MSHSL Transfer Rule Gets Needed Scrutiny

In 1988 the Minnesota Legislature adopted Open Enrollment, which meant that any high school student could enroll in any school at any time for any reason. In 2007 the Minnesota State High School League in effect amended Open Enrollment in order to place limits on the opportunity for athletes to benefit from Open Enrollment.

Specifically, when a student-athlete transfers high schools, he or she has to sit out a year of athletics, at least in theory.

The reasons for this policy, it seems, included 1) recruiting. Parents, and sometimes even school officials, it was rumored, were out soliciting elite athletes to come to their schools, and there was nothing to prevent such a practice. The result was 2) the creation of super-teams. At that time, the St. Paul Central girls basketball team was Exhibit A. Girls had transferred into Central from all over town to create what is still regarded as the best girls basketball team ever to play in Minnesota.

Remember when the new transfer rule was going to stamp out all of that?

The problem with the transfer rule was—well, there are any number of problems with the transfer rule. First and foremost, it denies athletes equal protection of the law. But, secondly, it just doesn’t seem to be working. There seem to be more transfers than ever, and almost nobody sits out.

Equal Protection?

But, first and foremost, the whole point of Open Enrollment was that schools would have to compete for students. High quality schools would gain students, and poor quality schools would lose students. And, since state funding is based on the number of students, bad schools would not only lose students, they would lose funding and eventually they would go out of business. The good schools would survive, and the quality of education in Minnesota would improve for everybody. That’s the idea.

So, from 1988 until today, kids who are in band or choir, or are artsy, or they build robots, or they’re good at math, or whatever, they can enroll wherever they want, whenever the want, for any reason. If you’re an athlete, you can’t do that without sacrificing your sport. That denies athletes equal protection of the law, not because the Legislature exempted athletes from Open Enrollment, but because an extra-legal, voluntary association decided that it should be so.

That’s not fair and, I believe, it’s not legal. The Constitution says that everybody should have equal protection under the law. Of course, it’s only illegal if somebody with legal authority says so. But somebody might do that soon.

Justice Delayed

Justice delayed is justice denied, they say. And several parents are now suing the league about justice delayed. One of the issues is that if a student is declared to be ineligible, you can appeal, but the appeal is likely to take so long that the athletic season in question is over by the time the appeal is completed. One student was declared eligible for her sport on appeal, but that decision didn’t come until about the time of the state tournament.

If the courts find in favor of the students, then an appeals process would have to be made vastly more timely. A reasonable measure of timeliness would be that if a kid appeals and is found to be eligible, they could actually play their sport within that season.

Anything less would be “justice delayed, justice denied.”

Legislative Audit

Then, in addition to the lawsuit, the state Legislative Auditor is going to be auditing the league and its transfer policy at the request of state legislator, Rep. Bob Dettmer. Some of you know that Dettmer was the long-time Forest Lake wrestling coach. When he says he’s got no axe to grind, no problem with the MSHSL, you can take him at his word.

Yet, when his request for a legislative audit was announced, the news article included complaints about the way the East Ridge football program was treated by the league. It turns out that East Ridge used an ineligible football player who lied to the school about his place of residence. When this came to light, the league forfeited a whole slew of wins and a pair of section titles. Meanwhile, well, there was nothing anybody could do to the ineligible player.

So, There Are Problems

So there are problems. Appeals take too long. Punishments often target the innocent rather than the guilty. And, again, the rule discriminates against a whole class of Minnesotans—they being high school athletes.

And isn’t that a pretty high price to pay for a policy that, in turn, doesn’t seem to actually be accomplishing its objectives?

But, wait. To be fair, here are the numbers, as reported by the Star Tribune, which has just taken an in-depth look at the whole issue, though I have to say that they seem to have overlooked the main points. Which are, the transfer rule denies athletes equal protection of the law, and that there are so many kids who transfer and play.

So, the numbers reported by the Strib are as follows. There have been about 2,400 transfers into Minnesota high schools this school year, about 1,400 of them within the state. About 480 were pursuant to Open Enrollment, and about 427 to families changing residences. (That leaves about 500 “other,” and there’s no indication what those situations are.)

When transferring, a student first applies to the new AD for eligibility, and the league agreed with 92 percent of the AD’s rulings. The league overruled the ADs 108 times. (If that’s the 8 percent, then the 92 percent would be about 1,200 cases.)

