Three reigning champions among No. 1 boys teams

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1 WEEKLY ROUNDUP *We pick top 50 players in each class for boys *State boys, girls top 20 s *Cleveland gears up again with scoring leader back Volume 24 Issue No. 2 December Three reigning champions among No. 1 boys teams By Bruce Strand Three defending state champions start the season ranked No. 1 by Minnesota Basketball News and there would be four except that Minneapolis North moved up a class. Despite formidable competition in each class, it s a no-brainer to install Apple Valley in Class 4A, DeLaSalle in Class 3A and Minnehaha Academy in Class 2A at the top spots, and then see what happens. In Class 1A, we dub North Woods (see separate article, next page). Class 4A The incomparable point guard Tre Jones has sparked Apple Valley to championships in 2015 and 2017 and he will go for the hat trick next March. The Duke bluechip recruit generated last year s title despite another D-1 player leaving the Eagles to play for a prep school. Several of Jones very capable role-playing cohorts in that title run are back under coach Zach Goring and the Eagles are ranked No. 8 nationally by USA Today. But there s no guarantees. Cretin-Derham Hall is loaded, including 6-foot-9 Gopher recruit Daniel Oturu. Park Center has five kids recruited by Division I schools. Hopkins, despite coming off a rare season not making state, is ranked 10th by USA Today. Vince Herber, Tre Jones and Michael Kromer- Thomas pose with their 2017 state championship trophy for Apple Valley. Class 3A DeLaSalle is riding the longest dynasty in state basketball history with six consecutive championships in Class 3A achieved mostly with blowout victories. The man who built the program to that level, Dave Thorson, left to become a college assistant at Drake University in Iowa. His successor is Travis Bledsoe, a DLS alum who had been coaching Centennial. The Islanders are Continued on Page 2

2 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News December 1 Page 2 In Class 1A: North Woods or Springfield? By Bruce Strand North Woods of Springfield? Those are the two obvious candidates for the No. 1 ranking in Class 1A once Minneapolis North vacated the position by moving up a class after cruising to two state small-school titles. The Minnesota Basketball News puts North Woods first, Springfield second, based mainly on last year s higher finish. Another agency doing preseason rankings went with Springfield. North Woods reached the state finals and lost to North to finish runner-up, while Springfield lost to North in the semifinals and finished fourth. Each team returns a major portion of its talent. Each also faces a tough road to get through their sections again. North Woods returns junior Cade Goggleye (18 ppg), senior Tate Olson (15 ppg), senior Brendon Parson (13.6 ppg), and junior Chase Kleppe (6.5 ppg) along with three backups. Graduating was George Bibeau, their top rebounder and a 9.8 ppg scorer. If we stay injury-free and work to our potential, we have a good chance, acknowledged coach Will Kleppe, adding, Bigfork, Chisholm, and Mountain Iron-Buhl will all be competitive in Section 7A. Apple Valley, DeLaSalle, Minnehaha head the lists Continued from Page 1 always loaded with at least a starting lineup full of college basketball-bound players gathered from around the metro area. They ve got six players in the MBBNs preseason top fifty for their class, led by a Gophers recruit, sweet-shooting Gabe Kalscheur. It didn t hurt that another stellar prospect, junior Jamison Battle, transferred from Benilde-St. Margaret s. Class 2A Minnehaha Academy cruised to the Class 2A crown last season led by a freshman who was already one of Cade Goggleye hit 18 ppg for North Woods last year. If North Woods were to capture the title in March, they would be the northernmost school ever to do so. Springfield s Isaac Fink, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, is coming off a monster sophomore season 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals per game. Fink has 1,685 points with two seasons to go and is probably the top player in Class 1A. Tiger firepower also includes senior Tanner Vogel (15 ppg last year, and 1,323 in his career) and sophomore Decker Scheffler (11 points, six rebounds and four assists, off the bench). The top seven also has Andrew Beckman, Mitchell Buerkle and Mitchell Leonard and Jordan Kieper. The Tigers anticipate a battle just making it back to state. We have four of the top teams in the state in our section us, Mayer Lutheran, Cleveland, Cedar Mountain-Comfrey so it will be a tough road, said coach Lance Larson. We will need to stay healthy and work hard to develop our depth by the time the tourney rolls around. Still, Class 1A is anybody s ballgame. The smallestschool class was always a wide-open affair before Minneapolis North dominated the last two seasons. We ve also got Cedar Mountain-Comfrey, Rushford-Peterson and Nevis in the initial top five. the most exciting athletes in the state in Jalen Suggs, a blue-chipper both as a cager and a quarterback. The Redhawks, coached by Lance Johnson, have five of our preseason Top 50 in the division, all veterans of last year s campaign. But Minneapolis North, which won five state big-school titles in the old days before hitting a decline and then being reincarnated under coach Larry McKenzie as a state power in the smallest division, has most of its firepower back and thinks it can play with anybody. There are several outstate powers as well, including Caledonia, Annandale and St. Cloud Cathedral in our initial top five.

