Minnesota Hoops: April 2013

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Blue wins girls all-star series

Gold--with Tyseanna Johnson, Jade Martin and Janay Morton--looked golden, and Green--starring Rebekah Dahlman, Jessica January and Savanna Trapp--looked like a roster that one should envy. Instead, Gold and Green both got blown out on Friday night and on Saturday the championship game featured such heavyweights as Tarah Cleveland and Sydney Larson.

Ya gotta love it!

Blue Wins 2

Blue came from behind to beat Maroon 105-97 in a thrilling final that made up for the 3 blowouts that came before. Trailing 77-64 at the 9 minute mark, Blue roared back behind Tesha Buck, Joanna Hedstrom and Clarissa Ober. And they did it without Allina Starr, who had been Blue's best player on Friday night but now was missing due to Prom.

On Friday it had been Blue 100 Green 70 as Starr had 14 points 8 rebounds and 8 assists. She and her teammates moved the ball around with the result that 6 players scored in double figures--Hedstrom, Cleveland, Buck, Tori Davidson and Lashay Holt in addition to Starr--and Blue had 24 assists and 10 turnovers. Green had a lot of 1 and 2-touch possessions and forced shots, and 17 assists and 23 turnovers.

Player of the game for Blue was Starr and then Ober, but the top player over the 2 games was Tesha Buck. Over the 2 games Blue's statistical leaders are:

Ober 32 points 18 rebounds 7 blocks
Hedstrom 30 points 7 assists
Buck 28 points 17 rebounds 7 assists 6 steals
Holt 27 points
Davidson 22 points
Cleveland 20 points
Starr (1 game) 14 points 8 assists

Maroon Splits a Pair

Maroon routed Gold 83-61 on Friday and led Blue 77-64 at the 9 minute mark of the final. Not bad for a team of whom little was expected. But Alexis Tappe came out of the gate strong in both halves on Friday scoring 3 quick buckets to open the game and 2 more to start the 2nd half. Gold never knew what him 'em. Like Green they relied on a couple-3 players, put up a bunch of ill-advised 1 and 2-touch shots and never had any rhythm whatsoever.

Tappe finished with 22 points while Drew Sannes and Kenzie Kane also got into double figures. Get this: No metro area girl got into double figure, and yet Maroon won, and won easily.

Player of the game for Maroon was Tappe and then MC McGrory, with McGrory and Angie Davison sharing MVP honors for the 2 games.

Tappe 35 points
McGrory 27 points 19 rebounds 5 steals
Davison 22 points 20 rebounds
Larson 22 points
Kane 21 points
Sannes (1 game) 11 points 3 blocks
Paige Waytashek 18 points 8 assists

Green Splits a Pair

A player can play in 2 all-star games. That's why Nia Coffey wasn't here. She already had her 2. And that's why Trapp and Dahlman each played 1 of the 2 games here. Trapp played on Friday, scoring 8 points with 11 boards and 6 blocks as her team lost big.

Dahlman played Saturday, scoring 20 points with 3 assists and 5 rebounds, helping Green to rebound and defeat the star-crossed Gold. Basically, she shamed her teammates into sharing the ball, which they had refused to do on Friday, is what she did. Though, truthfully, Green wasn't much better on Saturday. On Friday they had 6 assists and 17 turnovers and shot 29-for-83. On Saturday they had 10 assists, 28 turnovers and shot 29-for-79. It's just that that was plenty good against Gold.

Green's top players were Erin O'Toole and, ah, Erin O'Toole.

January 35 points 6 steals
O'Toole 30 points 23 rebounds
Bridgette Audette 21 points 16 rebounds
Dahlman (1 game) 20 points 3 assists
Trapp (1 game) 8 points 11 rebounds 6 blocks
Paige Erickson (1 game) 4 assists
Mikaela Shackleford 19 points 3 assists 6 steals

Gold Drops 2

Wow! I thought this team was golden with Tyseanna Johnson, Jade Martin, Leah Szabla and Janay Morton. Well, they were Gold, in a manner of speaking. That was their name. They just were not a team. They had 16 assists in 2 games, which is about the average that the other teams had in each game. If Friday night wasn't bad enough--6 assists and 17 turnovers--then there's this from Saturday: They increased their assists to 10, but also increased their turnovers to 28. 10 for Szabla and 8 for Morton.

Now, I admit that I'm biased. I'm a big fan of Jessie Mathews. Her teammates just flat out didn't respect her. They pretty much never threw her the ball unless they were stuck in a trap and needed a desperation outlet. Mathews made 1-of-3 FGs, and that was over 2 games. About the only thing her teammates allowed her to do was to hit the defensive board and so that's what Mathews (who is 5-8) did. Oh, and did I mention she led her team in rebounds with 18? She added 4 steals on Saturday. Ya think this is a girl who might have had something to contribute on the offensive end if her teammates had ever allowed her to do it? But instead the big kids went 4-on-5, sometimes 3-on-5, but mostly 2-on-5 and 1-on-5. Of course they dropped 2.

Their top players were Jade Martin and, ah, Jade Martin.

Martin 35 points 16 rebounds
Morton 32 points 5 assists
Szabla 27 points 8 steals
Tyseanna Johnson (1 game) 12 points 9 rebounds 3 assists 6 steals
Mathews 2 points 18 rebounds

The All-Stars All-Stars

C- Erin O'Toole, Hopkins
PF- Drew Sannes, Hawley
SF- Jade Martin, Kennedy
PF- Allina Starr, DeLaSalle
SG- Tesha Buck, Red Wing
6th- MC McGrory, Edina

2nd Team

C- Clarissa Ober, Glencoe
PF- Lashay Holt, St. Paul Humboldt
SF- Alexis Tappe, Frazee
PG- Joanna Hedstrom, Minnetonka

SG- Rebekah Dahlman, Braham
6th- Angie Davison, Maple Grove

3rd Team

C- Savanna Trapp, Esko
PF- Tori Davidson, Northern Freeze
SF- Tysseana Johson, DeLaSalle
PG- Tarah Cleveland, Menagha
SG- Bridget Audette, Big Lake
6th- Sydney Larson, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City

4th Team

C- Tyra Johnson, Eastview
PF- Mikaela Shackleford, Hopkins
SF- Paige Waytashek, Centennial
PG- Jessie Mathews, Faribault Bethlehem
SG- Kaytlin Kuefler, Annandale
6th- Abby Manitz, Kasson-Mantorville

A Look Back at the Mighty 2013s

EDITED January 10, 2013
EDITED January 18, 2013
EDITED March 28, 2013
EDITED April 4, 2013
OH WAIT! ONE MORE EDIT AFTER THE ALL-STAR GAMES April 28, 2013

2013

Long regarded as one of the great Minnesota classes ever, the Mighty 2013s are now history. Several under-exposed kids took good advantage of the MGBCA all-star games to move up in the rankings especially Tarah Cleveland, Abby Manitz, Sydney Larson, Bridget Audette, Drew Sannes, Alexis Tappe and Kenzie Kane. Meanwhile a few head-to-head match-ups changed my mind. I moved Allina Starr, MC McGrory and Joanna Hedstrom up, for example, and some other point guards down, and I moved Erin O'Toole up as well.