There were 139 appeals. Presumably these are cases where the league ruled a player to be ineligible. (I doubt if very many people would appeal a ruling that a student was eligible.)

47 appeals were approved (presumably, a student being found to be eligible) and 58 were denied. The others remain in process. (So, in other words, the “justice delayed” scenario applies to about 10 percent of transfers. The “equal protection” concern would apply to all of them.)

What the Strib’s numbers don’t show is how many transfers ultimately play sports and how many sit out. If the 58 appeals denied are the only ones who sit out, that’s only 4 percent. But, surely some students go ahead and sit out a year without appealing. Let’s assume that just 1 in 10 students who are ruled ineligible go to appeal. Now you’ve got 40 percent (of 1,400) sitting out, and 60 percent (840) who are playing. I would think, actually, that the number is much higher than 840—say, at least 1,000—who transfer each year without giving up a year of eligibility.

Remember when the transfer rule was going to stamp that out? Instead, there’s maybe 1,000 kids each year who find some loophole to go through to maintain their eligibility. Anyone who follows girls basketball as closely as many of our readers do, in fact, know perfectly well that the percent of transfers who maintain their eligibility is way beyond 60 percent. 90 percent or more would seem more accurate.

Of course, many of those fall under those 427 families that changed residence. But you and I also know that in many, many of those cases, the transfer from one school to another comes first. The new house comes after.

So, in short, transferring by athletes remains rampant. And, when a girl transfers from Rochester to Irondale or Waseca to Lakeville, it’s probably because mom or dad got a new job. But when she transfers from Hopkins to Eastview or Eden Prairie to Chanhassen, mom or dad’s job probably had nothing to do with it. Again, you and I both know that in the vast majority of cases, the transfer is for basically athletic purposes.

Remember when the transfer rule was going to stamp that out?

And, yet, somewhere in the range of 60 to 90 percent or more (probably a little more) of such students maintain their athletic eligibility in spite of whatever the rule says.

And, so, ultimately, that’s why the transfer rule should be rescinded. It’s analogous to the MSHSL’s new policy of denying media credentials to the state tournament to Web sites that rank and rate and evaluate players (“recruiting Web sites”). And then, after being denied a media credential, I bought a ticket to the first session and saw Kevin Anderson, Gary Knox and Chuck Thompson sitting at courtside. Okay, now I want a pass.

Same here: If Brooke Bowlin and Rachel Garvey and Martha Kuderer never missed a day of athletic competition, then it just isn’t fair that Katey Brattland and Lizzie Odegard and Sam Trammel ever did.

Super-Teams

And, as far as “super-teams” are concerned, well, okay, we haven’t had a team as good as St. Paul Central 2007, though obviously there are some Hopkins fans who are going to disagree with me on that. Which just proves my point.

The Hopkins girls have won 4 out of 6 state titles (with 5 out of 6 state championship game appearances) and 6 state titles over a period of 13 years. Among the boys Hopkins has won 6 of 12 and 7 of 15. And I mean no disrespect when I ask where all those Hopkins ballplayers actually live. And who can actually compete with the Hopkins boys? Year in, year out, it’s Apple Valley, it’s Lakeville North, it’s Osseo, it’s Eden Prairie, the usual suspects.

And regardless of where the kids live, the point remains that super-teams have become more and more entrenched since the passage of the transfer rule that was supposed to stamp them out.

So, again, with all the problems that seem to be endemic to the transfer rule, isn’t that just too much of a price to pay in light of the fact that the rule isn’t accomplishing its objectives?

What If: 100th Anniversary Boys State High School Basketball

What if there had been 2 classes right from the start? Who were the best small town teams?

I compared state tournament--and at times, regional--game scores to come up with the 2 best small town teams each of the tournament. Then I came up with a game score, an actual meeting of the 2 teams if it exists, or otherwise based on common opponents.