3 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News December 1 Page 3 Kopet back to lead Cleveland By Bruce Strand The Cleveland boys won their first 18 games last year and finished 25-4 after losing Carter Kopet with a knee injury at midseason. The Clippers should be a contender again in Section 2A led by Kopet, whom coach Dan Fredrickson calls the best player in the (Mankato) area, regardless of class. Kopet, 6-foot-2 senior guard, scored 1,428 points in grades despite missing a total of 26 games, and led the Valley Conference in scoring twice. The Clippers are 42-2 with him in the lineup the last two years. Kopet is OK now. He passed for 2,078 yards and 55 touchdowns this fall, leading the Clippers to a 9-2 record, ending with a section finals loss to Spring Grove. He threw a staggering 185 TD passes in his career, the state record. Cleveland also returns 6-foot- 1 senior guard Austin Plonsky (17.9 ppg), two-time all-conference pick whom Fredrickson describes as an amazing competitor. Carter Kopet has missed 26 games but still scored 1,428 points the last 3 seasons. Hoping to crack into the metro stranglehold on Class 4A is St. Cloud Tech, 22-6 last year with four of the top players in the St. Cloud area back. Camden Jackson, senior guard, is already over 1,000 points and looks like a DII prospect. Trent Meyer, senior, transferred form Sartell after averaging double digits there last year. Two other Tigar standouts are headed for college football 6-foot-7 forward Brevyn Spann-Ford (Gophers) and guard James Kaczor (North Dakota State) Pelican Rapids, a two-time state champion (1984 and 2009), dropped from to Class 2A to Class 1A this year. The Vikings, 8-20 last year, return seniors Oakley Kress (13.9 ppg) and Jacob Gottenborg (12.9 ppg). Andy Berkvam, who coached a state girls basketball champion at Lakeville North (2007), enters his fifth season as boys coach for his hometown Northfield Raiders. I am very excited about my team this year, Berkvam stated. I finally have a team that can play different defenses and play the transition game well. Alex Rasmussen, a 6-foot-3 guard who made All-Big nine last year, is the floor leader. Mason Zick, a 6-foot-6 junior who can play anywhere on the floor was the best player by the end of last season, Berkvam said. Mankato East boys coach Joe Madson acknowledges that there are high expectations for the Cougars, who are returning 48 of their 65 points per game from a team. Damani Hayes, 6-foot-4 senior, averaged 19.3 points and starts the season with 994, likely to topple the school record of 1,288 by Ben Kaus (2001). Ghana Ochan, 6-foot-6 junior, is getting lots of college attention, while Edmond Ovet, 6-foot-3 senior, had a terrific summer and is also getting noticed, Madson said. Delano basketball all-stater Calvin Wishart went out for football this fall, for the first time, and all he did was catch 57 passes from Mike Shoultz for 1,251 yards and 13 touchdowns in a 7-2 season, earning Star-Tribune first-team All-Metro honors. Wishart, a 6-foot-1 guard, averaged 26.6 points last year and 18.7 as a sophomore. Breckenridge is led by Noah Christensen, 6-foot-8 junior forward who averaged 17 points and nine rebounds last year, and Derek Dahlgren, 6-foot-3 senior guard who averaged 15 points. Dahlgren missed the playoffs after breaking a bone in his foot in the last regular season game. The Cowboys still won their section and finished 25-4 with two losses at the state tournament. Lake City, which upset Caledonia in the Section 1AA finals last year, brings back three double-digit scorers in senior Marc Kjos (15.5 ppg) and sophomores Nate Heise (11.5) and Reid Gastner (11.1). The trio combined for 229 three-pointers last year, each hitting 45 to 47 percent.

