3 wins in 3 days is good prep for Mpls. North

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1 WEEKLY ROUNDUP *Springfield s Fink, Hastings Carlson score 2,000th *Rush City girls 14-0 with daunting defense *Two unbeatens fall Volume 24 Issue No. 9 January Jefferson s Cole Aldrich proves to be NBA survivor By Bruce Strand How does a guy stick around in the NBA for eight seasons while averaging a little over three points and three rebounds in his career? Nasir El-Amin of Minneapolis North drives against Roosevelt s Eric Atson duing a victory on Friday. Bruce Strand, Minnesota Basketball News 3 wins in 3 days is good prep for Mpls. North By Bruce Strand The Minneapolis North boys love challenges, and that includes playing three games in three days, against quality teams. Last week, the No. 2 ranked Class 2A team beat Minneapolis Henry on Thursday night and Minneapolis Roosevelt on Friday night, both at home. Then ventured to Caledonia on Saturday and nipped the No. 4 ranked Warriors We do that every year. We want the kids to get a feel of playing in a big tournament, coach Larry McKenzie explained, adding that they went 3-0 in the same situation last year. The Polars (10-3), who were Class A state champions the past two years and moved up to Class 2A this year, load up the schedule with as many ranked teams as they can, both in and out of state. Mpls. North: continued on page 2 In Cole Aldrich s case, local fans are happy to see him in the NBA because the 6-foot-11 center from Bloomington Jefferson is one of the few Minnesotans in the league (currently five), he s by all accounts a good guy and solid citizen, and now he s playing for the Timberwolves. But how does one earn that lofty NBA paycheck while limited, this season for instance, to 11 games, seven points and four rebounds total? His most productive seasons, for the record, were with the Knicks, averaging 5.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 16 minutes, and with the Clippers, averaging 5.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes. Cole is there for two real reasons, explains Terry Kunze, the Minnesota Basketball News pro and college analyst. He is a good teammate, and has enough experience that he can help them in an emergency if players go Cole Aldrich: continued on page 3

2 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page 2 North: 10-3 record includes 3-1 against other states Continued from page 1 Their losses have come against Apple Valley 81-79, Eden Prairie 69-57, and Corliss, Illinois, Along with Caledonia, they have beaten Brooklyn Center, South Dakota power Tea Area, and North Lawndale Prep of Chicago. On Thursday evening, they took on Class 2A s top-ranked Minneahaha Area in a possible state finals preview. We ll have a report on that next week. The Polars boast two of the 26 seniors named as Mr. Basketball contenders in Odell Wilson IV, barrel-chested, 6-foot-6 post averaging 19.9 points and 8.7 rebounds, and Tayler Johnson, 6-foot-3 forward averaging 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 steals. Others in their top eight are junior guard Eli Campbell (12.8 ppg), eighth-grade guard Tre Holloman (9.4), junior guard Nasir El-Amin (6.4), junior forward Omar Brown (5.3), senior guard Zion Sanford (3.9) and 6-foot-8 senior center Da Koi Hines (2.9). In the win at Caledonia, Holloman delivered the winning points on two free shots with seven seconds left, when fouled on a drive. Springfield, Hastings stars reach 2,000 points Springfield junior Isaac Fink scored 41 points and passed the 2,000-point marker in a win over Minnesota Valley Lutheran on Jan. 19. The 6-foot-4 guard averaging 22.5 points for the Tigrs (13-1) in his fourth year as a starter had been battling the flu all week, but, as he told the New Ulm Journal, he was determined to score his 2,000th at home because his 1,000th came on the road. Needing 39 points, Fink got there by sinking two free shots with 3:42 left. The game was stopped. The first of many teammates to hug him was Tanner Vogel, who s Tre Holloman, 8th-grade starter for North, rebounds against Roosevelt. Bruce Strand, MN Basketball News Tre is something special. He is an eighth-grader, starting on a pretty good team, McKenzie said, adding that Tre s mom, Crystal Flint, coaches the Polar girls, and his brother Marquis, a 2017 graduate, plays for North Dakota Science. Campbell sank 19 points, Johnson 18, Odell Wilson 14, El-Amin 12 and Holloman nine against Caledonia. The Polars couldn t stop Caledonia s King brothers as 2,000-point senior Owen King had 27 points and 1,000-point sophomore Noah King added 22, but nobody else got more than seven. Those King boys are as good as anybody you ll see, McKenzie said. The basketball players all play football also, and went 10-1 this fall with conference and section championships before falling to eventual state champion Caledonia 38-0 in the the first round of state. So there was a little revenge involved on Saturday. Johnson and Odell are being recruited even more for football than basketball, McKenzie said. Along with trips to Sioux Falls to meet Tea Area, and to Chicago for the games against North Lawndale and Corliss, the Polars will meet a ranked Wisconsin team, Kaukauna, in the annual Border Battle at Stevens Point on Jan. 27. And they beat an Illinois team in their own holiday tournament. So far, they ve upheld Minnesota s honor with a 3-1 record against other states. been a starter alongside Fink all four years. Vogel had 21 points and 11 rebounds. Krystal Carlson of Hastings notched her 2,000th point on Jan. 18 while scoring 21 points in a loss to Tartan. The 5-foot-11 senior forward is averaging 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds for the Raiders (10-6), while her sophomore teammate Mallory Brake adds 18.4 ppg. Carlson, committed to Sioux Falls University, has been a double-digit scorer since eighth grade, with a high of 21 ppg as a sophomore. She is the school s all-time hoops point leader for boys and girls.