# The actual championship game teams and score
+ An actual tournament game score, but not the final
** Both teams played in the tournament, but did not play each other
* One of the teams played in the tournament, the other did not

1913 Fosston 29 Mountain Lake 27#
1914 Fosston 29 Howard Lake 15**
1915 Fosston 29 Mountain Lake 23**
1916 Virginia 20 St. Paul Mechanic Arts 9#
1917 Mountain Lake 22 Fosston 12**
1918 Lake City 26 Fosston 6**
1919 Fosston 30 Chisholm 15**

1920 Morton 18 Fulda 9**
1921 Fosston 35 Sandstone 18**--7 title games and 5 mythical titles in 9 years for Fosston
1922 Madison 28 Crookston 27**
1923 Aurora 22 Blue Earth 11**
1924 Two Harbors 26 Kasota 9**
1925 St. Paul Mechanic Arts*--the only small school in the 1925 field     
1926 Gaylord 13 Gilbert 9#    
1927 Bagley*--the only small school in the 1927 field
1928 Virginia 28 Appleton 13**--1st other than Fosston to mythically repeat
1929 St. Paul Mechanic Arts 23 Ely 22**--3rd repeater

1930 St. Paul Mechanic Arts 30 Chisholm 11**--2nd to repeat consecutively
1931 Glencoe 25 Glenwood 10**
1932 Chisholm 25 Balaton 17**
1933 Chisholm 28 Montevideo 18+
1934 Chisholm 29 St. Paul Mechanic Arts 27#--Chishom is 2nd 3-peat champion
1935 Glencoe 24 Rushford 21*--Rushford lost to eventual state champ Austin in the Region 1 final
1936 Wadena 28 Buhl 27+--in reality, a huge semi-final upset
1937 Crosby-Ironton 32 Virginia 30**
1938 Crosby-Ironton 37 Appleton 22**
1939 Mountain Lake 38 Gilbert 24**

1940 Breckenridge 35 Mountain Lake 28**
1941 Buhl 39 Braham 29*
1942 Buhl 44 LeCenter 21*
1943 Arlington 34 Virginia 22*--1st mythical champ not in state tournament field
1944 Litchfield 39 Crosby-Ironton 38*--2nd champ not in state tournament field
1945 Fulda 44 Ely 26*--3rd champ not in state tournament field
1946 Mountain Lake 60 Lynd 35**
1947 Mountain Lake 39 Crosby-Ironton 38**--Lakers now 4-2 in mythical finals
1948 Mountain Lake 46 Crosby-Ironton 26**--Lakers 5-2, C-I 2-3
1949 LeSueur 33 Jackson 31--1st time neither was in the field

1950 Mpls. Vocational 43 Canby 38*--5th champ not in actual field
1951 Gilbert 69 Canby 52#--only the 3rd time #, and Gilbert in 2 of them
1952 Mountain Lake 53 Halstad 49**
1953 Albany 55 Virginia 52--only second time neither was in the field
1954 Renville 58 Braham 52*
1955 Esko 66 Fairmont 52+
1956 Halstad 64 Blue Earth 62*
1957 Foley 52 Lyle 51--Foley led by the great Norm Grow
1958 Virginia 64 Luverne 59
1959 Carlton 61 Hawley 53**

1960 Edgerton 67 Dodge Center 55*
1961 Edgerton 61 International Falls 54*
1962 Danube 65 Jordan 50*
1963 Granite Falls 63 Sauk Centre 61**
1964 Luverne 68 Spring Valley 60*
1965 Henning 67 Virginia 62**
1966 Henning 69 Chisholm 68*
1967 Hayfield 63 Walnut Grove 58**
1968 Hayfield 84 Luverne 52**
1969 Wells 68 Crosby-Ironton 55**

1970 Sherburn 92 Albany 53*
1971 Melrose 72 Renville 60**--you had big schools in Class A; Renville lost to Red Wing in a semi
1972 St.James 57 Melrose 55#
1973 Chisholm 53 Melrose 52#
1974 Melrose 55 Waseca 47**--Waseca lost to Mound in a semi
1975 Chisholm 41 St. Paul Mechanic Arts 33#

1976-1984 The small school tournament was "pure" with 2 classes and no larger schools to speak of in Class A, except DeLaSalle. The actual finals for 1976-1996 are the same as our mythical ones with the following exceptions:

1985 Winona Cotter 50 Ceylon 49**--DeLaSalle won Class A, later moved up to AAA
1988 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 51 Bigfork 48--DeLaSalle won Class A
1992 Austin Pacelli 60 Clearbrook 35--DeLaSalle was the runner-up
1995 Staples-Motley 46 Chisholm 44+--this was a Sweet Sixteen semi
1996 Staples-Motley 60 Fertile-Beltrami 48**

Then in the 4-class era we have to imagine the result of a 2-class tournament.

