Wayzata boys on the rise

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1 WEEKLY ROUNDUP *Wayzata in the picture *Heritage posts 2 big wins *3-13 team beats 15-0 team *Easing young kids into hoops *Top 20 boys, girls Volume 23 Issue No. 10 February Wayzata boys on the rise By Bruce Strand For the Wayzata Trojans, it has been a long while. The largest school in the state with a listed enrollment of 3,078, Wayzata has been absent from the state basketball tournament since their state champion season of This year s Trojans, though, are poised for a strong bid. Just don t bother to bring it up with the team; they prefer to dwell on one-game win streaks, not ancient history. We don't talk about it ever, coach Bryan Schnettler said. I m sure that our guys know that our program hasn't gone to state in a while, but it is not something that we talk about. We are focused on trying to go 1-0 one day at a time. Three years ago, the long-ago state champs were honored at a ceremony in downtown Wayzata, Schnettler said. Some of the current Trojans had a chance to meet the 70-somethings who brought their school glory. It was a very cool event, said the coach. Wayzata won its first 15 games before falling to Edina on Tuesday. The Trojans are ranked No. 4 Wayzata players (from left) Ryan Lindberg, Jacob Beeninga, Gavin Baumgartner and Ben Grosse break huddle. Photo by Bruce Strand in Class 4A and lead the five-team Classic Lake with a 3-1 mark. They have vanquished six ranked teams: Eden Prairie 75-74, Park Center 59-54, Cretin-Derham Hall 86-70, Bloomington Jefferson 66-53, Hopkins 81-55, and Armstrong Wait a minute Hopkins 81-55? The behemoth program that beat Wayzata 55 consecutive games before the Trojans finally snagged them a year ago this time? By 26 points? Well, everything fell into place that game, including 15 three-points shots. But there may be a section rematch with the Royals. At Edina, the Hornets held the Trojans 23 points under their season average (77). Walt McGory scored 17 points as Edina (10-6) snapped a four-game skid with a big win. Wayzata veterans are Gavin Baumgartner, 6-foot-5 senior guard in his fourth season who leads in scoring (15.5 per game), rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, and Ryan Lindberg, 6-foot-3 senior guard, averaging 14.9 points. On last year s 21-7 team, Lindberg averaged 11.2 points and Baumgartner The thing Gavin does the best is he competes every single day on every single possession. He just flat out hates to lose and this rubs off on other guys, Schnettler said. While admitting bias, the coach calls Lindberg the best shooter in Continued on Page 2

2 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News February 3 Page 2 Wayzata: won first 15 games this year Continued from Page 1 the state and has become a fine defender and passer. He can score in a variety of ways, and his ability to shoot really opens things up for other guys. The top six includes sophomore guard Jacob Beeninga (11.9 ppg), senior guard Drew Galinson (9.2), senior guard Bryce Hempel (6.9), senior center Mitchell Faust (5.6) and sophomore guard Luke Paulson (5.1). Schnettler praised the group as unselfish, hard-working, talented, committed to each other and willing to work hard on defense every day. We thought that this group would be good, and have a chance to be really good by the end of the season, Schnetter reflected. I am not sure that we thought we would be 15-0, but our goal is to go 1-0 every game and to be playing our best in March. In college, Schnettler was a sharpshooting, All-American guard for St. Thomas, leading the Tommies to an MIAC championship. He became a head coach at age 23 at Rosemount, spending five years there, with a section runner-up team in He moved to Wayzata, where he is a P.E. teacher, three years ago. The Trojans were 8-18 the year before and have gone so far in his tenure with two straight 21-win seasons. They went to section finals two years ago, losing to Champlin Park. Wayzata is currently the top-rated team in Section 6AAAA which also includes No. 6 Hopkins and No. 10 Robbinsdale Armstrong. That 1959 Wayzata team beat Carlton for the championship. Yes, the small town on the Iron Range. That was way back in the old one-class tournament era. Wayzata s only other state tourney teams were two in the 1920s, and the girls in Erik Olson at olsons1120@comcast.net