4 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News December 1 Page Pacesetter Youth Basketball Great Five-State Championships Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin teams to vie for titles at Target Center Boys and girls teams from five states, in grades 4-9, will play in the 2018 Pacesetter Youth Basketball Great Five-State Championships, which will be returning to newly-renovated Target Center in Minneapolis after playing in the Xcel Energy Center last summer. Pacesetter Sports, which began in 1980, has now invited Wisconsin youth teams in grades 4-9 to join teams from Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota in the Pacesetter Great 5-State Championships for Over 1,000 teams are expected to play in Pacesetter state playoffs. The champion, and possibly the runner-up, from each state will advance to play in the Pacesetter Great Five-State Championships in Minneapolis at the Target Center, which has just undergone a $145 million renovation. This youth basketball playoff system supports school and community-based teams and is sponsored by the Minnesota Lynx and Timberwolves. The Pacesetter Great State games are scheduled to coincide with Lynx home games, so all players and families can attend a game. The Timberwolves support the Pacesetter playoff system by providing a free ticket offer to every participating player for the following season. Moose Lake-Willow River (blue jersey) defeated Williston (red) in the 2017 fifth-grade finals. loo and Pella. North Dakota will hold regional playoffs in Fargo and Mandan. South Dakota will hold a state championship in Yankton, and Wisconsin, in its first year in Pacesetter, will hold a state championship in Ripon. All teams that qualify for the Great State games at the Target Center will play three games in an 8-team bracket, using three courts, with all teams guaranteed at least one game on the main Target Center floor. The champions last year s Great State games included the following teams: 4th grade girls Bismarck Energy (ND) 5th grade girls Detroit Lakes (MN) 6th grade girls Bismarck Intensity (ND) 7th grade girls Lake City (MN) 8th grade girls New London-Spicer (MN) 9th grade girls Sauk Centre (MN) 4th grade boys Thompson (ND) 5th grade boys Moose Lake-Willow River (MN) 6th grade boys Sioux Falls (SD) Hurricanes 7th grade boys Cedar Rapids Jefferson (IA) 8th grade boys Cedar Falls Outlaws (IA) 9th grade boys Kindred-Richland (ND) In 2018 Minnesota teams will compete in an 8-region playoff system in Rochester/Stewartville, Mankato, Redwood Falls, Moose Lake/Willow River, Paynesville, Moorhead, Grand Rapids/Hibbing, and Bemidji. Iowa will hold regional playoffs in Cedar Falls/Water- All playoff sites are limited to 16 teams in each gender/ grade group. Teams may get further information and register online at

5 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News December 1 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. 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 24 Team Entry Form - Minnesota Region Playoffs 3-4 game guarantee 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 $170/team before Dec. 29 $180/team after Dec. 29 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 December 1 Page 6 MBBN preseason top 50 boys in each class Class 4A APPLE VALLEY Tre Jones, sr G Luke Martens, sr G Spencer Rolland, sr F Ely Hendrickson, sr G CAMBRIDGE-ISANTI Henry Abraham, so G CHAMPLIN PARK Josiah Strong, sr G Bennett Otto, jr G Kato Seley, jr G CHANHASSEN Chris Wandling, sr G CHASKA Cole Nicholson, jr