1997-- Caledonia 71 Janesville-WP 66+
1998-- Long Prairie-Grey Eagle 54 Norman County East 52
1999-- Watertown-Mayer 61 Southwest MN Christian 52**--DeLaSalle win Class AA both years, but is now AAA

2000--Litchfield 42 Waterville-EM 28#
2001--Kenyon-Wanamingo 54 Southwest MN Christian 48**
2002--Litchfield 62 Lewiston-Altura 51#
2003--Litchfield 53 Mankato Loyola 49**
2004--Braham 73 Martin County West 47**
2005--Braham 59 Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 49
2006--Braham 72 Breck 54#
2007--Holy Family 61 Maple River 57#
2008--Ellsworth 50 New London-Spicer 49**
2009--Pelican Rapids 80 St. Bernard's 68#

2010--Minnesota Transitions 67 New London-Spicer 62**
2011--Springfield 56 Perham 54**
2012--Belgrade-BE 62 Plainview EM 60**

Big Winners

This of course includes the 1976-1996 winners not listed above.

Mountain Lake 6 titles-3 runnersup. Champions in 1917, 1939, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1952. The 2nd great small town dynasty not counting the Iron Range.

Fosston 5-2 in the finals. Champions 1913, 1914, 1915, 1919, 1921. The 1st great small town dynasty.

Chisholm 6-5. Champions 1932, 1933, 1934, 1973, 1975, 1991.

Litchfield 4-1. Champs in 1944, 2000, 2002, 2003.

Lake City 4-0. Champs 1918, 1978, 1979, 1990.

Winona Cotter 3-2. Champs in 1977, 1982, 1985.

Braham 3-2. Champions 2004, 2005, 2006, runnersup 1941, 1954.

St. Paul Mechanic Arts 3-3. Champs in 1925, 1929, 1930.

Virginia 3-5. Champs 1916, 1928, 1958, runnersup 1937, 1943, 1952, 1953, 1965.

Pelican Rapids 2-1. Champs in 1984 and 2009.

Melrose 2-2. Champs in 1971 and 1974.

Crosby-Ironton 2-5. Champs in 1937 and 1938, runnersup 1944, 1947, 1948, 1969 and 1987.

Buhl 2-1.

Bird Island, Glencoe, Edgerton, Henning, Hayfield, LeSueur, and Staples-Motley all 2-0.

By decade the dynasties were Fosston 1910s, St. Paul Mechanic Arts 1920s, Chisholm 1930s, Mountain Lake 1940s, Virginia 1950s, Luverne 1960s, Chisholm and Melrose 1970s, Staples-Motley the 1990s, and Litchfield and Braham in 2000s.

Note the Iron Range with Chisholm, Virginia, C-I and Buhl for a total of 13 "titles" and 15 runnersup. Except for Chisholm, however, there has not been a mythical small town finalist from the Iron Range since C-I in 1987, nor a Mesabi Range finalist since Virginia in 1965, nor a Mesabi Range champion since Virginia in 1958.

One-Shot Wonders

These are schools who have been judged the #1 small town (or small school) team one year, who never were among the top 2 again.

The 1920s

There would appear to have been lots of parity in these early years, as we had one-shot wonder "champions" in 1922 (Madison), 1923 (Aurora), 1924 (Two Harbors), 1926 (Gaylord) and 1927 (Bagley). Madison was runner-up in reality. Aurora, Two Harbors and Gaylord won state titles. Only Bagley "snuck in," you might say.

But Gaylord was clearly the class of these one-shot wonders. They won 7 consecutive upsets, stretching as far back as the sub-district finals and including wins over Moorhead, Austin and Gilbert at state. They were the first champion to be called by the name "Cinderella," and when they won the state title it was as if every small town had won, excepting of course Gilbert. Excited fans literally passed a hat around the lobby of the Kenwood Armory, where the tournament was played in 1926, and raised $500 to help with the team's travel expenses to the national tournament in Chicago.

1930s and 1940s

Parity lapsed for about 20 years as there was but 1 one-shot wonder in each of the next 2 decades: Wadena in 1936 and Arlington in 1943.

Buhl had upset favored Mpls. Edison in the 1st round in 1936, and an easy win over Wadena was imagined. Instead, Wadena shocked Buhl 28-27 in the semi but then lost to Austin in the final.