3 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News February 3 Page 3 Heritage boys earn big wins back-to-back By Bruce Strand What a week for the Heritage Christian Academy boys, a Class 1A team not likely to reach state since their section includes Minneapolis North. The Maple Grove school defeated No. 3 ranked Central Minnesota Christian there on Saturday and thumped Class 2A s No. 14 New Life Academy at home Tuesday. Two good games against good, solid teams, acknowledged coach Tim Herman. We did not shoot particularly well in either game, but did the gritty stuff well The two biggest factors were rebounding and taking care of the ball. The Eagles (15-2) rose from No. 10 to No. 3 in our rankings and took the MCCA lead beating New Life Academy as both were unbeaten in conference. C.J. Woda tallied 18 points and Zach Johansen 17 in Twelve senior stars in Minnesota are among the nominees for the 2017 McDonald's All American Games slated for March 29 in Chicago. None have made the final rosters at this point, although another Minnesotan has: Gary Trent Jr., the former Hopkins player spending his senior year with a prep school in Nevada. The boys nominees, and the colleges they ve signed with, are: Maple Grove guard Brad Davison (Wisconsin), Lakeville North forward Nathan Reuvers (Wisconsin), DeLa- Salle power forward Goanar Mar (George Mason), Cristo Rey Jesuit forward Jericho Sims (Texas), Champlin Park forward Theo John (Marquette), and Champlin Park guard McKinley Wright (Dayton). the narrow victory over CMCS at Prinsburg (near Willmar). Austin Marcus and Matthew Van Eps each scored 11 and Ethan Brouwer 10 for the Bluejays. Even though it s a couple hours drive for a non-conference game, Heritage entered a home-and-home arrangement with CMCS in part because Herman s assistant coach and son-in-law are both CMCS alums. CMCS, which has placed third at state the last two years, pummeled Heritage and in those seasons. Heritage won three years ago. Woda erupted for 34 points against New Life Academy with Seth Halvorsen adding 14 and Zach Johansen 12. That game was a duel for the conference lead as both were unbeaten in conference. Chris Ketema had 14 and Kyle Kaemingk 12 for NLA. Woda is averaging 21.4 points and Johansen Both are seniors. Halvorsen, the sixth man, who s signed with Missouri for baseball, picked up some slack when Johansen was targeted by both opponents. Twelve from state are McDonald s nominees The girls nominees are: Park Center post Mikayla Hayes (Florida), Edina center Bailey Helgren (Kansas), Edina forward Annika Jank (Colorado), St. Michael-Albertville guard Rae Johnson (Iowa State), Eastview guard Rachel Ranke (Kansas State), and Kasson-Mantorville forward Kristin Scott (Iowa State).

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5 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News February 3 Page 5 When should kids start basketball? By Jeff McCarron Pacesetter Director Ex-Gopher Richard Coffey, I recently read, volunteered to coach his son Amir s (starting Gopher freshman) 3rd grade AAU team because he wanted him to play the point - in case he didn t grow tall, he could still play big-time. It worked. When is the best age to start learning basketball? I have had the joy of teaching kids in camps for 41 years all ages K-12 and I look at it this way: Stage 1: Building Excitement - Ages 1-5 It is helpful to get kids excited in a sport early by allowing them to watch games, to be around players, to dribble, pass, shoot at low baskets and have fun. Stage 1 can start as soon as they can sit up and roll a ball and can continue through ages 1-5 at small baskets with fun and excitement not technique - as the focus. Stage 2: Teaching Skills - Grades K-2 Kids in K-2 can be taught ball handling, passing and shooting skills, plus footwork, and defensive skills. They may not pick it all up, but if fun and excitement are happening and competitive drills and little games are played to keep their interest, they will stay engaged and do their best. SHOOTING NOTE: Players should definitely be playing at lower baskets at the K-2 level, so correct shooting form can be taught and they can have success making baskets. How low? If a player can make 1 of every 3 shots or Jeff McCarron better, they can get hooked on shooting. Let them advance out farther at the same basket or to higher baskets only after shooting 50% or better. PLAYING NOTE: I learned a lesson at camp a few years ago. I had been teaching K-2 camp sessions with 3-on-2 games at the peak of their competition. We could get them to pass to the open teammate since there was an extra offensive player. Some real games could be played and baskets scored. We had tried 5-on- 5 early in our camp years, but it had often turned into runaways with the ball, dribbling excursions away from the basket, little passing, little shooting, and a sort of mass chaotic madness that often caused piles of bodies. as other passive players drifted off seeking pigeons in the rafters. Then a few years ago, I had an especially fascinating collection of characters, cute, funny, energetic, positive. So I gave in to my own desires and announced impulsively, Let s play full court! Yea! they yelled. The big court? one boy asked unbelievingly. Yes, the big court! Yea! they yelled again. The game was ON and it became a fantastic madness! Not unlike what I described earlier, but when it was all done, they were sweating and smiling. It brought tears to my eyes, to be honest. They just loved to play! And compete! I ll never forget that game and will also never forget what Michael Jordan said, Let them have fun. They can learn the game as they go. Stage 3: Play Competitively Grades 3-4 Almost all kids in grades 3-4 can get the ball over a 10-foot rim. Still, it would be helpful to have lower baskets to raise their interest level and keep it there. IN- TEREST and EXCITEMENT TO COMPETE are keys that should be maintained while learning and practicing, even through the highest levels. In grades 3-4, skill work on fundamentals is important, so kids learn good habits early. It is hard to break habits later. They can start playing on real teams at this level. They will understand team play concepts fairly well in third grade and be able to start focusing and playing as a team in 4th grade. Games with scores at this level are healthy, and provides an excitement they want and need. People differ in opinion on starting this early, but from what I have seen, if your school or community is waiting until grade 5 to organize teams, the teams that have been playing in grades 3-4 are going to give them a whoopin which will hurt the all-important PRIDE and INTEREST level. Kids and parents don t like to lose. If you are not going to start your kids playing competitively until grade 5, then be careful not to schedule the best teams that started in grades 3-4, or you could risk a demoralizing situation in your program. A friend of mine coaching his grandson s team has reported scores like 60-4 in situations like this. That is not healthy for either team. If you start your kids later, get them competitive through practice and in-house games before playing the much-better teams. So, get them excited ages 1-5, teach them basic skills and keep them excited grades K-2, and start them on teams with real competition in grades 3-4. And always, keep it FUN and EXCITING at every age.