F CRETIN-DERHAM HALL Jake Prince, sr F Daniel Oturu, sr F Ryan Larson, sr G Jaeden King, jr G EAST RIDGE Courtney Brown, jr F EDEN PRAIRIE Kyler Kluge, sr G Drake Dobbs, so G EDINA Anders Nelson, sr G ELK RIVER Jack Burger, sr F FOREST LAKE Manny Jingco, sr G HASTINGS Sawyer Levos, sr F HENRY SIBLEY Rieshaun Satar, sr G HOPKINS Anthony Davis, sr G Blaise Beauchamp, so G Joe Hedsrom, sr C Zeke Nnaji jr C LAKEVILLE NORTH Tyler Wahl, jr G LAKEVILLE SOUTH Shae Mitchell, sr F MPLS. SOUTHWEST Niko Polydorou, sr G MPLS. WASHBURN Terrell Adams, sr G NORTH ST. PAUL Goodnews Kpegeol, sr G OSSEO Zach Theisen, sr G OWATONNA Dalton Kubista, sr G PARK CENTER Jarius Cook, sr G D.J. Purnell, sr F Tommy Chatman, jr F Khari Broadway, jr G Dain Dainja, so C PARK- COTTAGE GROVE Charlie Gorres, jr F ROCHESTER JOHN MARSHALL Matthew Hurt, jr F ROGERS Jordan Belka, sr F ST. CLOUD TECH Camden Jackson, sr G Brevyn Spann-Ford, sr F James Kaczor, sr G Trent Meyer, sr G Tre Jones Apple Valley ST. PAUL CENTRAL Daveonte Davis, jr F Luke McElroy, jr F SIMLEY Jake Binley, sr G WAYZATA Jacob Beeninga, jr G WHITE BEAR LAKE Blake Charles, sr F WOODBURY Michael Jones, sr F Class 3A AUSTIN Douth Gach, sr G Tate Hebrink, sr G BLOOMINGTON KENNEDY Markel Aune, sr G CLOQUET Bryce Turnbull, sr F COLUMBIA HEIGHTS Deundra Roberson, sr G Wendell Matthews, sr F Quentin Hardict, sr G DELANO Calvin Wishart, sr G Derek Techam, jr G DELASALLE Gabe Kalscheur, sr G Sage Booker, sr G Christian Dickson, sr F Tyrell Terry, jr G Jamison Battle, jr F Malik Lamin, jr C DASSEL-COKATO Trever Kaiser, sr G DULUTH DENFELD Ben Gibson, sr G FERGUS FALLS Harrison Christensen, sr F Nathan Rund, sr G GRAND RAPIDS Nate Seelye, sr G HERMANTOWN David Birkeland, sr G HIBBING Luke Lundell, jr G MANKATO EAST Damani Hayes, sr F Uhana Ochan, sr F MPLS. ROOSEVELT Leo Buchwald, sr G Deszi Sims, jr G Continued on Page 8

7 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News December 1 Page PACESETTER YOUTH BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT 4th-5th-6th-7th-8th Grade Boys & Girls WINTER CLASSIC 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 Register Early! $10 off thru Dec. 29th 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 Up to Dec. 29 $150/team After Dec. 29 $160/team Registration also available online at

8 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News December 1 Page 8 Continued from Page 6 MONTICELLO Matt Todd, sr G MBBN top 50 boys in each class NORTHFIELD Alex Rasmussen, sr G ORONO Jarvis Omersa, sr C Max Bjorklund, sr G PRINCETON Adam Williams, jr G RICHFIELD Devin Wade- Henderson, sr F ROBBINSDALE COOPER Nathan Hill, sr C ROCORI Sam Olson, jr G ST. ANTHONY VILLAGE Aaron Smith, sr F Tait Nelson, so G ST. CLOUD APOLLO Marquise Smith, sr G SAUK RAPIDS-RICE Deng Deang, sr F Cody Landwehr sr F Anthony Massman, sr G ST. PAUL HARDING Jovan Christian, jr G ST. PAUL JOHNSON Kyle Lee, sr G ST. THOMAS ACAD. Jack Thompson, sr G Sam Vascello, sr F TOTINO-GRACE Charlie Jacob, sr G VIRGINIA Ethan Youso, sr F WACONIA Nick Fulford, sr F WASECA Malik Willingham, jr G WILLMAR Noah Slagter, sr G Class 2A ANNANDALE A.J. Hinz, sr F BRECK David Roddy, jr F BRECKENRIDGE Derek Dahlgren, sr G Noah Christensen, jr G BROOKLYN CENTER Adreone Sprinkles, jr F Lu Cye Patterson, so G BRYON Michael Coble, sr G CALEDONIA Owen King, sr G Noah King, so F DOVER-EYOTA Brady Williams, so F ESKO Adam Trapp, sr C HOLY FAMILY Lincoln Cizek, sr G JORDAN Eric Tiedman, sr F LAKE CITY Marc Kjos, sr G Nathan Heise, so G Reid Gastner, so F Jalen Suggs Minnehaha