3 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page 3 Adrich: in 8th NBA season with 7th team Continued from page 1 down. He accepts his role, and he is a positive locker room influence. Few players No. 12 to 15 on an NBA roster see the floor often, and if such a player is unhappy and a negative influence, he s harder to keep, said Kunze, a former Gopher, European pro and college coach who watches the NBA zealously. It takes a special person to accept that role and still work his butt off in practice without animosity, Kunze said. These types of players with size can hang on in the league for years. Aldrich is living proof. Aldrich, 29, has played for seven NBA teams. In two seasons with Oklahoma City, he shuttled between OKC and their D-League team in Tulsa. In the season, he suited up with Toronto, Houston, and Sacramento. That was followed by two seasons as a New York Knick, one with the Los Angeles Clippers and the last two with the Timberwolves. In 328 NBA games, Aldrich has notched 1,050 points and 1,117 rebounds while shooting 53 percent on field goals and 75 percent at the line. His most productive NBA game was a 21-point, 18-rebound, five-steal effort with the Clippers in a win over Utah on April 8, In January of that same season he logged 19 points and seven rebounds in a win over Miami. In July 2016, he signed with the Timberwolves for a reported three years and $21.9 million, his first multi-year deal, ending a string of one-year contracts. I m happy to be here, he told the Pioneer Press after joining the Wolves. This is home for me and it always will be home, whether I m with the Wolves or another team. Cole and wife Brittany are generous with their time and resources, the Pioneer Press reported last summer. They had contributed a substantial amount to a Kansas charity game for families fighting cancer, headed a back-pack giveaway, hosted Salvation Army families for Christmas, journeyed to Peru to help with a hearing project and volunteered at Wolves and Lynx camps. Colleges had Aldrich on their radar early. In ninth grade, at 6-foot 9 and 225 pounds with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, he was already starting for Jefferson. His senior year, 2007, Cole Aldrich he led Bloomington Jefferson to the state tournament and capped his prep career with a 32-point, 21-rebound performance at the Target Center. The Jaguars lost a heartbreaker to Apple Valley That was the year Buffalo was Class 4A champion. After amassing 1,607 points and 1,226 rebounds for the Jaguars, he was Metro Player of the Year for the Pioneer Press and Star-Tribune, and a Mr. Basketball finalist, although that award went to Hopkins Blake Hoffarber. Rivals.com ranked Aldrich No. 30 overall and No. 6 among centers in the nation. He picked one of the best programs, Kansas. Aldrich was part of an NCAA champion at Kansas his first season. Although he played sparingly behind three NBA draft picks, he had an excellent Final Four semifinal against North Carolina minutes, eight rebounds, seven points and four blocked shots. As a sophomore, Aldrich averaged 14.9 points and 11 rebounds and made All-Big Twelve first team. He averaged 11.3 points and 9.8 rebounds as a junior. In three seasons, he was on the winning team in all 55 home games. Always an excellent student, he was named CoSIDA Basketball Academic All- American of the year by ESPN The Magazine in In the 2010 NBA draft, he was the 11th pick, by New Orleans, and traded to Oklahoma City the same day, starting an NBA tenure now in its eighth year. Most high school stars would be ecstatic if you told them they d last eight years in the NBA. Despite never being a starter, he has far surpassed the average career length of 4.8 years. Currently only five Minnesotans are playing the NBA, two with their hometown team, as Apple Valley s Tyus Jones is the Timberwolves No. 2 point guard, in his third pro season. Other active Minnesotans in the NBA are Jon Leuer (Orono) of the Detroit Pistons, in his ninth year with his sixth team; Mike Muscala (Roseville) in his fifth year with the Atlanta Hawks; and Rashad Vaughn (Robbinsdale Cooper) in his second year with the Milwaukee Bucks. Two others had long NBA careers end last year: Kris Humphries (Hopkins, 13 years) and Alan Anderson (DeLaSalle, eight year). The longest-lasting NBA players from Minnesota with 13 seasons each were Hall-of- Famer Kevin McHale of Hibbing (Boston Celtics) and career backup Joel Przybilla of Monticello (five teams).