1. Tyseanna Johnson, DeLaSalle, 5-11, wing. Dynamic player both offensively and defensively. Scores from anywhere, anyway, moves the ball, creates turnovers, pounds the boards. Going to Iowa State, where she will be a star comparable to Brittney Chambers at Kansas State.

2. Nia Coffey, Hopkins, 6-1, wing forward/guard. A lock-down defender, a terrific rebounder, an excellent finisher at the rim, and an improving shooter from beyond the rim and out beyond the 3-point line. Moved up fro #41 to #24 in Hoopgurlz ranking. A Northwestern verbal.

3. Rebekah Dahlman, Braham, 5-9, combo guard. A gutsy kid who just refuses to lose. Obviously a terrific offensive player, especially adept at getting to the rim. All-time leading scorer in Minnesota girls basketball. #16 in Hoopgurlz. Going to Vandy.

I've had all 3--Johnson, Dahlman, Coffey--at #1 at 1 time or another. It just depends on who I saw last. All 3 are terrific. When you hear about the great class of 2013, we're talking about these 3. But, seriously, who was/is the best.

Well, Dahlman will certainly be remembered for her 5,000 points. And she also played in 3 state championship games, winning 1 and losing this month in an instant classic. But of course she was overshadowed her last 2 state tournaments by the best of the next gen, Carlie Wagner. Johnson played in 4 state title games and won 3, and also goes down in the history books as the 1st basketball player, boys or girls, ever to make all-state tournament 5 times. Coffey was the obvious star on the 1st 3-peat girls champion at the highest level.

If it's pure athleticism that you crave, Coffey is your girl. Or if it's rebounding and vertical lift, or quickness on defense, the Coffey is the best of the 3. If you're looking for the 3-pointer or a jumper, generally, from the mid-range on out, then it's Johnson. Neither Coffey nor Dahlman is anything special in that area. If it's an all-around game with no obvious weaknesses, that's Tyseanna. But if you want somebody with an Attitude, who just refuses to lose, Dahlman's the one.

So it depends on what your particular definition of greatness is. But, then, there's this: Which one is going to be the best collegian. Coffey at Northwestern, Dahlman at Vanderbilt and Johnson at Iowa State are all going to be facing solid BCS-type opposition, presumably for 4 years, so this will be a fair test of what the 3 of them are really about. My personal opinion is that Johnson's all-around no-weakness game will play better than Coffey's game at the rim and Dahlman's hard-nosed refuse-to-lose game at the next level. Both Coffey and Dahlman are going to have to develop a mid-range game a little bit, while Johnson merely needs to refine the elements she's already got. And Dahlman is going to have to learn to play defense, something that Coffey certainly has already mastered and that Johnson is at least adequate at.

So finally, how you rank them as high schoolers is a matter of personal taste. How they do at the next level will reveal itself and I expect it to reveal Johnson, Coffey and Dahlman in that order.

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EDIT April 4, 2013. NOTE that Kevin Anderson has selected Tyseanna Johnson as his Player of the Year. He had Rebekah Dahlman as his PoY 2 years ago, when the Mighty 2013s were sophomores. He had Nia Coffey as his PoY last year, when they were juniors. Now they're seniors, and it's Tyseanna. Like I said up above, I've had all 3 of them as the #1 rated 2013 at one time or another. I feel your pain. Bottom line is that Tyseanna has a higher PP100 rating--that is, Points Per 100 Possessions--and he attributes it to the ability to finish layups. Dahlman and Coffey and Carlie Wagner, he said, don't finish enough layups. For whatever reason, Tyseanna does. That's what Kevin says and he would know.

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4. Allina Starr, DeLaSalle, 5-9, point guard. Strong, a natural pass-first/shoot-second point guard, but can score inside or out, especially inside. Posts up bigger players and finishes. Still, a great passer. Came into her own with a terrific state tournament. An Auburn verbal.

5. Jade Martin, Bloomington Kennedy, 6-0, forward/wing. Once rated #1 in her class, then slipped a bit but, hey, she's a Georgetown verbal. Highly skilled in every facet of the game . Not as mobile or as aggressive as Tyseanna Johnson, but much more so so far in 2013. One wonders if her slippage and her disappearances are simply a reflection of the fact that she plays for the most part without the ball. In other words, are her teammates looking for her as much as they probably should?

6. MC McGrory, Edina, 5-8, combo guard. First earned her stripes as an on-ball defensive pest, but developed into an all-around guard who can score especially inside, despite her size. Hard-nosed. Going to Creighton which is a terrific fit for her strengths. Will do well.

7. Joanna Hedstrom, Minnetonka, 5-9, point guard. Savvy point guard, can pass or shoot. Could protect the ball a little better. A U of M verbal was announced in May.

8. Jessica January, Richfield, 5-8, combo guard. Very athletic, has won 3 state 100M hurdles track titles. Does it all on the basketball court, plays under control but with aggression. A surprising #74 on Hoopgurlz after not appearing in the top 100 as a junior. Going to DePaul.

9. Tesha Buck, Red Wing, 5-10, combo guard. A scorer and Wisconsin-Green Bay recruit.

10. Phyllis Webb, Osseo, 5-10, off guard. Very athletic, strong, a great defender. Not a consistent offensive threat but great around the rim and it seems she focused more on what she can do toward the end of her career instead of trying to do things she couldn't. In other words, she moved up in my estimation in her final month of play. Verballed Eastern Michigan.

11. Talayiah Rich, Robbinsdale Cooper, 5-10, forward. Undersized for the next level but the skills are there, though obviously I am the only one to hold her in this type of regard.