Academy LITCHFIELD Owen Boerema, jr G MELROSE Reegan Nelson, jr F MPLS. NORTH Tayler Johnson, sr G Odell Wilson IV, sr F Nasir El-Amin, jr G Elijah Campbell, jr G MINNEHAHA ACAD. Lorenzo Smith, sr G JaVonni Bickham, sr F Jalen Suggs, so G Kaden Johnson, so G Terry Lockett, so G MINNEWASKA AREA Jackson Johnsrud, sr G MORA Cal Wright, sr G NEW LONDON-SPICER Brandon Adelman, jr G OSAKIS Daniel Savageau, so G PERHAM Jenson Beachy, jr G PINE CITY Clay Logan, sr G Nick Hansmann, jr G PLAINVIEW- ELGIN-MILLVILLE Barron Holtz, sr G PROCTOR Brody Eldien, sr C REDWOOD VALLEY Mitchell Irlbeck, sr G Cole Woodford, jr G ST. CLOUD CATHEDRAL Michael Schaefer, sr F Mitchell Plombon, sr C ST. CROIX LUTHERAN Garrett Maag, sr G ST. CROIX PREP Jayton Metcalf, sr G ST. CHARLES Kaden Vaughn, sr G SIBLEY EAST Gavin Bates, sr G SOUTHWEST CHRISTIAN Max Steensland, jr G STEWARTVILLE Carter Groski, sr C SPECTRUM Cole Elrod, jr G WADENA- DEER CREEK Noah Ross, sr G Continued on Page 10

9 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News December 1 Page 9

10 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News December 1 Page 10 MBBN top 50 boys in each class Continued from Page 8 Class 1A ADA-BORUP Mason Miller, so C BIGFORK Dalton Cook, sr G Carter Cook, jr G CASS LAKE-BENA Arnold Kingbird, sr G Noah DeLapaz, sr G CEDAR MOUNTAIN- COMFREY Dylan Hillesheim, sr F CLEVELAND Carter Kopet, sr G Austin Plonsky, sr G DAWSON-BOYD Alex Swenson, sr G GOODRICH/GRYGLA- GATZKE Ben Groven, sr F FULDA Dalton Slinger, sr F HANCOCK Noah Kannegiesser, sr G HINCKLEY- FINLAYSON Travis Visser, sr F LAKE PARK- AUDUBON Grant Pederson, sr G LAPORTE Riley Kline, sr G MARANATHA CHRISTIAN Beijan Newbern, sr G Nasir El-Amin Minneapolis North MAYER LUTHERAN Kobey Woolhouse, sr G MCGREGOR Carson Passer, sr F MINNEOTA Thomas Hennen, jr F MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL Joe Buffetta, jr G Justin Holmes, jr G NEVIS Jack Landquist, sr F Michael Landquist, jr G NORMAN CO.EAST/ ULEN-HITTERDAL Isaac Habedank, sr C NORTH WOODS Tate Olson, sr F Cade Goggleye, jr G Brendan Parson, sr G ORTONVILLE Tyson Powell, jr G PELICAN RAPIDS Oakley Kress, sr G PARK CHRISTIAN Steele Senske, sr G PARKERS PRAIRIE Ryan Blake, sr F RED ROCK CENTRAL Brady Rasmussen, sr G RUSSELL- TYLER-RUTHTON Westin Kirk, sr F Garrett Kern, sr F RUSHFORD- PETERSON Jacob Paulson, sr F Dawson Dahl, sr F SACRED HEART Jordan Tomkinson, sr G ST. CLAIR Mitchell Weber, sr C SEBEKA James Clark, sr G Jack Lillquist, sr C SILVER BAY Jason Blood, sr G SOUTH RIDGE Nick Carlson, sr G SPRINGFIELD Isaac Fink, jr G Tanner Vogel, sr G STEPHEN-ARGYLE Zac Fincher, sr F Hunter Yutrzenka, jr G SPRING GROVE Alex Folz, jr G WABASHA-KELLOG Zach Kjeseth, sr G WALKER- HACKENSACK- AKELEY Nathaniel Armstrong, sr G WEST CENTRAL AREA Logan Paulson, sr C WESTBROOK- WALNUT GROVE Anthony Ross, sr G Isaac Fink Springfield

11 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News December 1 Page 11 Gophers: a team to enjoy By Terry Kunze MN Basketball News columnist The Golden Gophers are a tough team to beat in Under coach Rick Pittino, they have enough talent to compete with the top teams in the country. Starting with Nate Mason, 6-2 senior guard, the perimeter players are exceptional. Mason will score. He is their best outside shooter and can play both point or shooting guard. Blessed with real speed and quickness, he will have to be consistent both ends of the floor. Dupree McBrayer, 6-5 junior, the two guard, is a long, solid defender and adept at team defense. A good passer and capable