stretch were critical. Trying to take over is great but it can be said on this night that he tried to do too much. Jon Crockett 9 points, Roosevelt Scott 8 points, Alex Richter a rough night of 4 points on 1-8 shooting to round out the PNR scoring. Surprisingly PNR gave up critical buckets on the offensive glass. Not surprisingly, when Crockett wasn't handling the ball, 43 did have success with pressure defense and that included Emory.
For 43 Hoops, Marquel Curtis is your game MVP with 21 points. His numerous forays to the rim and off handed finishes (lefty on right side too) had no answer. 12 of those 21 in the 2nd half. 6 in the last 6 minutes to put 43 over the top. Raijon Kelly lived large in this one too with 13 clutch points right across the halftime boundary. Ross Travis a quiet first half but had all 12 of his points in the 2nd half. Versatile too with a putback, an old-fashioned 3 point play with power and then a 3 ball. Tack on a steal for a dunk to show off the athletic ability. Jake White quiet with 8 points and 6 boards but a board for 2 free throws late was large. Tom Schalk 5 points, Zach Romashko 2 and Freddie Young 2 to round out the scoring for 43 Hoops. All in all, a hard fought battle of 2 high quality teams that was greatly enjoyed by all. 43 was the better team on this night and no griping about missing players etc. PNR had plenty of chances in this one and had a lead just outside 6 minutes to play. Let's hope they again in July in Chicago and/or Las Vegas.
Marquel Curtis photo courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net
Minnesota Swap in new Rivals 2011 Top 150
Labels:
2011 Recruiting,
Joe Coleman,
Rivals Recruiting,
Ross Travis
Rivals released their spring 2010 top 100 for the class of 2011. A swap of Minnesota players is notable as Ross Travis drops out from #133 and Joe Coleman jumps in at #104. That's despite missing a big chunk of time with an injured ankle/foot.
Here are others who have appeared locally.
#5 Brad Beal (up from #7, Florida)
#14 Myck Kabongo (up from #24, Texas)
#20 Quinn Cook (no change)
#30 Branden Dawson (down from #16)
#132 Paul Jesperson (new)
Read the entire rankings here.
Here are others who have appeared locally.
#5 Brad Beal (up from #7, Florida)
#14 Myck Kabongo (up from #24, Texas)
#20 Quinn Cook (no change)
#30 Branden Dawson (down from #16)
#132 Paul Jesperson (new)
Read the entire rankings here.
Hawks recover against Eagles
Labels:
Jake White,
Ross Travis,
Tyus Jones
Prologue
My Lake Conference tour de force wraps up tonight as I finally get in a trip to Chaska, the final school in the league that I hadn't seen a game at. Its a varsity only night for me in this one vs Apple Valley so no concessions. Tubby Smith is in the building along with former Chaska and Gopher star Spencer Tollackson. Biggest news is the return of Ross Travis for Chaska. Only 1 game (and probably minimal minutes in that one vs Eastview) since January 19th. How big of a factor would he be?
Game Time
8-3 Apple Valley on an Isaiah Thomas putback. Then Jacob Meyer starts his hot night with a 3 and tack on a Jake White 3 for 9-8 Chaska lead at the 14:35 mark. Tyus Jones to the line at 13:59 mark and greeted with a "Middle School" chant from the Hawks students. He makes 1 of 2 and then a nice lefty finish. 11-9 Eagles at 12:50. Tom Schalk with a jumper, Jones to Zach Johnson for 3 and Schalk for 2 off the out of bounds play. 20-15 Apple Valley before another Meyer 3 is countered by a Schalk putback and foul (FT no good). Max Watts carried off with an apparent ankle injury on the play. 20 all with 8:41 left in the half. Anthony Webber with a jumper and a White stickback put the Hawks up 4. Then Thomas with another putback and then Jones finds him for a layup. Then Jones off the high horns screen nails a 3 to end a 7-0 Eagles run. 29-26 Eagles at the 5:10 mark. Zach Johnson with another 3 off the horns set and then a set play for him for another 3. 35-30 Apple Valley. Jones with 2 free throws to counter a Webber bucket. Jones then with a grab on an inbounds and its called an intentional foul which is totally awful. Then the official has an attitude to boot. Meyer makes the freebies but give the ref credit as he correctly called a charge on Chaska on the possession despite jawing at coach Goring right before. Then he gets into it with coach Kallman. Few things worse than an official with a bad attitude. Meyer with a sweet reverse layup and then nails another triple in transition before the half is out. 43-39 Apple Valley at the half.
Schalk with a layup and Jones for 3 again off the horns set. 48-41 Apple Valley as Chaska is totally dead vs the 2-3 zone. Coach Kallman gets a good timeout at 16:17 to try and get his team into some productive offense. Chaska and Ross Travis awaken out of the timeout. Travis with a putback and a pullup followed by a Meyer dunk in a 8-0 run to put the Hawks back on top 49-48 with 13:50 left. Schalk with 2 free throws countered by a White postup at the 13 minute mark. Then its Apple Valley's turn to spurt. Schalk with a putback, Zach Johnson from deep, Schalk with a pet move of drive middle from the right wing with the left hand and then spin back right for 2. Then he gets 2 and the foul inside on a block call that could have gone either way and would have been Schalk's 4th foul. Jones then with a steal for a layup. Travis scores to stop that bleeding but then Jones skips to Schalk for 3 more. 64-53 Apple Valley with 9:20 left after a 16-4 run. Chaska with no energy and no good idea on the offense end.