12. Mikaala Shackleford, Hopkins, 5-11, forward/off guard. Tore an ACL late in her junior year and had always gotten lost among Hopkins many offensive weapons. A lock-down defender, so-so scorer. But like a Jade Martin, she will excel at the next level at Illinois.

13. Savanna Trapp, Esko, 6-8, post. Whatever else she is--a project, perhaps--she is 6-9. Better than Amber Dvorak but more defensively oriented rather than offensively. Still I am of 2 minds concerning Trapp, I really don't know what to expect of her at the next level. But she certainly had an impact at this level. If she had been healthy, Esko would have beaten Braham in the section final, and Braham after all lost the state championship by 1 point. Attending UCLA.

14. Taylor Anderson, Hopkins, 5-7, point guard. Quick on quick and in fact she'll be running track rather than playing hoops at UConn. Very small/slight of build, which would have been a challenge at the next level.

15. Erin O'Toole, Hopkins, 6-3, post. U. of North Dakota recruit. A big strong kid who uses her body inside. Improved dramatically as a senior.

16. Janay Morton, Osseo, 5-8, point guard. Her skills are more advanced while her athleticism is not off the charts like Webb's, but still pretty darn good. Verballed Eastern Michigan.

17. Leah Szabla, Providence, 5-9, point guard. Providence looks like five interchangeable pieces most of the time. But look closer and you'll realize that Szabla is the glue that keeps them together. A good ball handler and distributor, excellent defender, can score and is now looking to do so as a senior. U. of North Dakota recruit.

18. Clarissa Ober, Glencoe-Silver Lake, 6-2, post. Joins a huge stable of Minnesota bigs at South Dakota State. Not clear how she'll be better than those who are already there.

19. Jacqlynn Poss. Roseville, 5-8 combo guard. Great head for the game and hits the 3. Denver U. recruit.

20 (tie). Simone Kolander, 6-0, wing and Taylor Stewart, 5-8, point guard, both Lakeville North. Kolander is a superb athlete, but a better soccer than basketball player (a Gopher soccer recruit). But she finally showed some aggression on the basketball court as a senior. Stewart is not the most athletic, but good skills and a good nose for the game. Illinois State recruit.

22. Sade Chatman, St. Paul Central, 6-1, post-big forward. Big upside, but a long way to go to realize her considerable potential. I was never that high on her due to a lack of motor. But she added size and played well during her final season. Verballed UAB.

23. Larissa Lurken, Park, 5-10, combo guard. Fluid, a scorer, but needs to get stronger mentally and physically. Verballed Kent State.

24. Rachel Doll, Rochester Mayo, 6-1, center-power forward. Aggressive, plays hard, uses her size. Will play at Moorhead State.

25. Kaytlin Kuefler, Annandale, 5-7, combo guard. A St. Cloud State recruit.

26. Paige Waytashek, Centennial, 5-11, forward-guard. Improving dramatically. A Northern State verbal.

27. Angie Davidson, Maple Grove, 5-8, point guard. Has started to take over games. Northern Iowa recruit.

28 (tie). Natalie Ratliff, Providence, 5-10, wing. Does all of the not so little things. And, Taylor Finley, Providence, 6-1, forward. Verbaled Harvard.

30. Emily Spier, Buffalo, 6-0, post-power forward. An NDSU verbal.

31. Kristina White, Woodbury, 5-9, wing. Excellent 3-point shooter. Verballed Vermont.

32. Lashay Holt, St. Paul Humboldt, 5-10, forward. Coming on strong, big, strong, athletic but still raw. Going to St. Catherine's.

33. Jessie Mathews, Faribault Bethlehem Academy, 5-9, point guard. Does it all, pushes the ball, handles and protects it in traffic, scores inside and out, rebounds, goes on the floor for the loose ball. She will be the best freshman in the MIAC at St. Mary's.

34. Onye Osemenam, Maranatha, 6-2, post. Still rough around the edges but big, strong, agile, a terrific defender, and an improving scorer--in the paint, anyway, there's no range there. Verballed Missouri State.

35. Aimee Pelzer, Upsala, 5-9, point guard. Quick, athletic, great ball handler and distributor. Scores 20+ ppg but her future is as a "1." Going to Jamestown.

36. Allyson Harris, Northfield, 6-2, post. Steady. UMD recruit.

37. Macy Weller, Sauk Centre, 5-10, forward. Utterly unspectacular, but does all of the little things, if you consider solid defense to be a little thing. A great defender. And she can score if needed.

38. Katie Schultz, Wayzata, 5-10, forward-guard. Nice athlete, does it all. Going to UW-Breen Bay to play soccer.

39. Betsy McDonald, St. Paul Central, 5-5, point guard. Savvy, fun to watch, but she is tiny. A St. Cloud State recruit.

40. Katie McDaniels, Mounds View, 5-7, point guard. Reminds me of Katybeth Biewen though of course not that good. But plays bigger than she is just by virtue of her toughness. And her team follows her.

41. Chelsey McGee, Cooper, 5-6, point guard.

42. Minisha Childress-Frederick, Mankato East, 5-8, point guard. U. of Detroit recruit.

43. Drew Sannes, Hawley, 6-2, post. A Moorhead State verbal.

44. Kenzie Kane, Grand Rapids, guard. Going to UMD.

45. Sierra Ford-Washington, Richfield, guard. Lost her moment on the big stage to a knee injury in the 1st round of the state tournament. Going to Northern Iowa.

46. Megan Kolness, Ada-Borup, 5-9, forward. Led her team to Class A runners-up.

47. Tatum Sheley, Pine River-Backus, 5-9, combo guard. Tore her ACL this past summer but she is back and scored her 2,000th point in early January.

48. Taylor Winjum, Caledonia, 5-8, guard. Going to Viterbo.

49. Brynn Lilljander, Cambridge-Isanti, 5-8, guard.

50. Larissa Graham, Roseville, 6-2, post. Verballed Western Michigan.

51. Tyra Johnson, Eastview, 6-1, post-power forward. Improved a ton the past year. Mankato State.

52. Alexis Tappe, Frazee. 5-10, a Northern State recruit. A scorer.

53. Sarah Pease, Dover-Eyota, guard.
54. Tarah Cleveland, Menagha, 5-7, combo guard. Going to Valley City State.
55. Nathalie Van Whye, St. Michael-Albertville, 5-9, guard. A Moorhead State verbal.
56. Greta Walsh, Litchfield, 5-8, point guard. Steady.
57. Tiffany Flaata, Prior Lake, 6-2, forward. Active. South Dakota State verbal.