In 1943 Virginia was the only small school in the tournament field. They finished a respectable 3rd, beating Bemidji and Austin by a total of 6 points, and losing to Alexandria in the semi-finals, also by 6 points. St. Paul Washington demolished Alex in the final, 55-33. Ergo, Arlington. Arlington lost to Anoka 17-16 in a Region 4 semi. Anoka then lost to St. Paul Washington 26-23 in the region final. That makes Wahington 4 points better than Arlington, 22 points better than Alex, and 28 points better than Virginia. If it were close, I might stick with Virginia, but it's not close. Arlington was clearly a better ball club than Virginia.

The 1950s

The 1950s again saw some good parity as there were 5 different 1-shot-wonders and several who have a story to tell: e.g. Mpls. Vocational 1950 was a smaller school that played in the Lake Conference rather than the Mpls. City. Yet it won the Mpls. district title and lost to eventual state runner-up Robbinsdale 43-37 in the Region 5 final. Esko in 1955 in fact defeated Fairmont in the consolation championship game. Carlton 1959 would have been the smallest school from the smallest town to win the state title, if it had indeed won the finale, but it lost to Wayzata instead.

But the most interesting small town teams of the 1950s were Halstad 1956 and Foley 1957.

A great and widely recognized Halstad team had finished 3rd in the 1952 tournament, as Jim Akason finished his career as the #1 scorer in MN history. But Halstad yielded to Mountain Lake, a 1-point loser to eventual champion Hopkins, as the best small town team. Now, in 1956, Halstad lost to Bemidji 75-72 in the Region 8 final, whereupon the Lumberjacks took defending state champ Mpls. Roosevelt into OT before losing 73-70 in the 1st round at state. This is enough to establish Halstad as the top small town team, ahead of state runner-up Blue Earth, who lost to Roosevelt in an infamous rout in the state final 101-54.

Foley, meanwhile, was the District 19 champion in 1956 and 1957, Norm Grow's sophomore and junior seasons. By 1958 Grow would displace Akason a MN's all-time scorer but even Grow could not bring his team to a win vs. state champ Mpls. Roosevelt in the 1956 and 1957 Region 5 tournaments. In fact, St. Louis Park beat Foley 68-59 in a 1956 semi while Roosevelt themselves did it 50-37 in 1957. Still, Foley looks like the best small-town team in MN though Lyle, a 1-point loser to Rochester in the Region 1 final, also looks like a toughie.

No small town team won a state title between 1951 (Gilbert) and 1960 (Edgerton). It is teams like Halstad and Foley and Esko and Lyle that make me wish we had had 2 classes all along,

The 1960s

Parity was perceived to be at an all-time low as the Lake Conference dominated. Yet, small towns won state titles in 1960 (Edgerton) and 1964 (Luverne), and Henning and Hayfield each won two mythical titles. But Danube 1962 was the toughest of the 1-shot wonders of the 1960s.

The 1970s

Sherburn (1970) and St. James (1972) were not only 1-shot-wonders but in fact both won the overall state title undefeated. Mpls. Marshall-U did the same in 1976. They're a 1-shot-wonder among the small schools but obviously don't qualify as small-town.

The 1980s

Barnum (1983) and Norman County West (1987) were the only 1-shot-wonders of the '80s and both are in fact Class A champions.

The 1990s

Ditto Catholic powers Austin Pacelli (1992) and St. Agnes (1994), plus Caledonia (1997, Class AA among 4 classes). Long Prairie (1998) and Watertown-Mayer (1999) lost to DeLaSalle in Class AA but the Islanders have since moved up to Class AAA. The best of these 1-shot-wonders would be Caledonia, who defeated DeLaSalle 69-47 as Aaron Middendorf scored 45 points in the 1st Class AA final in 1997 to finish undefeated.

21st Century

The 1-shot-wonders include Kenyon-Wanamingo (2001), Holy Family (2007), Ellsworth (2008), MN Transitions (2010), Springfield (2011) and Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (2012). The 1st 2 were Class AA, and Holy Family was probably the best of the 5, while the latter 4 are Class A. For their class you gotta love BBE, with just 1 loss over 2 years--that to Springfield in the 2011 state final. In 2012 BBE came back to beat SW MN Christian 54-45 for its 1st state title.