Chaska still has a run in them as they go back to the 1-3-1 zone. White with a 3 point play, Meyer with a bomb, Travis with a putback, then White with a nice pass out of the post to find Travis for a dunk and a turnover brings Chaska back the other way and Travis goes up and throws down a lob. Crowd is jacked up. Timeout Apple Valley after they turn the ball over. Chaska tracks down a miss and the ball finds Meyer for another triple and Chaska has come all the way back. 68 all with 5:35 to play as Chaska uses their own 15-4 run. Zach Johnson again from deep with 3:15 left and Apple Valley is up 5 but Meyer immediately counters that. Then Apple Valley turns it over and Chaska runs a set for Meyer who buries his 7th 3 of the night. 74-73 Chaska with 2:15 left. Schalk with a layup on the other end to put Apple Valley back on top with 2 minutes left followed by an unforced Chaska turnover. Apple Valley holding against the 1-3-1 before White comes up with a clutch block with 1:15 left. Nate Auer fouled and makes 2 freebies to put Chaska back on top 76-75 with 1:04 left. Apple Valley pushes to half court and takes timeout. After the timeout, the ball is back in play and out go the lights. Only light in the court area is scoreboard over halfcourt. A small delay and we have lights again with the coaches getting a nice laugh about it. Jones turns it over against the zone with 29.6 left and Schalk fouls out. Alex Prince misses the front end of the bonus and Apple Valley has a chance to win it. Jones drives right baseline and goes into the trees and its short. Ball tipped and out of bounds to Chaska with 4.9 left. Travis outjumps everybody for a dangerous inbounds lob at halfcourt and takes it for a layup that ends a 78-75 Chaska victory.
For Apple Valley, Tom Schalk leads the way with 15 of his 25 points in the second half. Tyus Jones 19 points mainly from a horns screen and roll set. 14 of those 19 points in the first half. Zach Johnson 16 points, I had 5 3s on my sheet. The Eagles fall to 19-7. They stay 1 game in front of Lakeville South and have 2 wins over the Cougars so expect them to get the 1 seed in section 3AAAA.
For Chaska, Jacob Meyer 7 triples and 27 points on the night. Jake White 19 points but with the exception of the late block, was very quiet late. Ross Travis 16 points and had a nice spurt in the big run that got Chaska back in it. I would have liked to see him be much more active, specifically at the top of the 1-3-1. Chaska finishes the regular season at 15-11. They're looking at probably the 3 seed in section 2AAAA and a home game against Bloomington Jefferson (who also plays a ton of 2-3 zone) in the first round. Jefferson was ahead by 5 at the half in the last meeting without Ross Travis. Then a possible rivalry game against Shakopee in the semis.
Photo of Chaska head coach Dana Kallman courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net
My Lake Conference tour de force wraps up tonight as I finally get in a trip to Chaska, the final school in the league that I hadn't seen a game at. Its a varsity only night for me in this one vs Apple Valley so no concessions. Tubby Smith is in the building along with former Chaska and Gopher star Spencer Tollackson. Biggest news is the return of Ross Travis for Chaska. Only 1 game (and probably minimal minutes in that one vs Eastview) since January 19th. How big of a factor would he be?
Game Time
8-3 Apple Valley on an Isaiah Thomas putback. Then Jacob Meyer starts his hot night with a 3 and tack on a Jake White 3 for 9-8 Chaska lead at the 14:35 mark. Tyus Jones to the line at 13:59 mark and greeted with a "Middle School" chant from the Hawks students. He makes 1 of 2 and then a nice lefty finish. 11-9 Eagles at 12:50. Tom Schalk with a jumper, Jones to Zach Johnson for 3 and Schalk for 2 off the out of bounds play. 20-15 Apple Valley before another Meyer 3 is countered by a Schalk putback and foul (FT no good). Max Watts carried off with an apparent ankle injury on the play. 20 all with 8:41 left in the half. Anthony Webber with a jumper and a White stickback put the Hawks up 4. Then Thomas with another putback and then Jones finds him for a layup. Then Jones off the high horns screen nails a 3 to end a 7-0 Eagles run. 29-26 Eagles at the 5:10 mark. Zach Johnson with another 3 off the horns set and then a set play for him for another 3. 35-30 Apple Valley. Jones with 2 free throws to counter a Webber bucket. Jones then with a grab on an inbounds and its called an intentional foul which is totally awful. Then the official has an attitude to boot. Meyer makes the freebies but give the ref credit as he correctly called a charge on Chaska on the possession despite jawing at coach Goring right before. Then he gets into it with coach Kallman. Few things worse than an official with a bad attitude. Meyer with a sweet reverse layup and then nails another triple in transition before the half is out. 43-39 Apple Valley at the half.
Schalk with a layup and Jones for 3 again off the horns set. 48-41 Apple Valley as Chaska is totally dead vs the 2-3 zone. Coach Kallman gets a good timeout at 16:17 to try and get his team into some productive offense. Chaska and Ross Travis awaken out of the timeout. Travis with a putback and a pullup followed by a Meyer dunk in a 8-0 run to put the Hawks back on top 49-48 with 13:50 left. Schalk with 2 free throws countered by a White postup at the 13 minute mark. Then its Apple Valley's turn to spurt. Schalk with a putback, Zach Johnson from deep, Schalk with a pet move of drive middle from the right wing with the left hand and then spin back right for 2. Then he gets 2 and the foul inside on a block call that could have gone either way and would have been Schalk's 4th foul. Jones then with a steal for a layup. Travis scores to stop that bleeding but then Jones skips to Schalk for 3 more. 64-53 Apple Valley with 9:20 left after a 16-4 run. Chaska with no energy and no good idea on the offense end.