penetrator, he provides good size and can handle pressure Although a suspect shooter, he can score in many ways, and is exceptional on the broken floor. Beyond those two is the heralded 6-0 freshman Isaiah Washington, who will eventually crack the starting lineup. A natural leader with top-notch skills, he is finding his way in handling the speed and size of the college level now, but will become a solid scorer and distributor on the broken floor. Game minutes are vital as he tries to get more comfortable. Currently he s struggling some, trying too hard to make things happen. Terry Kunze The other freshman, 6-2 Jamir Harris, is a sweet shooter and very athletic with great strength. He will blossom into a solid backup. Moving on to small forward, 6-8 sophomore Amir Coffey is a very important piece for this team. Athletic, long, and a gifted passer, he can take the game ever. Although not a great shooter, he can knock it down if his feet are set and he has time. He is very effective on the break and can create for others with his passing. This lefty is a solid defender and capable rebounder and will be called upon to do more as the season goes on. He is fortunate enough to have a basketball father (former Gopher Richard Coffey) and solid high school coaching at Hopkins headed by Kenny Novak. Michael Hurt, 6-7 sophomore, is the backup at the three. He has progressed nicely over last year. Not an overly gifted athlete, but smart and heady, he seems more comfortable in his expanded role this season. He moves well off the ball. He s a player the coach can trust, which is important. In the front court, Jordan Murphy, 6-6 junior, and Regge Lunch, 6-10 senior, give the Gophers toughness under the boards along with scoring. Murphy is a real jewell, averaging about 20 points and 11 rebounds. A great leaper and a real beast on the blocks, he is tough for any four in the country to cover. He must eliminate foolish fouls because it s difficult for the Gophers to function like they should without him on the court. Word is out, and teams are starting to double him once he puts the ball on the floor. Lynch is a rock down low, a capable block scorer who gets lost on the perimeter. He boards and defends. The leading shot-blocker in the Big Ten, he will neutralize the opponent s post players. For him, too, it is imperative that he avoid foul trouble especially after the Gophers lost 6-9 sophomore Eric Curry (knee injury). Bakary Konate, 6-11 senior, backs up Lynch. He doesn t score and is really no help on the offensive end. While a capable shot blocker, he has a habit of foolish fouls. So when Lynch or Murphy have foul trouble the Gophers will struggle against good teams. The Gophers will defend as a team. They are aggressive and long and will make the game trench warfare. Opponents will have to work hard for points. Roles are well defined. Absent foul trouble, they can be tough for anyone to score against. The Big Ten is down overall this year and the opportunity to compete is there. My feeling is that toughening the home schedule would have helped this team. Working on new things against poor teams doesn t allow you to judge how effective they are. This is a team we can really enjoy and support. They play hard and unselfishly. And they work! They will not beat themselves. With senior leadership and a wealth of veteran experience they are prepared for run a the Big Ten title. Only Michigan State might be above them. They are definitely a top three team in the conference barring injuries. Let s support this team.