The best of the 1-shot-wonders throughout the years look to me like this:

1. Mpls. Marshall-U 1976
2. Gaylord 1926
3. Sherburn 1970
4. St. James 1972
5. Caledonia 1997
6. Aurora 1923
7. Madison 1922
8. Foley 1957
9. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 2012
10. Ellsworth 2008

But more to the point, the best of the small school teams are:

Top Small School Teams

1. Mpls. Marshall-U 1976
2. Litchfield 2000
3. Edgerton 1960
4. Melrose 1974
5. Braham 2005
6. Sherburn 1970
7. Lake City 1979
8. Gaylord 1926
9. Chisholm 1934
10. Buhl 1942

11. Luverne 1964
12. St. Paul Mechanic Arts 1925
13. Braham 2006
14. Caledonia 1997
15. Gilbert 1951
16. Mountain Lake 1939
17. Pelican Rapids 2009
18. St. James 1972
19. St. Paul Mechanic Arts 1930
20. Ellsworth 2008

21. Breckenridge 1940
22. Staples-Motley 1995--the best small school not to win a state title
23. Chisholm 1991
24. Chisholm 1973
25. Fosston 1913
26. Henning 1966--#2 non-title winner
27. Buhl 1941
28. Mountain Lake 1946--3rd best non-title winner
29. Melrose 1971
30. Aurora 1923

31. Bird Island-Lake Lillian 1980
32. Lynd 1946--4th best non-title winner
33. Chisholm 1975
34. St. Agnes 1994
35. Virginia 1916
36. Danube 1962--5th best non-title winner

37. Madison 1922--#6 non-winner

38. Carlton 1959--#7 non-winner

39. Foley 1957--#1 non-state tournament participant
40 (tie). Crosby-Ironton 1937--#9 tie non-winner
     Virginia 1937--#9 tie non-winner

42 (tie). Mountain Lake 1952--#11 tie non-winner

     Mountain Lake 1948--#11 tie non-winner

     Mountain Lake 1947--#11 tie non-winner
45. Wadena 1936--#14 non-winner

46. Winona Cotter 1982
47. Glencoe 1931
48. Halstad 1952--#15 non-winner
49. Rushford 1989
50. Braham 2004

51. Maple River 1993

52. Two Harbors 1924

53. Edgerton 1961--#16 non-winner

54. LeSueur 1986

55. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrose 2012

56. Gilbert 1926--#17 non-winner

57. Chisholm 1995--#18 non-winner

58. Litchfield 1944--#2 non-state tournament participant

59. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton 1988--#20 non-winner

60. Litchfield 2002

National Players of the Year

More than 1X national player of the year:
Michael Jordan 5 (+2 2nds), George Mikan 5, Bill Walton 5, Wilt Chamberlain 4 (+2 2nds), Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 4, Larry Bird 3 (+1), Bob Kurland 3, Shaquille O'Neal 3, Tim Duncan 2 (+2), Kobe Bryant 2 (+1), Magic Johnson 2 (+1), Barney Sedran 2 (+1), Charles "Tarzan" Cooper 2, Dutch Dehnert 2, Leroy "Cowboy" Edwards 2, Hank Luisetti 2, Oscar Robertson 2,  John Schommer 2, David Thompson 2, Ed Wachter 2, LeBron James 2, Johnny Beckman 1 (+3), Benny Borgman 1 (+2), Harry Fisher 1 (+1), Lisa Leslie 1 (+1), Nat Holman 1 (+1), Bobby McDermott 1 (+1), Bob Pettit 1 (+1), Ralph Sampson 1 (+1), Chris Steinmetz 1 (+1)

Top 7
C- George Mikan 5
PF- Bill Walton 5
F- Larry Bird 3
G- Michael Jordan 5 + 2
G- Magic Johnson 2 + 1
6th- Kobe Bryant 2 + 1
7th- Barney Sedran 2 + 1

Old-Timers
C- Mikan 5
PF- Dutch Dehnert 2
F- Hank Luisetti 2
G- Johnny Beckman 1 + 3
G- Benny Borgmann 1 + 2
6th- Charles "Tarzan" Cooper 2

Modern Era
C- Walton 5
F- Bird 3
G- Jordan 5 + 2
G- Johnson 2 + 1
G- Bryant 2 + 1
6th- Chamberlain 4 + 2

National Players of the Year
1901 G. M. Clark, Yale
1902 William Deering, Minnesota
1903 John Anderson, Bucknell (2nd: Chris Steinmetz, Wisconsin)
1904 Harry Fisher, Columbia
1905 Steinmetz (2nd: Fisher)
1906 George Grebenstein, Dartmouth
1907 John Schommer, U. of Chicago
1908 Charles Keinath, Penn
1909 Schommer