Chaska still has a run in them as they go back to the 1-3-1 zone. White with a 3 point play, Meyer with a bomb, Travis with a putback, then White with a nice pass out of the post to find Travis for a dunk and a turnover brings Chaska back the other way and Travis goes up and throws down a lob. Crowd is jacked up. Timeout Apple Valley after they turn the ball over. Chaska tracks down a miss and the ball finds Meyer for another triple and Chaska has come all the way back. 68 all with 5:35 to play as Chaska uses their own 15-4 run. Zach Johnson again from deep with 3:15 left and Apple Valley is up 5 but Meyer immediately counters that. Then Apple Valley turns it over and Chaska runs a set for Meyer who buries his 7th 3 of the night. 74-73 Chaska with 2:15 left. Schalk with a layup on the other end to put Apple Valley back on top with 2 minutes left followed by an unforced Chaska turnover. Apple Valley holding against the 1-3-1 before White comes up with a clutch block with 1:15 left. Nate Auer fouled and makes 2 freebies to put Chaska back on top 76-75 with 1:04 left. Apple Valley pushes to half court and takes timeout. After the timeout, the ball is back in play and out go the lights. Only light in the court area is scoreboard over halfcourt. A small delay and we have lights again with the coaches getting a nice laugh about it. Jones turns it over against the zone with 29.6 left and Schalk fouls out. Alex Prince misses the front end of the bonus and Apple Valley has a chance to win it. Jones drives right baseline and goes into the trees and its short. Ball tipped and out of bounds to Chaska with 4.9 left. Travis outjumps everybody for a dangerous inbounds lob at halfcourt and takes it for a layup that ends a 78-75 Chaska victory.
For Apple Valley, Tom Schalk leads the way with 15 of his 25 points in the second half. Tyus Jones 19 points mainly from a horns screen and roll set. 14 of those 19 points in the first half. Zach Johnson 16 points, I had 5 3s on my sheet. The Eagles fall to 19-7. They stay 1 game in front of Lakeville South and have 2 wins over the Cougars so expect them to get the 1 seed in section 3AAAA.
For Chaska, Jacob Meyer 7 triples and 27 points on the night. Jake White 19 points but with the exception of the late block, was very quiet late. Ross Travis 16 points and had a nice spurt in the big run that got Chaska back in it. I would have liked to see him be much more active, specifically at the top of the 1-3-1. Chaska finishes the regular season at 15-11. They're looking at probably the 3 seed in section 2AAAA and a home game against Bloomington Jefferson (who also plays a ton of 2-3 zone) in the first round. Jefferson was ahead by 5 at the half in the last meeting without Ross Travis. Then a possible rivalry game against Shakopee in the semis.
Photo of Chaska head coach Dana Kallman courtesy of MNPhotoNet.net
Gopher Hole interviews Ross Travis
Labels:
2011 Recruiting,
Ross Travis
Nadine Babu of GopherHole.com recently interviewed Chaska star Ross Travis about his recruitment. They talk about offers and why Ross jumped on to the radar just recently. He also had some very interesting comments about a Big East school and their style of play. Read the entire interview here.
Breakdown Tip-Off Classic Thoughts
What a day at the 2009 Breakdown Tip-Off Classic. 20 of the 24 boys teams were ranked and 3 of the 4 unranked teams had stars to follow. Some thoughts on what I saw.
Session 1: #4A Sebeka vs #2AA New London-Spicer
"Moose" Johnson for NLS was just that. Sebeka had no answer for him. Sebeka's Joey Cuperus and John Clark are a duo that any class A team would be glad to have. Sebeka with a 3 point lead with 1:40 left and the teams trade turnovers. Moose with a putback and then a steal to give NLS a chance for the lead but they turn it over. Ryan Sharp with a layup and Sebeka is back up 3 with 30 seconds left. Jayme Moten with 2 FTs with 8.4 left and then NLS forces a turnover. They get the ball with 2.9 left at their free throw line. Motem catches the inbound takes 2 dribbles makes a good but slow pass to Erik Tengwall who knocked down the left corner 3 at the buzzer for the thrilling win. He beat the buzzer but I thought it took more than 2.9. Great finish.
Session 2:
Waconia broke open a close game with a 18-2 run over the last 8:30 of the 1st half for a 39-21 halftime lead. Waconia rolled from there for a 75-55 win. Marshall Bjorklund with 28 and 15 but he had no help in this one. Great job creating space with his strength, particularly by using the left shoulder. Shelby Moats on the other hand had help. Really like what Danny Fischbach is doing for them and Ben Korteum can knock down 3s in a hurry.
#1AA Plainview-Elgin-Millville was down 3 at half to Minneapolis North. Cole Olstad quiet but he hit a 3 at the halftime buzzer for 10 first half points. He finishes with 24 as PEM wins 81-74. No Pengi Mboma or Malik El-Amin for North which definitely would have helped.
Session 3:
Great game between #4AA Staples-Motley and #4AAA Columbia Heights. 22-16 Staples with 6 to go in the first half before a 19-8 Heights run. 35-33 Heights at the break. Columbia Heights continues the spurt into the 2nd half. Jacob Thomas with a 3 and a bucket for push the lead to 53-42 with 14:25 left. The lead gets to 13 before Staples gets hot. Derek Wolhowe with a pair of triples in a big Cardinals run. 74 all with 4:15 left. Staples-Motley star guard Jordan Riewer with a pair of assists and then a continuation 3 point play. 82-76 Staples-Motley with 1:38 left. Columbia Heights with 5 straight turnovers trying to hold the ball vs the Staples 1-2-2 in that stretch. Thomas right back with a tough triple to cut the lead in half. Harold Rainey strips Riewer for a layup and then another Staples turnover. Thomas with 2 FTs at 36.8 and Heights is back on top 83-82. Staples with a miss but Thomas misses the front end of the 1 and 1 with 13.8 left. Riewer fouled and makes 2 FTs with 8.4 left. Heights pushes to half-court and takes time with 4.8 left. Thomas gets a decent look in the corner but its blocked. Gerard Bapiste finds the rebound and puts it back at the buzzer for the thrilling 85-84 Columbia Heights win. Riewer has committed to Jamestown and he'll be a very good player for them. Despite the 2 late turnovers, he was clutch down the stretch. Jacob Thomas with another huge performance.