12 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News December 1 Page 12 MBBN boys Preseason Top 20 Class 4A 1. Apple Valley 2. Cretin- Derham Hall 3. Park Center 4. Hopkins 5. Wayzata 6. East Ridge 7. Osseo 8. Eden Prairie 9. Woodbury 10. Lakeville North 11. Edina 12. St. Cloud Tech 13. Chaska 14. Rochester John Marshall 15. Forest Lake 16. Champlin Park 17. Prior Lake 18. Rogers 19. Tartan 20. Minnetonka Class 3A 1. DeLaSalle 2. Orono 3. St. Thomas Academy 4. Columbia Heights 5. Mankato East 6. Robbinsdale Cooper 7. Delano 8. Austin 9. Totino-Grace 10. Fergus Falls 11. Waconia 12. Northfield 13. Waseca 14. Alexandria 15. Grand Rapids 16. Sauk Rapids-Rice 17. St. Cloud Apollo 18. Zimmerman 19. St. Anthony Village 20. Minneapolis Roosevelt Class 2A 1. Minnehaha Academy 2. Minneapolis North 3. Caledonia 4. Annandale 5. St. Cloud Cathedral 6. Brooklyn Center 7. Esko 8. Lake City 9. Perham 10. Breckenridge 11. Virginia 12. Jordan 13. St. Charles 14. Kimball 15. Eden Valley- Watkins 16. Redwood Valley 17. Breck 18. Pine Island 19. Minnewaska Area 20. Holy Family Catholic Class 1A 1. North Woods 2. Springfield 3. Cedar Mountain- Comfrey 4. Rushford- Peterson 5. Nevis 6. Cleveland 7. Mayer Lutheran 8. Goodhue 9. Westbrook- Walnut Grove 10. Ada-Borup 11. Cass Lake-Bena 12. Russell-Tyler- Ruthton 13. Hinckley- Finlayson 14. Red Lake 15. Chisholm 16. Braham 17. Norman County East/Ulen- Hitterdal 18. Spring Grove 19. Stephen-Argyle 20. Minnesota Valley Lutheran Minneapolis North and coach Larry McKenzie, savoring their 2017 state championship in Class 1A at left, hope to do the same in Class 2A next March.

13 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News December 1 Page 13 Class 4A 1. Hopkins Eastview Lakeville North Centennial Wayzata Cretin-Derham Hall Forest Lake St. Michael- Albertville Park Center Maple Grove White Bear Lake Moorhead Minnetonka Edina Champlin Park Roseville St. Francis Anoka Farmington Bloomington Kennedy 2-0 MBBN Girls Top 20 Class 3A 1. DeLaSalle Hutchinson Robbinsdale Cooper Holy Angels Grand Rapids Mahtomedi Northfield Red Wing Chisago Lakes Willmar Simley Zimmerman Hill-Murray Hermantown Alexandria Waconia Mankato West Fergus Falls Waseca Faribault 1-0 Class 2A 1. Sauk Centre Norwood- Young America Roseau Eden Valley- Watkins Dilworth-Glyndon- Felton Byron Rush City Maranatha Christian New London- Spicer Minnehaha Academy Rochester Lourdes Annandale Thief River Falls Tracy-Milroy- Balaton St. Cloud Cathedral Pequot Lakes Duluth Marshall Barnesville Jordan Glencoe- Silver Lake 1-0 Class 1A 1. Lyle-Pacelli Goodhue Hayfield Mountain Iron-Buhl Bigfork Ada-Borup Lac qui Parle Valley Cromwell- Wright Southwest MN Christian Sleepy Eye Wheaton-Herman-Norcross Badger- Greenbush- Middle River Red Lake Cedar Mount.- Comfrey Wabasso Stephen- Argyle Walker- Hackensack- Akeley Belgrade- Brooten-Elrosa Sacred Heart Grand Meadow 1-0 Macy Guebert of Eastview drives against White Bear Lake s Ella Janicki (21) and Kayla Anderson (13) at the Hamline Pat Paterson Thanksgiving Showcase. Eastview won Photo by Bruce Strand