58. Abby Manitz, forward, Kasson-Mantorville. Going to U of M as a volleyball walk-on.

59. Emily Pratt, Albany, 5-11, forward-guard. A St. Cloud recruit.

60. Madison Dorn, Parkers Prairie, 5-7, combo guard.

61. Ashton Haider, Sartell-St. Stephen, guard.
62. Brigette Audette, Big Lake, guard. Going to St. Mary's.
63. Christina Wakeman, Spring Lake Park, 6-0, post. Wisconsin-Milwaukee recruit.

64. Sydney Larsen, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, forward. Going to Presentation.

65. Nicole Nipper, Minnehaha, forward. Going to Carleton.

66. Arei Stokes, Bertha-Hewitt, guard. One of 4 Minnesotans going to Jamestown.
67. Annie Dittberner, New Prague, 5-7, guard.
68. Tori Davidson, Northern Freeze, forward-post. Going to Northland CC.
69. Jenna Goldsmith, St. Anthony, 6-2, post/power forward. Active.

70 (tie). Lauren Shifflett, 5-9, shooting guard. A Concordia-St. Paul recruit.

Becca Smith, shooting guard. Both Chanhassan.

72. Emily Miron, Wadena-Deer Creek, 6-2, post

73. Haley Fogarty, Belle Plaine, 5-8, guard. A Mankato State volleyball recruit.
74. Claire Ziegler, Mankato East, 5-10, forward.
75. Stephanie Dressen, Waconia, post. Northern State verbal.
76. Tamera Curtis, St. Paul Central, 5-9, combo guard.
77. Tyaneka Cage, Mpls. Roosevelt, 5-8, guard. Can score. Does score. Sometimes Big.
78. Audrey DeVaughn, Mpls. Washburn, 5-9, guard.
79. Alexandra Erickson, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, forward. Going to Concordia (Moorhead).

80. Paige Erickson, Wetbrook-Walnut Grove, forward.

81. Jenna Langer, center-forward, Long Prairie-Grey Eagle. Going to St. Ben's.

82. Reilly Johnson, Wayzata, 6-2, forward. Active.
83. Sammie DelZotto, Eagan, guard. Mankato State verbal.
84. Lashondra Curtis, St. Paul Central, 5-11, post/power forward. Chatman and Sherow get all the attention but Curtis uses her body to get things done around the basket.
85. Paige Erickson, Westbrook-Walnut Grove, forward.
86. Allison Newton, Pine Island, 5-8, guard.
87. Lexi Reuhling, New Prague, center.
88. Maria Freuchte, Caledonia. Volleyball phenom, 36" vertical.
89. Marisa Shady, Esko, 5-7, guard. Very steady.

90 (tie). Katie Miller, Waseca. Going to Bemidji State.
Allison Cordes, Roseville, 5-7, guard. A Bemidji State recruit.
Hannah Zerr, Shakopee, 5-8, combo guard. Going to Bemidji State.

93 (tie). Kelsey Carpenter, small forward and Tailor Raymond, 5-10, power forward, both St. Peter.
95. Macy Kelly, Red Wing.
96. Lexi Erpenbach, Norwood-Young America, guard.
97. Deanna Busse, Prior Lake, 5-5, guard. Adjusted from supporting to starring role.

98. Dani Braund, Braham, 5-10, power forward.
99. Cede Finstuen, Pine Island, guard

100. Theresa Moenkedick, Verndale, guard.

Special Mention in no particular order

Shaina Schultz, Rocori, guard.
Jess Yost, Bemidji, forward.
Taylor Frederickson, Minnetonka, forward.

Ebony Wilson-Sinkfield, St. Paul Harding.

Krista Hassing, Blue Earth, guard.

Ali Zopfi, Champlin Park, forward.
Kayla Swanson, Hibbing, guard.
Kathy Ostman, Mountain Iron-Buhl, 6-2, center. Going to Mesabi Range CC.
Kelsey Saugstad, Marshall, guard.
Abby Notch, St. Cloud Apollo, guard.

Jordin Koppolow, Adrian, guard.
Claudia Turner, Esko, guard. Eskomos are much more than just Savanna Trapp.
Tracy Herzog, Upsala, forward.
Bryn Parsons, Eagan, guard.
Aislinn Cornell, Hopkins, 6-0, forward-guard. One big night, then back to the bench.
Breeyana Brittain, Mpls. Roosevelt, 5-10, power forward. Uses her body well.
Rebekah Walk, Heritage Christian, guard.
Breanna Semanko, Spring Lake Park, forward.
Melissa Weisbrick, Hibbing, center.
MaKenzie Miller, Chatfield, 6-1, forward/post.

Traci McDonald, Chatfield, 6-1, center.
Erica Melbie, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City, guard.
Erin Schlotthauer, post, Kasson-Mantorville.
Hana Palmer, Bethlehem Academy, 5-11, center. A bit undersized.
Courtney McClay, Rogers, forward.
Brook Schramm, Esko, forward.
McKenzie Becker, Andover, forward.
Mikaela Hunter, Woodbury. Going to UW-Superior.
Jenna Januschka, St. Cloud Cathedral.

Hannah Swenson, Fergus Falls, 6-2, center.

Mackenzie Bebo, St. Michael-Albertville, guard. Going to Jamestown.
Kirsten Whitney, St. Anthony, guard.
Danni Renner, White Bear Lake, 6-2, post/power forward.

Kate Theisen, Watertown-Mayer, forward.
Hailey Wixo, Moorhead.
Amber Pater, Southwest Minnesota Christian, center.
Katie Simonet, 5-5, Park Center, guard. Gets the most out of her assets.
Ellen Blacklock, Winona, center.
Casey Haugdahl, Henning, forward.
Janelle Morem, Blooming Prairie, guard.

Natalie Sill, Blake, forward.
Marissa Evans, Swanville
Ali Clark, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg.
Hannah Howard, Cretin-Derham Hall, 5-10, forward. Super hard worker, much improved.
Courtney Dilley, Eden Valley Watkins, post.
Joelle Ertl, Holdingford.
Sarah Anderson, forward, Marshall
Laurel Kabat, Apple Valley, guard.
Nicole Borstner, St. Francis, guard.
Anna Soenneker, St. Cloud Tech. Going to South Dakota Mines.