4 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page 4 Rush City (14-0) rides shut-down D By Bruce Strand Rush City s girls have lost just once in their last 37 games. That loss came against Sauk Centre, 52-50, in last year s Section 6AA championship game. With the same starting five as last year, the No. 4 ranked Tigers (14-0) might earn a section rematch with No. 1 ranked Sauk Centre (16-0). But that s a subject for a month from now. We take one game at a time, so, as far as playing the Mainstreeters, we will see if we get that far, Rush City coach Joe Nelson said, adding that Albany, St Cloud Cathedral, Milaca, and Foley are solid section rivals as well. Coming off last year s 25-1 season, Rush City keeps winning the same way, with stout defense and balanced scoring. The Tigers are yielding only 32 points per game, and nobody s gotten 50. Their closest calls have been wins of over Pine City (12-3) and over Holy Family Catholic (12-4). Rush City has four double-digit scorers. Junior forward Shawna Mell averages 15 points and nine rebounds per game; junior forward Jamie Guptill 12 points, 12 rebounds and 2.5 blocks; junior guard Elena Herbeg 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals; and junior guard Kaylyn Bowen 12 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals. Also in the top six are senior forward Stephanie Braund (5 ppg) and junior guard Katie McDonald (3 ppg). Rush City s vaunted defense is strictly half-court manto-man, which reaps about 10 steals per game and makes opponents work hard to get shots off. We try to frustrate them, making it hard to get a good look at the basket, Nelson said. During practices, Nelson said, his defensive specialist Rush City s Jamie Guptill (40) soars to disrupt a shot by Braham s Amelia Fiedler in a win in December. Photo by Sara Anderson assistants Erika Matzke Stoltz and Bob Schlagel, drill the team on defenses working in stations. We try to learn as much as we can about the opponents offenses so we know who to hedge and when to switch on picks, said Nelson, who scouts and views films extensively with Schlagel and a friend, Jerry Moses. Pine City s 49 points were the most they ve given up, but it was a defensive play that clinched that victory as well on Jan. 12. Herberg blocked a shot under the basket just before the horn, after Guptill scored the go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left off a pass from Bowen. Rush City has never gone to state in girls basketball. With five juniors in the top six, they re in the second season of a three-year window of opportunity to change that.

5 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page pacesetter MINNESOTA Youth Basketball State Championship REGION PLAYOFFS Region Champions invited to the MN State Championship. Teams with one loss invited to the MIT. Top two teams at STATE advance to Target Center in Minneapolis. Detroit Lakes 5th Grade Girls 2017 Great Four-State Champs Lake City 7th Grade Girls 2017 Great Four-State Champs Minnesota won 5 of the 12 GREAT STATE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES! ML/WR 5th Grade Boys 2017 Great Four-State Champs Wisconsin joining in 2018! MN - IA - ND - SD - WI ROAD TO TARGET CENTER! 5 - state championship Wisconsin is joining in 2018! New London-Spicer 8th Grade Girls 2017 Great Four-State Champs Sauk Centre 9th Grade Girls 2017 Great Four-State Champs All grades refer to the school year. Hometown Team guideline: All players on a team must either be enrolled in the same school system or live or attend school in the same city, the same school district or the same tribal community. Smaller schools may combine to form one team if the combined enrollment of their high schools for grades 9-12 is 400 or fewer. Schools that combine should be from neighboring schools. Team Entry Form - Minnesota Region Playoffs Questions?? Call Pacesetter at or info@pacesetternet.com Website: Follow our Facebook page: Pacesetter Basketball Region Playoff Schedule ALL GRADES REFER TO THE SCHOOL YEAR 4B = 4th grade boys Teams may register for more than one region. 