Session 4:
#2AAA De La Salle vs #10AAAA Osseo. Strange game as it just felt like D was winning the entire way but Osseo was ahead on the scoreboard. Tight all the way though. Aaron Anderson with a great pass to Chris McMorris for a backdoor dunk at 3:50 and Joey Sonnefeld (playing post with 8th grader Ian Theisen) on the post for 2. 56-50 Osseo with 2:47 left. De La Salle not going away. John Hertle with a steal for 2 and a Bretson McNeal bomb give D the 57-56 lead with 1:10 left. John Rowland tips in a miss with 40 seconds left and Osseo is back on top. McNeal misses and Chris McMorris is fouled with 17.9 left. He makes the first and misses the 2nd. No timeout for D as they call a standard set play for Jalen Jaspers. As he attempts to come off a screen from the low post to the top of the key he gets absoluted mugged and tackled. No call for the 2nd time in the game on that. Not to mention it was right in front of the D bench. WOW. Its a broken play and D misses. 60-57 Osseo wins and coach Thorson stares down the refs as they leave. You can't blame him either.
I saw the last 12 minutes of Lakeville South and #1AAA Benilde-St. Margaret's. Soph PG Isaiah Zierden was outstanding in the time I saw. And wow is Benilde deep. Sophs Will Dunn, Sanjay Lumpkin, and Danon Briggs with Zierden all seeing minutes. BSM wins 99-87.
Session 5
#3AAAA Henry Sibley vs Cloquet. The matchup of bigs was entertaining as Jake Kreuser played about as well as I've ever seen him play. 7 points and 7 rebounds in the first half against an overmatched Cloquet squad. Jimmy Ryan continues to shoot well with another pair of triples. 37-16 Sibley at half and they roll.
Talk about a rebound. #10AA Minnehaha took #7AA Braham behind the woodshed for a 81-51 win. Didn't see any of it but I wouldn't have expected that.
Session 6
1st half #3A Minnesota Transitions vs #7AAA Minneapolis Henry. MTS playing zone, Kevin Noreen getting his. 23-7 MTS over the last 6:15 of the first half for a 51-35 halftime lead. But MTS needed OT to hang on 85-83. Disturbing trend for MTS as they let Minnehaha back in on Tuesday and now gave up a lead to Henry. And how does MTS only score 34 points in the last 22 minutes?
Then all of the big game of the day #1AAAA Hopkins vs #2AAAA Tartan. Or it should have been. Tartan with the 1st 4 points of the game and that's their highlight. Hopkins scores the next 19 points. Tartan fights back to within 5 in the first half. 34-23 Hopkins at the break. More Hopkins in the 2nd half as they start the half on a 13-5 run. Hopkins wins 81-66. Joe Coleman with 31 points and again all within 2 feet. Marvin Singleton was matched up with the Preiner twins most of the night in a very difficult matchup for Tartan. He finished with 23 and 9. Tim Lubke was the top scorer for Tartan with 14 points.
Session 7
#5AAAA Chaska at #7AAAA Minnetonka. 3 starters in street clothes for the hosts but they weren't going to lay down in this one. Chaska's super junior Ross Travis left late in the first half with an apparent back injury. 42-39 Tonka at half. Max Watts with a great hustle play for a 3 point play. 60-50 Chaska with 11:13 left. Minnetonka comes all the way back. Andrew Turnblad with a 3 point play to give the Skippers the 68-67 lead with 7:11 left. 74 in the last 2:30. 77-74 Minnetonka after a Blake Nelson 3 at 2:10. Jake White with a putback and 2 free throws to keep Chaska within 1. The teams trade free throws before a Jacob Meyer triple with 8.6 left ties the game at 83 and sends us to OT. Max Watts with a big triple at the 1:33 mark of OT. 94-89 Chaska and they win 99-92. Jake White with 29 points and Max Watts huge again for the Hawks with 26 points. Chad Howard out of his mind stepping up for Minnetonka with 29 points. Nick Latzke outstanding again as he also had 29 points.
Saw a few early minutes of the #8AAAA Cretin-Derham Hall vs #6AAAA Champlin Park game. All 3 of the star sophs for CDH (Montero, Neumann and Tillman) all on the floor. Interesting to see Raijon Kelly and Tillman on the floor at the same time. Look for Neumann to have a bigger role now that Clay Horne has moved out east. Too bad many people didn't see the end of this one as CDH held on 82-80 in double OT.
Session 1: #4A Sebeka vs #2AA New London-Spicer
"Moose" Johnson for NLS was just that. Sebeka had no answer for him. Sebeka's Joey Cuperus and John Clark are a duo that any class A team would be glad to have. Sebeka with a 3 point lead with 1:40 left and the teams trade turnovers. Moose with a putback and then a steal to give NLS a chance for the lead but they turn it over. Ryan Sharp with a layup and Sebeka is back up 3 with 30 seconds left. Jayme Moten with 2 FTs with 8.4 left and then NLS forces a turnover. They get the ball with 2.9 left at their free throw line. Motem catches the inbound takes 2 dribbles makes a good but slow pass to Erik Tengwall who knocked down the left corner 3 at the buzzer for the thrilling win. He beat the buzzer but I thought it took more than 2.9. Great finish.