6 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News February 3 Page 6 Renville (3-13) knocks off an unbeaten Four boys teams were removed from the unbeaten ranks last week, including Class 4A s No. 4 ranked Wayzata falling to Edina (see Page 1 story). There was a shocker at Renville County West as the Jaguars, 3-13 going into the game, took down Red Rock Central on Monday. RRC was RCW coach Matt Huhnerkoch cited sophomore Justin Schrupp, who scored 27 points, including five 3-pointers, and the team s aggressive 2-3 zone defense which was exceptionally great against RRC. He added, The gym was electric that night and I think the players fed off the crowd. Huhnerkoch said RCW has struggled for several years and thought they d do better this year. Two losses came on buzzer-beaters, he said. * * * Waseca handed New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva its first defeat Malik Willingham tallied 22 points and Jake Guse 19 for the Bluejays (17-1), ranked No. 9 in Class 3A. Oakley Baker had 20 and Benji Lundberg 16 for NRHEG (17-1), ranked No. 9 in Class 2A. Lyndsey Robson of Apple Valley met two major goals last week. The senior guard signed by UW-Green Bay notched her 2,000th point while scoring 22 in a win over Eagan on Jan. 24. Three night later, the Eagles (17-2) beat Eastview for the first time in over a decade, Robson, who had never beaten Eastview, contributed 14 points. Brynne Rolland sank 23, Sara Teske 17 and Erin Baxter 12. Eastview (15-4) is the newer school in Apple Valley, with nine state trips and one title since 2000, to Apple Valley s one state trip in that span. The only time I ve ever beaten Eastview is in powder puff football, so this is pretty big, Robson told Minnesota Basketball Hub. JUMP SHOTS Curtis Bell, St. Paul Washington senior guard, scored 43 points in an loss to St. Paul Up North, Virginia was 17-0 before getting humbled by Grand Rapids Remaining unbeaten are Champlin Park in 4A, nobody in 3A, Melrose and Crosby-Ironton in 2A, and Cleveland in 1A. Unbeaten, top-ranked teams to clash All nine undefeated girls teams stayed that way, but one will fall from the ranks Friday evening. In a marquee matchup of two top-ranked teams, Roseau will host Mountain Iron-Buhl. Both are 19-0 and atop the rankings in 2A and 1A, respectively. This is the fourth straight year the two northern powers have dueled. MIB won last year, Roseau won two years ago, and MIB won three years ago.. Also unscathed are Hopkins and Elk River in Class 4A; nobody in 3A; Norwood Young-America, Pipestone and Rush City in 2A; and Wheaton-Herman-Norcross and Bigfork in 1A. Apple Valley s Robson savors personal & team feats Robson Central. Bell is averaging 26.5 points for Washington (8-8). Lindsey Theuninck, Mankato Loyola senior already well over 2,000 points, passed the 1,000 marker in rebounds when she notched 26 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Cedar Mountain-Comfrey. Maleah Reinhard of New Ulm (18-2) had 34 points in an win over St. Clair and 35 in a win over St. James. She leads the state with 28.1 points per game Michael Jones of Woodbury hit 39 points in a win over Edina. The junior forward is averaging 24.6 points. Nathan Reuvers of Lakeville North had 33 points and 21 rebounds in a win over Burnsville Champlin Park s McKinley Wright had a triple double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the top-ranked, unbeaten Rebels beat Hopkins Masengo Mutanda, Armstrong sophomore guard, notched her fifth double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Blaine.