4G = 4th grade girls See back for details. Region 1 Site Date 4G, 6G, 8G, 5B, 7B, 9B RCTC (Rochester) March 24 5G, 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B, 8B RCTC (Rochester) March 25 Region 2 Site Date 5G, 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B, 8B MN State - Mankato April 21 4G, 6G, 8G, 5B, 7B, 9B MN State - Mankato April 22 Region 3 Site Date 5G, 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B, 8B Redwood Falls March 24 4G, 6G, 8G, 5B, 7B, 9B Redwood Falls March 25 Region 4 Site Date 6G, 8G, 5B *(UPDATED) Willow River April 7 5G, 7G, 4B *(UPDATED) Willow River April 8 4G, 7B, 9B Moose Lake April 7 9G, 6B, 8B Moose Lake April 8 Region 5 Site Date 4B, 6B, 8B Paynesville April 7 5B, 9B, 8G Paynesville April 8 5G, 7G, 9G Paynesville April 14 4G, 6G, 7B Paynesville April 15 Region 6 Site Date 5G, 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B, 8B Moorhead April 14 4G, 6G, 8G, 5B, 7B, 9B Moorhead April 15 Region 7 Site Date 6G Hibbing April 14 6B, 9B, 9G Hibbing April 15 4G, 8G, 5B, 7B Grand Rapids April 14 5G, 7G, 4B, 8B Grand Rapids April 15 Region 8 Site Date 4G, 6G, 8G, 5B, 7B, 9B Bemidji April 21 5G, 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B, 8B Bemidji April 22 Minnesota State Championships Maple Grove MS 4G, 6G, 5B, 8B MIT - MN Invitational June 9 4G, 6G, 5B, 8B State Championship June 10 5G, 8G, 4B, 6B MIT - MN Invitational June 16 5G, 8G, 4B, 6B State Championship June 17 7G, 9G, 7B, 9B MIT - MN Invitational June 23 7G, 9G, 7B, 9B State Championship June game guarantee Registration Deadline: 12 days before tournament All players are from one school district. School district (Check one) Combined team. School districts (See back for details) Site: Grade Circle: Boys or Girls Team Rating: Strong Good Fair Weak (Circle one ) Team Contact Team Color/Name: (needed if two teams from same school register) Cell # Alt # Mailing address (Street) (City) (State) (Zip) address ( address required - Confirmation will be sent via - Please write legibly) Alternate Contact Cell # Send check and this form to PACESETTER, PO BOX 222, PAYNESVILLE, MN Registration also available online at $180/team per tournament The Minnesota State Champion and Runner-up in each grade are invited to the Great Five-State Championships in Minneapolis. FREE Timberwolves Tickets ( season) All players will receive a free ticket offer!

6 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page 6 Outgoing coach: stresses tougher than policing By Bruce Strand Brainerd boys coach Scott Stanfield announced recently that he will step down due to the strain of dealing with parents. While he s not the first coach worn down by moms and dads, the Brainerd Dispatch reports, what s remarkable in Stansfield s case is that he was a career police officer and found more aggravation in coaching. I go from being a cop to this, and it s one stressful job to another and it s time for a break. Coaching was worse. Coaching has been way worse, he told the Dispatch in a feature by Jeremy Millsop. Stanfield elaborated: If you win, it doesn t matter. If you lose, it doesn t matter. If their kid doesn t get enough playing time look out. This is Stanfield s seventh year as head coach and 22nd year in the program. He had a state tournament team in his second season (2013) as head coach. His record is and his current team is 5-9. Brainerd activities director Charlie Campbell sent out a letter announcing that Stanfield and his whole staff would resign following the season, giving this reason: It is hard for any of our coaches, including coach Stanfield, to find joy in this vocation when met with a general dissatisfaction, anger and/or hostility from an increasing number of parents. Stanfield told the Dispatch that the coaching staff and parents are not on the same page as to what they want kids to get out of the basketball experience, stemming from clashes between school ball and AAU programs. Unfortunately, he said, one side wants things done one way and the other wants it the correct