Session 2:
Waconia broke open a close game with a 18-2 run over the last 8:30 of the 1st half for a 39-21 halftime lead. Waconia rolled from there for a 75-55 win. Marshall Bjorklund with 28 and 15 but he had no help in this one. Great job creating space with his strength, particularly by using the left shoulder. Shelby Moats on the other hand had help. Really like what Danny Fischbach is doing for them and Ben Korteum can knock down 3s in a hurry.
#1AA Plainview-Elgin-Millville was down 3 at half to Minneapolis North. Cole Olstad quiet but he hit a 3 at the halftime buzzer for 10 first half points. He finishes with 24 as PEM wins 81-74. No Pengi Mboma or Malik El-Amin for North which definitely would have helped.
Session 3:
Great game between #4AA Staples-Motley and #4AAA Columbia Heights. 22-16 Staples with 6 to go in the first half before a 19-8 Heights run. 35-33 Heights at the break. Columbia Heights continues the spurt into the 2nd half. Jacob Thomas with a 3 and a bucket for push the lead to 53-42 with 14:25 left. The lead gets to 13 before Staples gets hot. Derek Wolhowe with a pair of triples in a big Cardinals run. 74 all with 4:15 left. Staples-Motley star guard Jordan Riewer with a pair of assists and then a continuation 3 point play. 82-76 Staples-Motley with 1:38 left. Columbia Heights with 5 straight turnovers trying to hold the ball vs the Staples 1-2-2 in that stretch. Thomas right back with a tough triple to cut the lead in half. Harold Rainey strips Riewer for a layup and then another Staples turnover. Thomas with 2 FTs at 36.8 and Heights is back on top 83-82. Staples with a miss but Thomas misses the front end of the 1 and 1 with 13.8 left. Riewer fouled and makes 2 FTs with 8.4 left. Heights pushes to half-court and takes time with 4.8 left. Thomas gets a decent look in the corner but its blocked. Gerard Bapiste finds the rebound and puts it back at the buzzer for the thrilling 85-84 Columbia Heights win. Riewer has committed to Jamestown and he'll be a very good player for them. Despite the 2 late turnovers, he was clutch down the stretch. Jacob Thomas with another huge performance.
Session 4:
#2AAA De La Salle vs #10AAAA Osseo. Strange game as it just felt like D was winning the entire way but Osseo was ahead on the scoreboard. Tight all the way though. Aaron Anderson with a great pass to Chris McMorris for a backdoor dunk at 3:50 and Joey Sonnefeld (playing post with 8th grader Ian Theisen) on the post for 2. 56-50 Osseo with 2:47 left. De La Salle not going away. John Hertle with a steal for 2 and a Bretson McNeal bomb give D the 57-56 lead with 1:10 left. John Rowland tips in a miss with 40 seconds left and Osseo is back on top. McNeal misses and Chris McMorris is fouled with 17.9 left. He makes the first and misses the 2nd. No timeout for D as they call a standard set play for Jalen Jaspers. As he attempts to come off a screen from the low post to the top of the key he gets absoluted mugged and tackled. No call for the 2nd time in the game on that. Not to mention it was right in front of the D bench. WOW. Its a broken play and D misses. 60-57 Osseo wins and coach Thorson stares down the refs as they leave. You can't blame him either.
I saw the last 12 minutes of Lakeville South and #1AAA Benilde-St. Margaret's. Soph PG Isaiah Zierden was outstanding in the time I saw. And wow is Benilde deep. Sophs Will Dunn, Sanjay Lumpkin, and Danon Briggs with Zierden all seeing minutes. BSM wins 99-87.
Session 5
#3AAAA Henry Sibley vs Cloquet. The matchup of bigs was entertaining as Jake Kreuser played about as well as I've ever seen him play. 7 points and 7 rebounds in the first half against an overmatched Cloquet squad. Jimmy Ryan continues to shoot well with another pair of triples. 37-16 Sibley at half and they roll.
Talk about a rebound. #10AA Minnehaha took #7AA Braham behind the woodshed for a 81-51 win. Didn't see any of it but I wouldn't have expected that.
Session 6
1st half #3A Minnesota Transitions vs #7AAA Minneapolis Henry. MTS playing zone, Kevin Noreen getting his. 23-7 MTS over the last 6:15 of the first half for a 51-35 halftime lead. But MTS needed OT to hang on 85-83. Disturbing trend for MTS as they let Minnehaha back in on Tuesday and now gave up a lead to Henry. And how does MTS only score 34 points in the last 22 minutes?
Then all of the big game of the day #1AAAA Hopkins vs #2AAAA Tartan. Or it should have been. Tartan with the 1st 4 points of the game and that's their highlight. Hopkins scores the next 19 points. Tartan fights back to within 5 in the first half. 34-23 Hopkins at the break. More Hopkins in the 2nd half as they start the half on a 13-5 run. Hopkins wins 81-66. Joe Coleman with 31 points and again all within 2 feet. Marvin Singleton was matched up with the Preiner twins most of the night in a very difficult matchup for Tartan. He finished with 23 and 9. Tim Lubke was the top scorer for Tartan with 14 points.