Mandy Mercil, Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton, guard.
Angie Wahl, Cherry, forward.
Chloe Gunderson, Minnehaha, guard.
Kalli Zimmerman, Champlin Park, gorward.
Jessica Jennings, LeRoy-Ostrander, guard.
Tayler Reller, Melrose.
Jamie Jenks, Little Falls.
Megan Olson, Red Lake Falls, post.
Abbie Mercil, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, post.
Carly Masloski, Underwood, forward.

Noelle Elodhjem, Mora, post.
Rachel Cheadle, Fulda, center.
Alicia Nopola, Silver Bay, center.
Jenna Schammel, Southland, forward.
Stephanie Jensen, Redwood Valley, going to Jamestown.
Tia Diggins, Montevideo.
Kiana Nickel, Wayzata, guard.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Minnesota Gopher Women's Recruiting: Where to from Here?

It would appear that the Minnesota Gophers are pretty much done recruiting the 2014s with 4 girls committed:

• 6-5 Josie Buckingham and 6-4 Terra Stapleton, a pair of Ohio posts
• Carlie Wagner and Grace Coughlin, a pair of Minnesota guards

Of course, Kionna Kellogg recently announced that she was leaving the program, leaving an obvious hole in the Gophers front-court for 2013-2014. Or is there? Michaela Riche, Amanda Zahui, Jackie Johnson, Kayla Hirt and Stabresa McDaniel are all available for duty, along with Sari Noga, though whether she's really a forward or whether that's a 3-guard scheme when she's on the floor is a matter of taste.

In other words, there is in fact not a gap in terms of quantity. Whether there's a problem with quality is, again, a matter of taste. Coach Pam Borton's taste was to split minutes at the 4 pretty much 50/50 (or rather 20/20) between Kellogg and Hirt, so the loss of Kellogg may mean a loss of quality for whatever minutes Hirt needs to spend resting on the bench. Or, on the other hand, is Jackie Johnson ready to contribute?

If you think there's a terrible hole as a result of Kellogg's departure, another 2014 recruit is not the answer. If you think Hirt and Johnson can do the job, then getting another body in here by next fall is not the answer, especially if you suck up a scholarship that you think you can give to a better player in 2014. If so, who would that be?

2014 Front Court Prospects

Well, duh. The top 2014 front court prospects who are not already spoken for are:

• Cayla McMorris, 6-1, post-forward, Park Center. I've even seen her play the guard position on defense, though not successfully against Rebekah Dahlman. A 3 or 4 in college with plenty of mobility and perimeter skills. But if it's a 4 you need, she's all of that, too.

• Bailey Norby, 6-2, post, Forest Lake. Plays hard, stays down low, does not shy away from physical play, fair variety of offensive moves.

• Bryanna Fernstrom, 6-5, post, Chisago Lakes. Do not see her as a fit with a team that has the 6-5 Zahui plus Buckingham and Stapleton already in the paint.

• Kylie Brown, 6-3, forward, Simley. A true forward at 6-3, but she is also a little bit tentative. Who knows if or when she will outgrow that?

• Chase Coley, 6-3, center-forward, Mpls. Washburn. Anybody who saw her in the state tournament is mightily intrigued. Averaged an awe-inspiring 11 blocks as a junior. Can score and rebound. Not as strong or as mature or as skilled as McMorris, but she sure is longer.

When I said, well, duh, I meant that McMorris remains the obvious superstar talent in this group, but if you're willing to take a chance with a project, Coley is the one with the upside. Both can and do play away from the basket and so are not subject to the Zahui-Buckingham-Stapleton rule. If Minnesota has the scholarships, they could do a lot worse than grabbing both of these girls, if McMorris and Coley will, of course, have Minnesota.

The 2015s

The 2015s do not, at this stage, look like a particularly deep class, and maybe not even a very good class top, middle or bottom. Time will tell. The obvious prospects include:

• Maddie Guebert, do-everything-guard, Eastview. If Grace Coughlin can play for Minnesota, Maddie Guebert certainly can.

• T.T. Starks, basketball player. In other words, I don't know exactly what skill or what position on the floor you recruit her for. I just know you recruit her and you sign her up. I guess when all is said and done, you give her a shot at putting the ball in the hole. She does pretty much everything else, but that might be her strongest suit, and it tends to be a fairly valuable skill, especially with Rachel Banham being gone about the time the 2015s show up.

• Taylor Reiss, 5-10, post, Minneota. Some may question her size and strength and even her skills. You know, she plays in Class A, how good can she be? The correct answer is, Good enough. But the fact is she's a volleyball player, so we don't really have to worry about it.

NOTE: She is indeed listed at 5-10 in the tournament program, as natstar1 says. She looks taller and plays a lot taller. She's 4 inches shorter than Alli Knuti? Same size as Faribault BA's big girls? 1 inch taller than Ada's tallest player? I saw all 3 games and all 3 of those comparisons are false. But 6-3? I guess she only plays like she's 6-3 and I fell for the act.

• Tara Dusharm, 6-5, post, Foley. Does she also run afoul of the Zahui-Buckingham-Stapleton rule?I mean, she's a year younger and a bit better than Fernstrom. She's still be the 4th post among a junior-sophomore-sophomore-freshman group, so that's s tough call. There's a couple of great posts in the 2016s, maybe you wait for them. But, wait, they're 6-2. Dusharm is 6-5. I say, Grab her.

After that, I'm not sure there's anybody that looks like a high D1 player though, yeah, they're young, they'll mature, they'll get better. Maybe Jill Morton, Edina guard. Maybe Alex Wittinger, Delano post-forward. Maybe Ali Greene, Mahtomedi forward. Maybe Monica Burich, Roseville forward. Maybe not. So it you've got the schollies, grab Guebert, Starks and Dusharm and move on.

The 2016s

Once again, well, duh. There's a girl named Nia at Hopkins, believe it or not, and it's not Nia Coffey. It's 5-10 guard Nia Hollie. She is the nextest greatest guard after Rachel Banham. So, well, duh. Get her.

The 2016s are deeper than the 2015s and so, after Hollie, there are some other nice prospects though, as I said, the posts are 6-2 and not yet ready for play away from the hoop. I'm talking Jamie Ruden, Rochester John Marshall, and Abi Scheid, Elk River. And Abby Kain of Simley is 6-1. Ditto that regarding Kain. Jury's out.