7 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News February 3 Page 7 Pacesetter! CHAMPIONSHIP Basketball & Volleyball Camps Serving Hometown Teams since 1980 Camps that come to YOUR school! Comments from Host Coaches camps Great balance between skill work and compettitive games to keep kids engaged. Great camp, great competition, reasonably priced, can t wait till next year. Our campers were met with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable coach who desired to see each player improve their skills. Our director was amazing! He really worked with the girls well both as a team and individually. I was very excited and pleased to see the results from camp. I saw growth in every player... He helped me with my coaching questions. I was able to talk strategy with him and he gave me some drills and skills to address. I would love to host again... The Pacesetter Championship Formula 1) TOP COACHES - Master Teachers, Championship Coaches, Best Young Coaches 2) STRONG FUNDAMENTAL TEACHING - Through 37 years Pacesetter has fine-tuned it s program to provide players with the most important skills for game success at every age. 3) LOW COSTS - Most programs range from $50-$95 4) LOW RATIOS - Averages: 10-1 player/coach Select one of the most popular options or create your own... using the following hours and fees. SESSION LENGTH 3-DAY CAMP 4-DAY CAMP 1.5 HOURS $50/player $65/player 2 HOURS $60/player $75/player 2.5 HOURS $70/player $85/player 3 HOURS $80/player $95/player 4 HOURS $90/player $115/player 6 HOURS $120/player $150/player Sign up soon! - Only 5 schools will be scheduled for each week! Approximately $6-10/hour per player To Become a CHAMPION... Coaches: Book your camp today! Download camp brochure at Tracey: info@pacesetternet.com or call Learn from a CHAMPION

8 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News February 3 Page 8 Who coaches at Pacesetter camps? John Carlson 3-time state champion as coach, player at St. Cloud State, MN Coach of the Year, coordinator of Pacesetter Championship Basketball program. Tom Vix 15-time state tournament coach, three state titles and two runners-up. Minnesota coach of the year. Current HS coach. Paul McDonald Head college coach at Vermilion CC in Ely, MN. Two-time state champion as player, 17 straight state trips with college team, has coached over 100 camps. FUN coach! Joel McDonald, Mike McDonald, Tom McDonald, Bryce and Brock Tesdahl all in famous McDonald family! Father/Grandfather Bob had over 1000 wins, most in MN history 3 state championships. Joel, Mike, Tom and Bryce are current head coaches. Brock is an assistant at Hopkins. Pat Dewey Coach Dew is one of the most likable coaches for all ages has coached over 200 camps since HS coach for 26 years won over 350 games, all-star coach Sascha Hanson 3-time state champion in HS, point guard, college all-conference and Female Athlete of the Year at St. Cloud State. Excellent likable coach former HS coach. Dave and Ryan Walker Dave, MN state Class AA champions as coach 1993, MN Coach of the Year 1994, coached over 100 camps, current college coach at Worthington CC. Ryan is current HS coach in Nebraska. Jim Lien Hall of Fame coach with over 600+ wins in girls basketball, current HS coach, all-star coach, has directed over 50 Pacesetter camps. Steve Hucke National championship women s team coach at Rochester CTC, has directed MN BB News Top 100 over 10 years and directed over 20 Pacesetter camps. Steve Lingenfelter Former NBA player, state 4A champion in high school, former MN Gopher, 6-9, 260 lbs., coached over 100 camps, post play specialist, current HS coach. Reggie Perkins and Barry Wohler All-American players for St. Cloud State s NCC champions, both coaches of 3A state champions, both have coached over 30 Pacesetter camps. Wohler 2-time state champion. Perkins former Harlem Globetrotter. Jeff McCarron Pacesetter Director, coached 200+ camps, Big Ten champion and last single-class state champion as player, shooting clinician.