Session 7
#5AAAA Chaska at #7AAAA Minnetonka. 3 starters in street clothes for the hosts but they weren't going to lay down in this one. Chaska's super junior Ross Travis left late in the first half with an apparent back injury. 42-39 Tonka at half. Max Watts with a great hustle play for a 3 point play. 60-50 Chaska with 11:13 left. Minnetonka comes all the way back. Andrew Turnblad with a 3 point play to give the Skippers the 68-67 lead with 7:11 left. 74 in the last 2:30. 77-74 Minnetonka after a Blake Nelson 3 at 2:10. Jake White with a putback and 2 free throws to keep Chaska within 1. The teams trade free throws before a Jacob Meyer triple with 8.6 left ties the game at 83 and sends us to OT. Max Watts with a big triple at the 1:33 mark of OT. 94-89 Chaska and they win 99-92. Jake White with 29 points and Max Watts huge again for the Hawks with 26 points. Chad Howard out of his mind stepping up for Minnetonka with 29 points. Nick Latzke outstanding again as he also had 29 points.
Saw a few early minutes of the #8AAAA Cretin-Derham Hall vs #6AAAA Champlin Park game. All 3 of the star sophs for CDH (Montero, Neumann and Tillman) all on the floor. Interesting to see Raijon Kelly and Tillman on the floor at the same time. Look for Neumann to have a bigger role now that Clay Horne has moved out east. Too bad many people didn't see the end of this one as CDH held on 82-80 in double OT.
Chaska star makes Rivals Top 150
Labels:
2011 Recruiting,
Rivals Recruiting,
Ross Travis
Rivals released their post summer 2009 top 100 for the class of 2011. Chaska's Ross Travis makes the list after a big summer with 43 Hoops Carr. He comes in at #133. Rivals analyst Jerry Meyer was impressed with him in Vegas.
Here are others who have appeared locally.
#7 Bradley Beal
#16 Branden Dawson
#20 Quinn Cook
#24 Myck Kabongo - Committed to Texas
#116 Darell Longstreet
Read the entire rankings here.
Read Jerry Meyer's comments on Ross Travis in Vegas here (scroll to the end)
Here are others who have appeared locally.
#7 Bradley Beal
#16 Branden Dawson
#20 Quinn Cook
#24 Myck Kabongo - Committed to Texas
#116 Darell Longstreet
Read the entire rankings here.
Read Jerry Meyer's comments on Ross Travis in Vegas here (scroll to the end)
Saturday at the 2009 MN Select Classic
Labels:
2009 MN Select Classic,
Ross Travis
11 sessions Saturday at the MN Select Classic. Here's what I saw during the day.
Session 1
TC Elite 16s up 28-23 at the break over Comets White. They quickly extend the lead to 13 and then out to 21 late. 63-45 final. MN Heat Select 15s open up a 20 point halftime lead that gets cut to 13 in the 2nd half but they win 59-44.
Top game of the session was the Comets Elite 15s against TC Elite Black. Black up 27-13 with 5:15 left in the 1st half but they give up a 17-4 Comets run to end the 1st half to only lead 31-30 at the break. Black by 7 with 8:32 to play and they up that lead to 10, but the Comets won't go away. Austin Pohlen (Grand Rapids) drills a triple with 2:07 left for a 63-61 Comets lead. Black with a triple with 33 seconds left to tie the game at 66. The Comets play for 1 and Jim Unger (Willmar) drives left baseline and makes a floater with 3 seconds left for a 68-66 Comets win. Nice comeback win for them against a solid TC Black team.
Session 2
To the main gym to check in on the Heat 17 Elites against Comets North. They're out of the gate 11-0 thanks to a quick start from Ryan Duxbury. The lead extends to 16 in the 1st half. The Heat don't put the game away and North is within 10 with 11:07 to play. A 12-2 Heat run over the next 2:45 puts the game out of reach. Heat win 67-52.
Session 3
I stay in the main gym for my 1st look at the Select-Kruger squad against the SW MN Heat. Worth noting here that this Heat team (not affliated or to be confused with the Minnesota Heat mentioned previously) is playing up a level as the TBD team in pool C. Marshall point guard Caleb Johnson on hand, but the Heat are so small he's playing the post. 16-6 Heat lead with 7 minutes left in the half as Zak Pendleton has a pair of triples. But the Heat go cold and Select comes back for a 22-18 lead at the half. The game never gets out of hand, but the Heat never really threaten. 57-53 Select wins. Caleb Johnson with 9 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat on my stat sheet.
Session 4
I like this gym as the 43 Hoops 16 B team is playing against the Comets White team. The Comets pack in a 1-2-2 zone daring 43 Hoops to shoot over it as they don't have the athletes to matchup. Works well as the Comets get out to a 8-2 lead with 12:29 left in the half (triples again) and coach Grant Hemmingsen is not at all pleased with his team's defense. They crank up a 3 quarter court 1-2-2 trap and Jeremy Borg's entrance into the game gives them a spark (a pair of high post buckets against the zone were big). The Comets may not have scored a field goal the rest of the half. 33-15 43 Hoops at the half but they shot 2-13 from 3 on my sheet.
TC Elite Black 15s steamroll the 14U Midtown Kings 77-33 after a 47-11 start. Heat Select 15s win 49-35 over MN Select. Comets 15 Elites up 14 with 3 to play against the Schoolers 14s but give up 9 in a row to make it interesting. Comets hold on 65-58.
Session 5
In 17s action, Prior Lake (a good chunk of their varsity team) against 43 Hoops II. Prior Lake out to a 14-5 lead with 8:30 left in the half in a shocker. So much for that, 43 Hoops comes back big to win 67-36. Dominique Dawson with 3 straight putbacks as the run put 43 Hoops over the top.