At the forward spot, you've got a couple serious lookers in Courtney Frederickson, 6-1, Minnetonka and Sydney Tracy, 6-2, St. Michael-Albertville. And at guard, after Hollie, you've got Taylor Koenen, 6-0, Shakopee, Kiara Russell, 5-8, Bloomington Kennedy and Andrayah Adams, 5-10, St. Paul Como Park.

If I had to pick a couple of them right now, I'd pick (after Hollie, did I mention after Hollie?) Tracy and Russell. Fortunately, we've got a year before we (Pam Borton) has to make such a decision, though I hope she has entered into a dialogue with all of 'em by now.

2017

Well, duh. Jasmyn Martin. Could be the best Minnesotan since Rachel Banham. Or, could be the best Minnesotan since Lindsay Whalen. On the other side of the coin, her sister was rated #1 in her class at this age level and ended up #5. I think Jas will still be #1.

And don't forget Lyndsey Robson, point guard at Apple Valley. Just call her Tyus II. Could be the best point guard since Rachel Banham. Or, could be the best point guard since Lindsay Whalen. There's nobody else at 2017 that looks anything like a D1 lock but they've got a long way to go.

2018

Well, duh. Carmen Backes, 5-11, Chisago Lakes. Looked terrific against DeLaSalle in the 1st round of the state tournament as a 7th grader.

P.S. I have only mentioned 3 2017s and/or 2018s. More will emerge, but this is also a fairly accurate reflection of the fact that the 2016s look like a really terrific class at this point in time and they've made it hard for the 2017s and 2018s to look really good.

Summary

The best prospects of the next 5 years who are not already Gopher recruits:

1. Jasmyn Martin, 6-3, forward, Bloomington Kennedy. 9th grade next fall (2017).
2. Nia Hollie, 5-10, guard, Hopkins. 10th grade next fall (2016).
3. Lyndsey Robson, 5-9, point guard, Apple Valley. 10th grade (2017).
4. Cayla McMorris, 6-1, forward, Park Center. 12th grade (2014).
5. Carmen Backes, 5-11, forward, Chisago Lakes. 8th grade (2018).
6. Maddie Guebert, 5-10, guard, Eastview. 11th grade (2015).
7. T.T. Starks, 5-10, guard-forward, Hopkins. 11th grade (2015).
8. Tara Dusharm, 6-5, post, Foley. 11th grade (2015).
9. Chase Coley, 6-3, forward, Mpls. Washburn. 12th grade (2014).
10. Kiara Russell, 5-8, guard, Bloomington Kennedy. 10th grade (2016)

Honorable Mention in alpha order

Andrayah Adams, 5-10, guard, St. Paul Como Park. 10th grade (2016).
Katy Brattland, guard. 8th grade (2018).
Bryanna Fernstrom, 6-5, post, Chisago Lakes. 12th grade (2014).
Courtney Frederickson, 6-1, forward, Minnetonka. 10th grade (2016).
Taylor Koenen, 5-10, guard, Shakopee. 10th grade (2016).
Chelsea Mason, 5-8, guard, Mountain Iron-Buhl. 9th grade (2017).
Hana Metoxen, 5-11, forward, Eastview. 11th grade (2015).
Jamie Ruden, 6-2, post, Rochester John Marshall. 10th grade (2016)
Abi Scheid, 6-2, post, Elk River. 10th grade (2016)
Sydney Tracy, 6-2, forward, St. Michael-Albertville. 10th grade (2016). If I had a #11, Tracy would be it.

P.S. I do not assume that the Gophers won't be signing some out-of-state recruits, I just don't pretend to know who that should be.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Carlie Wagner: Minnesota Hoops 2013 Player of the Year

With all due respect to our readers, who chose Anders Broman as their Player of the Year, the editors of Minnesota Hoops pick our own PoY. 2 years ago we agreed with our readers, and also picked Kevin Love as PoY. Last year we demurred, preferring Lindsay Whalen, who led the Minnesota Lynx to the 2011 WNBA title, to the readers' pick, Taylor Young of the St. Thomas women.

So this year? Well, we picked 10 finalists for the readers poll.

Timberwolves--none
Lynx--Seimone Augustus
Gophers--Rachel Banham, Andre Hollins
Small College--Taylor Hall, Clayton Vette
High School Boys--Anders Broman, Tyus Jones
High School Girls--Nia Coffey, Rebekah Dahlman, Carlie Wagner.

1st, let's pick within categories. Between Banham and Hollins, for example, Banham was more consistent and her team would have been much more lost without her than the men without Hollins. Banham is a fairly easy pick.

Not so much between Hall and Vette, though I would venture that neither is going to be our PoY, so maybe it doesn't matter. But for the record, Vette, of Winona State, is the D2 national Player of the Year. Hall, of Bethel, meanwhile, was rated as the #3 D3 player in the country and the #13-rated player below D1. Tough call, but I guess you gotta go with Vette, whose team reached the D2 Elite 8.

Then, Broman or Tyus Jones? Again, all due respect to our readers and Broman's fans and friends, it's gotta be Tyus, if only because he led his team to the Class AAAA title, while Broman's team was eliminated in the state Class A 1st round. But in addition to that, college recruiters and the people who run the U.S. national teams would all agree that Tyus is more of a force on the basketball court. Somebody recently said he was the greatest player ever to come out of Minnesota. Well, maybe. I would wait until after his senior season to make such a claim and, even then, he's got some decent competition. Khalid El-Amin may very well have been a better high school guard--again, let's see that senior season. And if it's a college or a pro career that you're really talking about, well, have you heard of Kevin McHale? Still, he rates ahead of Broman in 2013 in our book.

The High School Girls

Finally, the toughest call of all, the high school girls. I have Tyseanna Johnson and Carlie Wagner rated #1 in their respective classes, but Johnson wasn't even nominated for player of the year. That was kind of a fluke. PoY nominations come as a result of being Player of the Day sometime in November through March, and Tyseanna never was. Whenever she had a big day, and make no mistake about it, she had her big days, but when she did, somebody else happened to have a bigger one. A fluke, yes, but you can't be PoY if not nominated.