way, which is about educating our kids for life beyond a sport. That s what we ve tried to do. The coach stressed that the majority of parents he s dealt with have been very supportive but one group over the last couple of years have weighed on my mind. His perception is that parents start paying their way through the AAU experience when the kids are young, and get frustrated when they reach the high school team and are not starters. (Parents) see their investment in time and money is not paying off, he said. Unbeatens fall: Willmar girls (to Alex), St. Charles boys (to Lake City) By Bruce Strand It took almost two months, but Willmar finally lost a basketball game. The Cardinal girls lost Tuesday to Alexandria (also called Cardinals) in Alexandria. The Willmar girls are now The Willmar boys remain unbeaten at Alexandria cashed 26 of 31 free shots to pull off the mild upset, capped by Emily Jones sinking two clinchers with seven seconds left, the Echo Press reported. Willmar was 18-for-29. Jones and Courtney Gould scored 13 points each for Alexandria (11-3). Cayle Hovland sank 14 and Hannah Johnson 12 for Willmar. Alexandria and Willmar share the Central Lakes Conference lead at 7-1 and will meet again in the conference finale Feb. 22. The St. Charles boys were jettisoned from the unbeaten ranks when Lake City (13-3) shot almost 60 percent and drubbed the Saints on Saturday, the Red Wing Republican Eagle reported. Nathan Heise and Zach Bremer poured in 20 points each and Marc Kjos 19. The Tigers also out-rebounded the Saints with Bremer snagging 15 and Reid Gastner 11. Keagan Maloney led St. Charles with 19 points. The Fighting Saints, who had won their first 14 games, then lost again to Rushford-Peterson on Tuesday. Seven girls teams remain undefeated Eastview and Wayzata in Class 4A; none in 3A; Sauk Centre, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton and Rush City in Class 2A; and Menahga in Class 1A. Five boys teams remain unbeaten Columbia Heights and Willmar in Class 3A; Perham in Class 2A; and North Woods and Russell-Tyler-Ruthton in 1A. There s none in Class 4A. (When we listed boys unbeatens last week we forgot to mention Columbia Heights. Sorry about that, Hylanders.)

7 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page 7 VARSITY BOYS & GIRLS 2018 PACESETTER For Strong Teams Only! Saturday - Sunday, July College of St. Benedict St. Joseph, MN (4 miles west of St. Cloud) The Pacesetter Minnesota Invitational Tournament has been one of the premier summer tournaments in the Midwest since NBA players Joel Przybilla, Mike Miller, Kris Humphries, and Nate Wohlers are a few of the many top male and female players who have played in the MIT. The top teams from the 5-state area of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin are invited annually. Each year teams participate. All teams play 5-6 games in two days. Teams play in regional brackets on Saturday (3-4 games) and advance to Final Four brackets based on Saturday results for Sunday (2 games). Teams that win the prestigious MIT championships will receive individual plaques. Teams with high finishes receive medals with neck ribbons. One of the top facilities in the area will host this event: Clemens Fieldhouse and Claire Lynch gym at The College of St. Benedict (St. Joseph). Interested teams are encouraged to register soon to hold a spot. Registration Deadline: July 13 (if not already filled) Entry Fee $280 Online Registration: Contact Information: Jeff McCarron at jeff@pacesetternet.com or call Tracey at FOR STRONG TEAMS ONLY! Circle One: Boys Girls School Team Contact Person address (required) Cell Alternate Phone Mailing Address Alternate Contact Alternate s Cell #