The rest of the games were 16s. MN Heat Elite 16s hammered the MN Select 16s 63-27 after giving up a bucket to start the game, then countering with a 12-0 run. Rob Daul with a nasty tape job on his leg thanks to softball. Almost looks like plaster of paris or a cast. TNL up 15 on Wizard's Den late in the 1st half. They raid the Den in the 2nd half for a 75-41 win.
Session 6
43 Hoops-Carr and the Heat 17 Elite roll in warmups for their clash in session 9. Carr by 23 at the half, Heat by 18 at the half. Heat win 79-45. 43 Hoops Carr wins 86-65.
Session 7
A nice 15U session with pools A and B up for grabs. In pool A, the Schoolers 15s vs MN Southside. In pool B, 43 Hoops-Daniels vs Heat Select. 43 Hoops up 33-5 with 7:20 in the 1st half. Yikes. Needless to say I saw that score from the main gym and immediately went back to the Southside game. Schoolers giving Southside all they want with a 21-8 lead with 8:39 left in the 1st half. Southside claws back and cuts the deficit to 32-28 at the break. Southside keeps it going in the 2nd half as they lead by 4 with about 10 minutes left and they win 64-57. In the Pool A 3rd place game, TC Elite White gets a layup with 17 seconds left for a 59-57 over the Tri-City Bulldogs.
Session 8
Back to the main gym to prep for the big 17U game, but 1st we have the 43 Hoops 16 B squad against TC Elite. 34-22 43 Hoops at the half. 42-36 43 Hoops with 9:30 to play and coach Hemmingsen not happy with his team's effort. They win 57-45.
Session 9
To the main attraction of the 1st 2 days, Heat Elite 17s vs 43 Hoops Carr 16s. 1st half very back and forth. 43 Hoops with a 27-24 lead. The Heat's Jesse George leads all scorers with 7 1st half points thanks to his outside shooting. Marquel Curtis leads 43 Hoops with 6 points in the half. 43 Hoops extends the lead to 8 with 13 minutes left. Then a pair of horrible charging calls on Ryan Duxbury and then the magical moment of the day. Zach Riedeman and Jordan Van Eps swap elbows and both get thrown out. But no free throws are shot. Very strange and very consistent with the strange officiating in this game. Curtis with a triple and the lead is 10 with the game being very helter skelter which favors 43 Hoops. 43 Hoops goes on to win 69-51. Jordan Smith with 4 triples and 14 points for the victors. Marquel Curtis and Ross Travis (nice minutes from him) with 11 each. Jesse George leads the Heat with 15 points and Nick Quicksell with 12 points on my sheet.
Session 10
The Redhawks use their talons to rip and tear apart Select-Kruger to the tune of 29-4 with 8 minutes left in the 1st half. 94 Feet only up 9 on SW MN Heat at the half but they roll to an 18 point win, 69-51. Redhawks win 63-31.
Session 11
Heat Select move on over the Midtown Kings in a 15U playin game. MN Select hang on in their 15U playin game with a 61-56 win over TC Elite White. 43 Hoops 16U Hemmingsen buries P-Town (a group of Wayzata kids) 95-26. Comets Blue with a 55-53 win over Select James to throw Pool A into complete chaos (bottom 3 teams all 1-2). But Select James still wins the point differental battle so I think they'll be the 2 seed from the pool.
Bracket games for Sunday (games in bracket order)
17U
43 Hoops 17U Hemmingsen vs SW MN Heat/MN Heat Elite winner
Redhawks vs Prior Lake/Triple Threat-Weber winner
43 Hoops 16U Carr vs Comets Blue/Select Kruger winner
94 Ft of Game vs Comets North/Select James winner
16U
43 Hoops 16U Hemmingsen vs Wizard's Den
TC Elite vs MN Select
MSB vs TNL
Comets White vs MN Heat Elite
15U
MN Southside vs MN Heat Select
Comets Elite vs MN Select
43 Hoops vs Tri-City Bulldogs/TC Elite Black
Dakota Schoolers 14U vs winner of Comets White/Dakota Schoolers 15U
Session 1
TC Elite 16s up 28-23 at the break over Comets White. They quickly extend the lead to 13 and then out to 21 late. 63-45 final. MN Heat Select 15s open up a 20 point halftime lead that gets cut to 13 in the 2nd half but they win 59-44.
Top game of the session was the Comets Elite 15s against TC Elite Black. Black up 27-13 with 5:15 left in the 1st half but they give up a 17-4 Comets run to end the 1st half to only lead 31-30 at the break. Black by 7 with 8:32 to play and they up that lead to 10, but the Comets won't go away. Austin Pohlen (Grand Rapids) drills a triple with 2:07 left for a 63-61 Comets lead. Black with a triple with 33 seconds left to tie the game at 66. The Comets play for 1 and Jim Unger (Willmar) drives left baseline and makes a floater with 3 seconds left for a 68-66 Comets win. Nice comeback win for them against a solid TC Black team.
Session 2
To the main gym to check in on the Heat 17 Elites against Comets North. They're out of the gate 11-0 thanks to a quick start from Ryan Duxbury. The lead extends to 16 in the 1st half. The Heat don't put the game away and North is within 10 with 11:07 to play. A 12-2 Heat run over the next 2:45 puts the game out of reach. Heat win 67-52.
Session 3
I stay in the main gym for my 1st look at the Select-Kruger squad against the SW MN Heat. Worth noting here that this Heat team (not affliated or to be confused with the Minnesota Heat mentioned previously) is playing up a level as the TBD team in pool C. Marshall point guard Caleb Johnson on hand, but the Heat are so small he's playing the post. 16-6 Heat lead with 7 minutes left in the half as Zak Pendleton has a pair of triples. But the Heat go cold and Select comes back for a 22-18 lead at the half. The game never gets out of hand, but the Heat never really threaten. 57-53 Select wins. Caleb Johnson with 9 points and 14 rebounds for the Heat on my stat sheet.