1910 Pat Page, Chicago (2nd: Barney Sedran, CCNY)
1911 Sedran
1912 J.O. Erwin, Clemson
1913 Ed Wachter, Troy Trojans--1st professional winner
1914 Sedran, Utica--pro
1915 Wachter--pro
1916 Windy Levis, Wisconsin (2nd: Johnny Beckman, Patterson)
1917 Ray Bohler, Washington State (2nd: Beckman, Bridgeport)
1918 Joe Schwarzer, Syracuse
1919 Erling Platou, Minnesota

1920 Forrest DeBernardi, Westminster (2nd: Beckman, Nanticoke)
1921 Fuzzy Vandiver, Franklin (IN) HS (2nd: Nat Holman, Germantown)
1922 Beckman and Dutch Dehnert, Original Celtics--pro
1923 Paul Endacott, Kansas (2nd: Benny Borgmann, Patterson Legionaires and Kingston Colonels)
1924 Borgmann--pro
1925 Dehnert
1926 Victor Hanson, Syracuse
1927 Holman, Original Celtics
1928 Joe Lapchick, Original Celtics
1929 John Thompson, Montana State (2nd: Borgmann, Fort Wayne Hoosiers)

1930 Chuck Hyatt, Pittsburgh (2nd: Bud Foster, Wisconsin)
1931 Joe Reiff, Northwestern
1932 John Wooden, Purdue (2nd: Stretch Murphy, Purdue)
1933 Charles "Tarzan" Cooper, New York Rens--pro
1934 Fats Jenkins, New York Rens
1935 Leroy "Cowboy" Edwards, Kentucky
1936 Wooden, Indianapolis All-Americans
1937 Hank Luisetti, Stanford
1938 Luisetti
1939 Cooper and Pop Gates, New York Rens

1940 Edwards, Oshkosh All-Stars
1941 George Glamack, North Carolina
1942 Bob Davies, Seton Hall
1943 Andy Philip, Illinois
1944 George Mikan, DePaul (2nd: Bobby McDermott, Chicago Gears)
1945 Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M and Mikan
1946 Kurland
1947 McDermott
1948 Reese "Goose" Tatum, Harlem Globetrotters
1949 Alex Groza, Kentucky (2nd: Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers)

1950 Mikan
1951 Mikan
1952 Kurland, U.S. Olympic Team (2nd: Clyde Lovellette, Kansas)
1953 Mikan
1954 Tom Gola, LaSalle
1955 Bill Russell, U. of San Francisco
1956 Russell (2nd: Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks)
1957 Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas (2nd: Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics)
1958 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati U.
1959 Pettit

1960 Chamberlain, Philadelphia Warriors
1961 Jerry Lucas, Ohio State
1962 Chamberlain
1963 Russell, Boston Celtics (2nd: Chamberlain)
1964 Robertson, Cincinnati Royals
1965 Bill Bradley, Princeton
1966 Cazzie Russell, Michigan (2nd: Chamberlain, Philadelphia 76ers)
1967 Chamberlain, Philadelphia 76ers
1968 LewAlcindor, UCLA
1969 Alcindor

1970 Pete Maravich, Louisiana State
1971 Alcindor, Milwaukee Bucks
1972 Bill Walton, UCLA
1973 Walton
1974 David Thompson, North Carolina State and Walton
1975 Thompson
1976 Scott May, Indiana
1977 Walton, Portland Trailblazers
1978 Walton
1979 Larry Bird, Indiana State

1980 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers
1981 Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers
1982 Ralph Sampson, Virginia
1983 Moses Malone, Philadelphis 76ers (2nd: Sampson)
1984 Bird, Boston Celtics
1985 Pat Ewing, Georgetown (2nd: Bird)
1986 Bird
1987 Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers
1988 Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
1989 M. Johnson

1990 Isaiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons (2nd: M. Johnson)
1991 Jordan
1992 Jordan
1993 Sheryl Swoopes, Texas Tech women (2nd: Jordan, Chicago)
1994 Akeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets
1995 David Robinson, San Antonio Spurs
1996 Jordan
1997 Tim Duncan, Wake Forest (2nd: Jordan)
1998 Jordan
1999 Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee women (2nd: Duncan, San Antonio Spurs)

2000 Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers
2001 O'Neal (2nd: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks)
2002 O'Neal (2nd: Sue Bird, Connecticut)
2003 Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
2004 Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks and U.S. Women's Olympic Team
2005 Steve Nash, Phoenix Sun (2nd: Duncan)
2006 Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat
2007 Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
2008 Candace Parker, Tennessee women and Los Angeles Sparks
2009 Tina Charles, U. Connecticut women (2nd: Bryant)