8 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page 8 ALSO outstanding: Woodbury guard By Bruce Strand Michael Jones is the best player you might not have heard much about, the Star-Tribune pointed out last week in a tribute to the Woodbury senior guard who is pouring in 28 points per game. Jones is relatively under the radar with so much attention this year going to Apple Valley s prep All-American Tre Jones (signed by Duke) and three high-profile Gopher recruits, Jarvis Omersa of Orono, Daniel Oturu of Cretin-Derham Hall and Gabe Kalscheuer of DeLaSalle. The sweet-shooting, 6-foot-5 Jones, who averaged 24.9 points as a junior, has signed with Davidson, the North Carolina team that produced Stephen Curry. Michael Jones Jones told the Star-Tribune he s satisfied just being part of such a strong senior group in the state. I don t feel the need to worry about the rankings or anything. I m just trying to go out and make sure I m better than I was the day before. The Owatonna boys toppled another top-five opponent Friday evening. The Huskies tripped Mankato East 77-67, three nights after handing Austin its first loss You could just tell that mentally they came in with a lot of confidence, coach Josh Williams told the Owatonna People s Press. I think it 100 percent helped that we were coming off a big win. We had all five starters in double figures again and played really well on defense. Nolan Malo canned five 3-pointers on the way to 21 points. Dalton Kubista added 16 points, Alex Raichle 12 points, Andrew Jackson 11 and Jason Williamson 10 (with 11 rebounds). The Huskies are 9-4 with six straight wins. Edmon Oyet scored 20 and Damani Hayes 15 for the Cougars (13-2). The West Central Area boys played three consecutive days (Jan ) and won all three, shooting 55 percent from the field. The Knights (9-6) beat Sebeka 64-50, shooting 26-for-46, led by Brady Sabolik with 19 points; then cruised over Clinton-Graceville- Beardsley, shooting 32-for-50, with Jack VanKempen and Logan Paulson hitting 13 points each and Sabolik and Dawson Staples 12 each; and topped Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 83-63, shooting 30-for-55, with VanKempen and Staples netting 21 points each, Paulson 19, and Sabolik 10, with nine assists. The Knights stayed hot Tuesday and gave coach Kraig Hunter his 300th win over Hillcrest Lutheran. (Echo Press reports) The Hopkins Royals, without their leading scorer, claimed their 16th consecutive win, over No. 4 Eden Prairie on Friday. Anthony Davis netted 21 points, Blaise Beauchamp 18, Kerwin Walton 16, Dane Zimmer 12 and Joe Hedstrom 11. With Zeke Nnaji sidelined with an ankle sprain, Zimmer filled in nicely. No. 2 ranked Hopkins lost its opener to No. 1 Cretin-Derham Hall and has won every game since. For Eden Prairie, Austin Andrews hit 20 points, and Connor Christensen and Drake Dobbs 18 each. JUMP SHOTS Travis Visser of Hinckley-Finlayson grabbed his 1,000th career rebound during a win over Crosby-Ironton on Jan. 18. The 6-4 senior is averaging 23.4 points and 12.6 rebounds for the Jaguars (14-2) and has scored 1,658 career points... Grand Rapids senior guard Nate Seelye poured in a career-high 45 points in a win at Hermantown on Tuesday... The Fulda boys drilled 19 three-point shots in a win over Edgerton on Jan. 19. Freshman Zach Thier had five of them on the way to 16 points, Matthias Kunerth scored 20 points and Tyler Madison 15 for the Raiders (7-7)... LeRoy- Ostrander senior Seth Royston sank 37 points, including his 1,000th, in a win over Kenyon-Wanamingo on Tuesday New London-Spicer senior Brandon Adelman passed 1,000 career points while notching 31 points, eight rebounds and eight assists during an loss to Dassel- Cokato on Jan. 19 Jordan Tomkinson of Sacred Heart not only got his 1,000th point but delivered the gamewinning shot in a win over Northern Freeze on Jan. 18. He s averaging 22.7 points Ean Thomsen, Nicollet senior, reached 1,000 while scoring 30 points and making five steals in an win over Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial on Jan East Grand Forks senior Brooke Filipi got her 1,000th in a no-pressure situation, scoring 14 in a win over Fosston. It came on a fast break layup that made the score 32-2 in the first half Emily Verhoeven, Mankato West senior, sank a 3-pointer to reach 1,000 during a win over Rochester John Marshall on Jan. 9. The fifth-year point guard is averaging 11 points.