Session 4
I like this gym as the 43 Hoops 16 B team is playing against the Comets White team. The Comets pack in a 1-2-2 zone daring 43 Hoops to shoot over it as they don't have the athletes to matchup. Works well as the Comets get out to a 8-2 lead with 12:29 left in the half (triples again) and coach Grant Hemmingsen is not at all pleased with his team's defense. They crank up a 3 quarter court 1-2-2 trap and Jeremy Borg's entrance into the game gives them a spark (a pair of high post buckets against the zone were big). The Comets may not have scored a field goal the rest of the half. 33-15 43 Hoops at the half but they shot 2-13 from 3 on my sheet.
TC Elite Black 15s steamroll the 14U Midtown Kings 77-33 after a 47-11 start. Heat Select 15s win 49-35 over MN Select. Comets 15 Elites up 14 with 3 to play against the Schoolers 14s but give up 9 in a row to make it interesting. Comets hold on 65-58.
Session 5
In 17s action, Prior Lake (a good chunk of their varsity team) against 43 Hoops II. Prior Lake out to a 14-5 lead with 8:30 left in the half in a shocker. So much for that, 43 Hoops comes back big to win 67-36. Dominique Dawson with 3 straight putbacks as the run put 43 Hoops over the top.
The rest of the games were 16s. MN Heat Elite 16s hammered the MN Select 16s 63-27 after giving up a bucket to start the game, then countering with a 12-0 run. Rob Daul with a nasty tape job on his leg thanks to softball. Almost looks like plaster of paris or a cast. TNL up 15 on Wizard's Den late in the 1st half. They raid the Den in the 2nd half for a 75-41 win.
Session 6
43 Hoops-Carr and the Heat 17 Elite roll in warmups for their clash in session 9. Carr by 23 at the half, Heat by 18 at the half. Heat win 79-45. 43 Hoops Carr wins 86-65.
Session 7
A nice 15U session with pools A and B up for grabs. In pool A, the Schoolers 15s vs MN Southside. In pool B, 43 Hoops-Daniels vs Heat Select. 43 Hoops up 33-5 with 7:20 in the 1st half. Yikes. Needless to say I saw that score from the main gym and immediately went back to the Southside game. Schoolers giving Southside all they want with a 21-8 lead with 8:39 left in the 1st half. Southside claws back and cuts the deficit to 32-28 at the break. Southside keeps it going in the 2nd half as they lead by 4 with about 10 minutes left and they win 64-57. In the Pool A 3rd place game, TC Elite White gets a layup with 17 seconds left for a 59-57 over the Tri-City Bulldogs.
Session 8
Back to the main gym to prep for the big 17U game, but 1st we have the 43 Hoops 16 B squad against TC Elite. 34-22 43 Hoops at the half. 42-36 43 Hoops with 9:30 to play and coach Hemmingsen not happy with his team's effort. They win 57-45.
Session 9
To the main attraction of the 1st 2 days, Heat Elite 17s vs 43 Hoops Carr 16s. 1st half very back and forth. 43 Hoops with a 27-24 lead. The Heat's Jesse George leads all scorers with 7 1st half points thanks to his outside shooting. Marquel Curtis leads 43 Hoops with 6 points in the half. 43 Hoops extends the lead to 8 with 13 minutes left. Then a pair of horrible charging calls on Ryan Duxbury and then the magical moment of the day. Zach Riedeman and Jordan Van Eps swap elbows and both get thrown out. But no free throws are shot. Very strange and very consistent with the strange officiating in this game. Curtis with a triple and the lead is 10 with the game being very helter skelter which favors 43 Hoops. 43 Hoops goes on to win 69-51. Jordan Smith with 4 triples and 14 points for the victors. Marquel Curtis and Ross Travis (nice minutes from him) with 11 each. Jesse George leads the Heat with 15 points and Nick Quicksell with 12 points on my sheet.
Session 10
The Redhawks use their talons to rip and tear apart Select-Kruger to the tune of 29-4 with 8 minutes left in the 1st half. 94 Feet only up 9 on SW MN Heat at the half but they roll to an 18 point win, 69-51. Redhawks win 63-31.
Session 11
Heat Select move on over the Midtown Kings in a 15U playin game. MN Select hang on in their 15U playin game with a 61-56 win over TC Elite White. 43 Hoops 16U Hemmingsen buries P-Town (a group of Wayzata kids) 95-26. Comets Blue with a 55-53 win over Select James to throw Pool A into complete chaos (bottom 3 teams all 1-2). But Select James still wins the point differental battle so I think they'll be the 2 seed from the pool.
Bracket games for Sunday (games in bracket order)
17U
43 Hoops 17U Hemmingsen vs SW MN Heat/MN Heat Elite winner
Redhawks vs Prior Lake/Triple Threat-Weber winner
43 Hoops 16U Carr vs Comets Blue/Select Kruger winner
94 Ft of Game vs Comets North/Select James winner
16U
43 Hoops 16U Hemmingsen vs Wizard's Den
TC Elite vs MN Select
MSB vs TNL
Comets White vs MN Heat Elite
15U
MN Southside vs MN Heat Select
Comets Elite vs MN Select
43 Hoops vs Tri-City Bulldogs/TC Elite Black
Dakota Schoolers 14U vs winner of Comets White/Dakota Schoolers 15U
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