I would note here, however, that my buddy Kevin Anderson picked Tyseanna as his girls PoY. 2 years ago, Dahlman was PoY when the mighty 2013s were sophomores. Last year he picked Nia Coffey. This year Tyseanna because, as he said, her offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions) was better. About 10 percent better, to be more precise. And that, according to Kevin's analysis, is because Tyseanna finishes at the rim better. She makes lay-ups. The others missed too many.

So shame on me. It's between Carlie and Nia and Rebekah.

Well, Rebekah Dahlman got outplayed 2 nights running in the state tournament--by Leah Szabla and then of course by Carlie Wagner. If I had a vote for Ms. Basketball, which I view as a career award, I would probably go with Dahlman, the 1st and only girl to score 5,000 points in a career. But PoY is a seasonal award, and she got outplayed in the 2 biggest games of the year.

Meanwhile, my #1 rating is really meant to address her post-high school potential. I know many of you think I'm crazy, but I think she'll have the best college career of the 3 2013s--Coffey, Dahlman and Johnson. But that, too, is not the same thing as a Player of the Year award which means, who had the best season in 2013.

Nia Coffey? Well, she never got outplayed. And Carlie Wagner never got outplayed, but--c'mon, seriously--40 missed shots plus turnovers against Washburn? And it wasn't just missing shots, it was decision-making on the floor. I caught a lot of grief for putting her (and Dahlman) on my 2nd all-state tournament team behind Maddie Guebert and Leah Szabla. Maybe I overreacted. But I was there, I saw that game, and somebody had to say something.

And, yet, I could imagine Hopkins winning a state title even without Nia Coffey. (Watch 'em do just that next year, for that matter.) I cannot imagine New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva beating anybody without Carlie Wagner. So there you have it, PoY among the high school girls--Carlie Wagner.

Minnesota Hoops Player of the Year

So my finalists are Seimone Augustus, Rachel Banham, Clayton Vette, Tyus Jones and Carlie Wagner. OK, my finalists are really Tyus Jones and Carlie Wagner. Carlie Wagner and Tyus Jones.

Well, once again, I could imagine Apple Valley winning the state title--or, at a minimum, being competitive with state tournament caliber teams--without Tyus Jones. I saw Apple Valley beat Hopkins without him. I cannot imagine NRHEG beating anybody--certainly not a state tournament caliber team--without Carlie Wagner.

So Minnesota Hoops Player of the Year is Carlie Wagner.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Anders Broman wins Minnesota Hoops Readers Player of the Year Poll

Anders Broman wins Readers Player of the Year voting

Minnesota Hoops readers selected Anders Broman of Lakeview Christian as their Player of the Year in voting here on Minnesota Hoops. Broman roared into the lead in the 2nd of 2 weeks of voting, overtaking Carlie Wagner of New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva, who had led through the 1st week. Broman finished with 80 votes (50 percent of 158 votes cast) and Wagner with 32 (20 percent).

Nia Coffey with 16 votes (10 percent) and Tyus Jones with 15 votes (9 percent) also got into double figures, making it a clean sweep of the top 4 places by high schoolers. Rachel Banham was the topo non-high school vote-getting with 6 votes (3 percent).

Broman follows Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves (2011) and Taylor Young of St. Thomas University (2012) as the Readers Player of the Year.

The editors picked Love and Lindsay Whalen of the Minnesota Lynx as their Players of the Year for the same year. Watch this space for the editors choice for 2013.

Broman of course became the 1st Minnesotan to score 5,000 career points earlier this season, and remains the #1 scorer among Minnnesota boys or girls.

Candidates for Minnesota Hoops Player of the Year 2012-2013

Vote in our annual poll to the right>>>
Also check out our 2012-2013 season review below.

Semione Augustus, Minnesota Lynx. Augustus led the Lynx to a 2nd straight WNBA finals, where the team fell short of a repeat of its 2012 championship. She also helped the U.S. win the gold medal during last summer's Olympic Games.

Rachel Banham, Minnesota Gopher women. Banham led the Gopher women in good times and in bad, leading the Big 10 in scoring with more than 21 points per game. But the Gophers faltered to an 18-14 finish and a loss in the 1st round of the WNIT.

Anders Broman, Lakeview Christian boys. Finished his career as the 1st Minnesota high schooler ever to score 5,000 career points, and led his team to a 2nd state tournament berth.

Nia Coffey, Hopkins girls. Coffey led her team to a 3rd straight state title, dominating 3 straight opponents with her defense and rebounding, while also scoring 67 points in 3 games. She also earned McDonald's all-America honors.

Rebekah Dahlman, Braham girls. Finished her career as the 1st girl ever to score 5,000 points in Minnesota high school ball, and led her team to runner-up in Class AA. She, too, won McDonald's all-America honors.

Taylor Hall, Bethel men. Hall was MIAC MVP, and was rated the #3 player in all of D3 and the #13 player below D1 by 1 rating service.

Andre Hollins, Minnesota Gopher men. Andre was the Gophers leading scorer in good times and in bad, including a 41 point effort in an upset of then-#19 Memphis to help the Gophers roar out to a 15-1 start and a #8 national rating.

Tyus Jones, Apple Valley boys. Regarded by some as the #1 national recruit in the class of 2014, Jones led his team to the state Class AAAA title, and in the process avenged his team's only defeat in thrashing Park Center 74-57. Last summer he helped the U.S. to gold in the world 17 & under championship.

Clayton Vette, Winona State men. Vette was named D3 national Player of the Year. He led Winona to the Northern Sun South Division regular season crown, to the NCAA North Central Region title and to the D2 Elite 8. He finished 2nd in the NSIC in scoring (21 ppg) and rebounding and 3rd in shooting percentage.

Carlie Wagner, New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva girls. Scored a record 129 points in the state tournament, where she led her team to the Class AA title in a classic win over Rebekah Dahlman and Braham 60-59 in the final. Wagner scored a record 50 points in that game.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Green wins boys all-star series

Green, under coaches Bo Powell and Kevin Polite of Park Center and featuring Mr. Basketball Quinton Hooker from the same school, won 2 games at the MN Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Weekend April 5 and 6. In the final Green defeated Gold, featuring Park Center's Devin Buckley, 127-122.

Hooker scored just 8 points in the final but had 5 assists, while Anders Broman of Lakeview Christian scored 30 points of 10-for-14 shooting, DeShawn Jones of Richfield scored 23 points, Jumah'ri Turner of Bloomington Kennedy scored 22 and Riley Dearing of Minnetonka added 11. Jones and Broman led Green in rebounding with 7 and 6, respectively, while Carson Shanks had 2 blocks and Jones 3 steals.