9 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News February 3 Page th Annual Questions? Call Pacesetter at or info@pacesetternet.com Follow our Facebook page: Pacesetter Basketball Regional Playoffs Schedule All grades refer to the school year. Teams may register for more than one region. See back for details. Region Champions invited to the MN State Championship. Teams with one loss invited to the MIT. Top two teams at STATE advance to the Great Four-State tournament. Hometown Team guideline: All players on a team must either be enrolled in the same school system or live 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 the same area. See further information at All players are from one school district. School district Combined team. List all school districts Region 1 Site Date 4G, 6G, 8G, 5B, 7B, 9B RCTC - Rochester March 25 5G, 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B, 8B RCTC - Rochester March 26 Region 2 Site Date 4G, 6G, 8G, 5B, 7B, 9B MN State-Mankato April 22 5G, 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B, 8B MN State-Mankato April 23 Region 3 Site Date 5G, 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B, 8B Redwood Falls March 25 4G, 6G, 8G, 5B, 7B, 9B Redwood Falls March 26 Region 4 Site Date 5B, 7B, 9B Willow River April 8 4G, 6G, 8G Barnum April 8 4B, 6B, 8B Willow River April 9 5G, 7G, 9G Barnum April 9 Region 5 Site Date 5G, 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B, 8B SCSU-St. Cloud April 1 4G, 6G, 8G, 5B, 7B, 9B SCSU-St. Cloud April 2 Region 6 Site Date 4G, 6G, 8G, 5B, 7B, 9B Moorhead April 1 5G, 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B, 8B Moorhead April 2 Region 7 Site Date 5G, 8B Hibbing April 1 8G, 5B Hibbing April 2 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B Grand Rapids April 1 4G, 6G, 7B, 9B Grand Rapids April 2 Region 8 Site Date 4G, 6G, 8G, 5B, 7B, 9B Bemidji April 1 5G, 7G, 9G, 4B, 6B, 8B Bemidji April 2 Minnesota State Championships Maple Grove Date 4G, 6G, 5B, 8B MIT - MN Invitational June 10 4G, 6G, 5B, 8B State Championship June 11 5G, 8G, 4B, 6B MIT - MN Invitational June 17 5G, 8G, 4B, 6B State Championship June 18 7G, 9G, 7B, 9B MIT - MN Invitational June 24 7G, 9G, 7B, 9B State Championship June 25 $175/team 3-4 game guarantee (See back for details) Site Grade Circle Boys or Girls Circle Rating: Strong - Good - Fair - Weak Team Contact Person Cell # 7th Boys Stewartville 9th Girls Mt. Iron-Buhl Team Entry Form - Pacesetter Minnesota Regional Tournament Mailing Address address Over 700 teams in 2016! Minnesota s Great Four-State Champions th Boys Perham 8th Girls Eden Valley-Watkins Team Color Send check with this entry form to: PACESETTER, PO BOX 222, PAYNESVILLE, MN Registration also available online at Alt# Alternate Contact Person Cell # (needed if two teams from same school register) (Street) (City) (State) (Zip) ( address required - Confirmation will be sent via - Please write legibly) The Minnesota state champion and runner-up in each grade are invited to the Great Four-State Championship in the Twin Cities. (MN, IA, ND, SD) FREE Timberwolves Tickets ( season) All players will receive a free ticket offer!

10 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News February 3 Page 10 MBBN boys Top 20 lists CLASS 4A CLASS 2A 1. Champlin Park Maple Grove Lakeville North Wayzata Apple Valley Hopkins Eden Prairie New Prague Tartan Robbinsdale Armstrong Woodbury Osseo Park Center Bloomington Jefferson Cretin-Derham Hall Edina East Ridge Chaska Prior Lake Rochester John Marshall 12-3 CLASS 3A 1. DeLaSalle Delano Marshall Mahtomedi Orono Totino-Grace Austin Waseca Big Lake Alexandria Grand Rapids Fergus Falls Columbia Heights Minneapolis Patrick Henry St. Paul Highland Park Northfield Faribault St. Anthony Village Bemidji Zimmerman Minnehaha Academy Caledonia Melrose Crosby-Ironton St. Cloud Cathedral Esko Lake City New Richland-Hartland- Ellendale-Geneva Eden Valley-Watkins Watertown-Mayer Annandale Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Jordan Perham Sauk Centre Holdingford Jackson County Central Breckenridge New Life Academy Virginia 17-1 CLASS 1A 1. Minneapolis North Red Lake Heritage Christian Academy Central Minnesota Christian Nevis Goodhue Springfield Cleveland Spring Grove Lake Park-Audubon Red Rock Central Ada-Borup Cass Lake-Bena North Woods Browerville-Eagle Valley Cedar Mountain-Comfrey Battle Lake Parkers Prairie Cristo Rey Jesuit Prairie Seeds Academy 11-3