9 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page 9 Class 4A MBBN boys Top 20 Class 3A 1. Cretin-Derham Hall Hopkins Lakeville North Eden Prairie Apple Valley Osseo Park Center Edina Rochester John Marshall North St. Paul Tartan Chaska Woodbury East Ridge Wayzata Forest Lake Owatonna Prior Lake Maple Grove St. Michael - Albertville DeLaSalle Austin Columbia Heights Mankato East Marshall Orono Willmar Mahtomedi Northfield Sauk Rapids - Rice St. Thomas Academy Waseca Fridley Delano Bemidji St. Paul Johnson St. Croix Lutheran Monticello Mpls. Roosevelt Benilde-St. Margaret s 8-6 Deszi Sims of Minneapolis Roosevelt drives to the hoop against Minneapolis North in a game won by North Bruce Strand, Minnesota Basketball News

10 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page 10 MBBN boys Top 20 Class 2A Class 1A 1. Minnehaha Academy Minneapolis North Caledonia St. Cloud Cathedral Perham Brooklyn Center Holy Family Catholic Lake City St. Charles Annandale Esko Byron Breckenridge Melrose Virginia New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Jordan Maple Lake Eden Valley-Watkins Plainview-Elgin-Millville North Woods Springfield Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Nevis Mayer Lutheran Cass Lake-Bena Cleveland Hinckley-Finlayson Southwest MN Christian Sacred Heart Norman CountyEast/Ulen-Hitterdal Minneota Westbrook-Walnut Grove Hancock Wrenshall Parkers Prairie BOLD New Ulm Cathedral Cedar Mountain-Comfrey Ortonville 11-2 R eg i s ter To d a y! Pacesetter Championship Basketball Camps Summer 2018 Sascha Hansen 3-time state champion player B o y s & G i r l s G r ad e s 6-12 John Carlson 3-time state champion coach Boys & Girls Grades days 28 Hours June All-Skills Camp John Carlson Willmar, MN June All-Skills Camp John Carlson Sauk Rapids, MN June Combo Camp Paul McDonald Cloquet, MN June Shooting Camp Jeff McCarron Okoboji, IA July All-Skills Camp John Carlson, Steve Hucke & Tom Vix Rochester, MN July 1 (1 day) College Prep Camp Boys/Girls Grades 9-college freshman St. Joseph, MN Camps for CHAMPIONS by CHAMPIONS! Housing available Camp info/online registration

11 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page PACESETTER YOUTH BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT WINTER CLASSIC 4th-5th-6th-7th-8th Grade Boys & Girls Sat & Sun, March 3 & 4 Sat. - Girls Grades 5, 7 & Boys Grades 4, 6, 8 Sun. - Girls Grades 4, 6, 8 & Boys Grades 5, 7 College of St. Benedict - St. Joseph, MN Limit 16 teams per grade/gender Registration Deadline: Feb. 19 The Winter Classic will be held at The College of St. Benedict on Saturday & Sunday, March 3 & 4. This tournament is open to all boys and girls teams in grades All players must either be enrolled in the same school system or live or attend school in the same city, the same school district or tribal community. A maximum of 48 teams can be accepted each day due to court space. Each tournament is a ONE-day tournament. All teams will play 3-4 games. Championship teams will receive a team plaque, and top finishers will receive individual medals with neck ribbons. Registration is also available at Follow our Facebook Page: Pacesetter Basketball 2018 Winter Classic Circle gender: Boys or Girls Circle grade: Team Entry Form Questions? info@pacesetternet.com Team rating: (confidential) Strong Good Fair Weak School Team Color/Name (needed if two teams from same school enter) Team Contact Address (required - confirmation will be sent via ) Cell # Alternate # Mailing Address (Street) (City) (State) (Zip) Alternate Contact Cell # Mail check payable to Pacesetter & send with form to Pacesetter, PO Box 222, Paynesville, MN Registration fee $160/team 3-4 game guarantee Registration also available online at

12 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page 12 Class 4A 1. Eastview Wayzata Hopkins Lakeville North St. Michael- Albertville Champlin Park Centennial Cretin-Derham Hall Roseville Park Center Maple Grove Moorhead Minnetonka Farmington Park-Cottage Grove Edina Mpls. South Apple Valley Woodbury Anoka 10-8 MBBN Girls Top 20 Class 3A 1. Robbinsdale Cooper Northfield Mahtomedi DeLaSalle Holy Angels Willmar Hutchinson Waseca Chisago Lakes Red Wing Alexandria Fergus Falls Hermantown Grand Rapids Waconia Benilde-St. Margaret s Marshall New Ulm Mankato West Hibbing 11-6 Class 2A 1. Sauk Centre Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton Maranatha Christian Rush City Minnehaha Academy Roseau Stewartville Holy Family Catholic Norwood-Young America Tracy-Milroy- Balaton Eden Valley- Watkins New London- Spicer Barnesville Watertown- Mayer East Grand Forks St. Peter Caledonia Rochester Lourdes Zumbrota- Mazeppa Annandale 10-6 Class 1A 1. Lyle-Pacelli Mountain Iron-Buhl Hayfield Goodhue Menahga Ada-Borup/Norman County West Bigfork Stephen- Argyle Southwest MN Christian Minneota Lac qui Parle Valley Belgrade-Brooten- Elrosa Grand Meadow Red Lake BOLD Mayer Lutheran Pelican Rapids Wabasso Wheaton-Herman- Norcross Sleepy Eye 13-4 The Alexandria bench and coach Wendy Kohler cheered in the final seconds of their win over Willmar on Tuesday. Echo Press