Green got 21 points from Buckley, 19 points from Jack Martinek of Irondale, 17 from Dustin Fronk of Apple Valley, 15 from Reggie Lynch of Edina, 14 from Joe Aase of Austin, and 12 from Quashingm Pugh-Smith of St. Paul Johnson. Lynch had 10 boards, 3 assists and 3 blocks, while Grant Erickson of Lakeville North had 4 assists.

In Friday night's semi-finals at Halenbeck Hall, St. Cloud State, Gold hammered Maroon 130-95 as Buckley scored 23 points with 7 boards for Gold and Mackenzie Johnson of Roseville scored 18 for Maroon. Gold shot 62 percent in the 1st half and led 69-44 at intermission.And Green defeated Blue 118-106 as Dearing scored 26 points and Jones 22. Hooker had 14 points, 10 boards and 8 assists. Mike Millard of Fergus Falls scored 28 for Blue. Like the Gold, Green had a big half-time lead 65-46.

In the 3rd place game, Blue beat Maroon 113-101 as Bridge Tusler scored 21 points for the winners, and Mackenzie Johnson 22 for the losers.

For the weekend the top individual performers are:

Points--Mike Millard 45 DeShawn Jones 45 Devin Buckley 44 Anders Broman 41 Riley Dearing 37
Rebounds--Jordan Burich 20 Ben Oberfeld 20 Reggie Lynch 15 Logan Doyle 15 Jones 14 Carson Shanks 14
Assists--Quinton Hooker 13 Robert Ben 7 Grant Erickson 6 Luke Scott 5 Renard Suggs 4 Nate Huot 4
Blocks--Lynch 3 Devon Pekas 3 Shanks 2 Dearing 2
Steals--Xavier Hall 5 Jumah'ri Turner 3 Tom Aase 3 Garrison Gillard 3

All-Stars All-Stars

C- Reggie Lynch, Gold (Edina) 33 points, 14/27 FG, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks
PF- Riley Dearing, Green (Minnetonka) 37 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks
SF- DeShawn Jones, Green (Richfield) 45 points, 19/29 FG, 14 rebounds
PG- Quinton Hooker, Green (Park Center) 22 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists
SG- Devin Buckley, Gold (Park Center) 44 points, 17/30 FG

2nd Team

C- Mike Millard, Blue (Fergus Falls) 45 points, 20/28 FG
PF- Quashingm Pugh-Smith, Gold (St. Paul Johnson) 33 points, 13/25 FG, 10 rebounds
SF- Anders Broman, Green (Lakeview Christian) 41 points, 14/24 FG, 11 rebounds
PG- Xavier Hall, Maroon (Tartan) 22 points, 8 assists, 5 steals
SG- Jumah'ri Turner, Green (Bloomington Kennedy) 35 points, 13/24 FG, 3 steals

3rd Team

C- Peter Kruise, Maroon (St. Peter) 31 points, 14/21 FG
PF- Ben Oberfeld, Blue (Lakeville North) 25 points, 10/17 FG, 20 rebounds
SF- Mackenzie Johnson, Maroon (Roseville) 40 points, 15/30 FG
PG- Dustin Fronk, Gold (Apple Valley) 35 points
SG- Jack Martinek, Gold (Irondale) 29 points 13/22 FG

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Richard & Tubby & Teague & the Gopher Men

Not 30 minutes after I wrote the following I learned that Norwood Teague has hired Richard Pitino as the Gophers new men's basketball coach. All I will add right now is to say, read this before you bad-mouth the choice.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-basketball/2013/3/11/4090004/richard-pitino-fiu-coaching-record-sub-belt-championship

I'm more than willing to give the kid a shot. It looks to me like the kid has some upside. Otherwise, I think what I've already written says what I wanted to say.

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I am on record saying that the Gopher men, given a variety of systemic and historic forces, are in need of a miracle worker. Am I saying things are bad? Yeah, things are bad. 1 NCAA tournament win in 16 years (or perhaps you prefer 22 years). No Big 10 title since 1982. Local talent that up until 2014, at least, doesn't appear to be able to support a winner.

(8 of 13 Mr. Minnesota Basketballs this century have gone to Minnesota. The losses hurt our feelings at the time [Isaiah Dahlman] and/or hurt the program longer term [Jordan Taylor]. But Boone, Humphries, Rickert, Tollackson, Hoffarber and Joe Coleman were otherwise pretty much as good as it gets--not to mention Dan Coleman, Dan Hagen, Lawrence McKenzie, Al Nolan among others--and it wasn't good enough by a long shot.)

6 years ago we thought Tubby was a miracle worker. It turned out, not. So why not roll the dice, I thought?

Well, why not? If you can't get a miracle worker, that's why not. Or, more to the point, if you can't get somebody who looks like a miracle worker. The irony is that Tim Brewster looked a little bit like a miracle worker, while Jerry Kill looked like and looks like, well, Tubby Smith. A grinder who will probably make the program better but seems unlikely to make it great. But, of course, the guy who promised to make it great proved to be a snake oil salesman who was low on snakes at the time.

So, is there a miracle worker out there? Is the even a guy who looks like and smells like a miracle worker? Who the hell knows. Not me. But if you're gonna hire another grinder, ya shoulda kept Tubby. OK? Ya shoulda kept Tubby if you can't get Shaka or Flip or Fred or Brad or the next generation of potential miracle workers.

But that's hindsight. I said, roll the dice, and Norwood Teague rolled the dice. I agree with Amelia Rayno. Whatever Teague's personal vision was or is, he did what we wanted. It's beyond hypocrisy to jump off the bandwagon now.

But let's be honest. The coach that Teague hires won't be a miracle worker unless he, miraculously, gets Tyus Jones and/or Reid Travis and/or Rashad Vaughn to come to Minnesota. That will be a miracle and, if it happens, it will beget other miracles, just like Lindsay Whalen resurrected a woman's program that was in vastly worse shape in 2000 than the men's program has ever been.

But if, as seems more likely, the new coach cannot inveigle his way into Tyus' or Reid's or Rashad's heart in 90 days, what then? Then...then...support your coach. Support your AD. Support your only local D1 university. He/they did what you asked. You and I, we own the consequences. Man up.

Minnesota Hoops