11 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News February 3 Page 11 MBBN girls Top 20 lists CLASS 4A CLASS 2A 1. Hopkins Elk River Apple Valley Lakeville North Eastview Centennial Roseville Area St. Michael-Albertville Wayzata Minnetonka Park Center East Ridge White Bear Lake Edina Champlin Park Woodbury Forest Lake Cretin-Derham Hall Andover Rosemount 10-8 CLASS 3A 1. Holy Angels Alexandria Orono Northfield Kasson-Mantorville Grand Rapids Mahtomedi Hutchinson Winona Zimmerman Hermantown New Ulm Waseca Bloomington Kennedy St. Paul Como Park Red Wing St. Anthony Village Fergus Falls Willmar Sartell-St. Stephen Roseau Sauk Centre Norwood-Young America Plainview-Elgin-Millville Watertown-Mayer Pipestone New London-Spicer Eden Valley-Watkins Hayfield Minnehaha Academy St. Peter Barnesville Rush City Esko Pequot Lakes Staples-Motley Southwest MN Christian (Chaska) Pine City Annandale Tracy-Milroy-Balaton 17-1 CLASS 1A 1. Mountain Iron-Buhl Goodhue Wheaton-Herman-Norcross Cromwell-Wright Mankato Loyola Lyle-Pacelli Ada-Borup Maranatha Christian Red Lake Bigfork Southwest MN Christian (Edgerton) Granada-Huntley-East Chain-Truman- Martin Luther Parkers Prairie Kimball Heritage Christian Academy Red Rock Central Cedar Mountain-Comfrey Lester Prairie-Holy Trinity Mayer Lutheran Canby

12 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News February 3 Page 12 The road to Minneapolis-St. Paul By Jeff McCarron Pacesetter Director Youth teams now have Midwest Madness Playoffs There is a tug-of-war on for basketball players. This battle splits two ways: the groups that offer allstar team or club team tournaments and the groups that offer school team or community team tournaments. At Pacesetter, we provide for the hometown team group, where youth basketball teams in grades 4-9 that are school-based or community-based now have a Final Four-style playoff system, the Pacesetter Great Four- State championships, that involve over 900 teams in four states: MN-IA-ND-SD. Pacesetter Sports started this system in 2010 to give school teams an exciting playoff to match or surpass the lure of AAU teams traveling to tournaments around the country. All players playing in the Pacesetter Playoffs must either attend the same school or live in the same city, school district or tribal community. Smaller schools may combine if the total enrollment in grades 9-12, when combined, is 400 or less. Teams begin with Region Playoffs in February-April in their own section of their state, seeking to advance to their state championships. The top two teams in their state tournaments then advance to the Pacesetter Great Four-State championships in the Twin Cities. The Target Center hosted the championships from Due to construction this summer, the championships are likely to be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Last year Minnesota and North Dakota won four Great State titles, Iowa won three four-state titles and South Dakota won one four-state title. Here is the honor roll of the 2016 Great Four-State champions: MINNESOTA 7th Grade Boys Stewartville 9th Grade Boys Perham 8th Grade Girls Eden Valley-Watkins 9th Grade Girls Mountain Iron-Buhl Reid Gaster of the Lake City 8th-grade team got ready to throw a long pass in the Great Four-State tournament in NORTH DAKOTA 4th Grade Girls Bismarck Showtime 6th Grade Girls Central Cass 7th Grade Girls Dakota Thunder 8th Grade Boys St. John s/ Four Winds IOWA 4th Grade Boys Pella 5th Grade Girls Xavier Catholic 6th Grade Boys Mason City SOUTH DAKOTA 5th Grade Boys Sioux Falls Hurricanes Fliers, further information and registration are available at In following a tournament tradition, all teams playing in the Great Four-State tournament are invited to a large team meeting, which could be held in a Marriott or Radisson ballroom, a Timberwolves suite, or on the main Target Center floor the night before their event. All players from every team are introduced in front of the hundreds of players, parents and coaches. Their teammates are their friends from their own community, and they will be playing together soon on the same high school team. Most of the parents have known every player from childhood. The next day the players get to play together in front of all their fans on the Target Center floor, home of the NBA Timberwolves and the WNBA Lynx. It doesn t get any better than that.