2010 Bryant
2011 Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (2nd: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder)
2012 LeBron James, Miami Heat
2013 James
2014 Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
2015 Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
2016 Curry
2017 Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
2018 James Harden, Houston Rockets

Best of the Mid-Majors

The NCAA tournament has eclipsed the MN State High School Basketball Tournament un popularity during my lifetime. Perhaps the best reason for this is that the high school tournament, with 2 and now 4-class play, no longer offers Cinderella stories. The NCAA tournament, meanwhile, provides exactly those kinds of stories and in abundance, as the mid-majors square off against the big bad BCS-type programs.

Here are the best of the mid-majors through the years, mid-major being defined as schools that are mid-majors today.

1900 Yale 9-6 rated #1 in the Premo Poll
1901 Bucknell 12-1 #1P... Yale 10-6 #1H
1902 Allegheny 12-1 #3P
1903 Yale 15-1 #1 in the Helms Foundation ranking
1904 Columbia 17-1 #1H and P
1905 Columbia 19-1 #1 H and P
1906 Wabash 17-1 #1P... Dartmouth 16-2 #1H
1907 Chicago 20-2 #1 H and P
1908 Wabash 24-0 #1P... Chicago 21-2 #1H
1909 Chicago 12-0 #1 H and P

So, during the 1900s 9 of 10 mythical national champions were schools that are today classified as mid-majors. The Ivy League, in particular, was regarded as the toughest conference in America. Yale and Columbia are 2 of 3 schools to win more than 1 title. Chicago, meanwhile, was then part of the Big 10. Bucknell, Allegheny and Wabash to the contrary notwithstanding, the concept of the mid-major isn't particularly meaningful at this time.

1910 Williams 11-0 #1P... Columbia 11-1 #1H
1911 Columbia 13-1 #2P
1912 Allegheny 11-1 #4P... Grove City 13-0 #3P
1913 Navy 9-0 #1H and P
1914 Navy 10-0 #3P... Denison 15-1 #2P
1915 Army 11-2 #2P
1916 Allegheny 10-1 #2P
1917 Wabash 19-2 #3P
1918 Penn 18-2 #4P
1919 Navy 16-0 #1P

The Ivy League still leads with 6 mythical mid-major "titles" but the service academies (Army and Navy) came on wrong with 4 (3 for Navy, 1 for Army). Columbia, Allegheny, Wabash and Navy lead with 3 titles each, Allegheny and Wabash qualify as the top Cinderellas of the period 1900-1920.

1920 Penn 22-1 #1H and P
1921 Penn 21-2 #1H and #2P
1922 Army 17-2 #3P
1923 Army 17-0 #1P
1924 Navy 15-3 #3P
1925 Princeton 23-2 #1 H and P
1926 Columbia 16-2 #1P
1927 Fordham 18-2 #4P
1928 Montana State 36-2 #2P
1929 Montana State 36-2 #1H and P

The Ivy League and service academies are "majors" at this time, winning 9 straight mythical "mid-major" titles. Columbia and Navy lead with 4 each.

1930 Furman 16-1 #9P
1931 Columbia 21-2 #4P
1932 CCNY 16-2 #5P
1933 Princeton 19-3 #5P
1934 Wyoming 26-3 #1H, #5P... Duquesne 19-2 #3P
1935 NYU 19-1 #1H, #2P... Richmond 20-0 #1P
1936 Long Island U. 25-0 #1 Premo
1937 Long Island U. 28-3 #3 Premo
1938 Temple 23-2 #1H and P, won NIT
1939 Long Island U. 23-0 #1P, won NIT

Eastern basketball and Madison Square Garden emerge with CCNY, NYU, LIU and Temple winning 6 "titles" among them. The Ivy League won in 1931 and 1933 for a total of 12, but will win only 1 more "title" in the coming years.

1940 Duquesne 20-3 #4P, 3rd in NCAA
1941 Long Island U. 25-2 #1P, won NIT
1942 Rice 22-5 #3P
1943 Wyoming 31-2 #2P, won NCAA
1944 Utah 21-4 #2P, won NCAA... Army 15-0 #1P
1945 Rice 20-1 #4P
1946 Rhode Island 21-3 #6P, 3rd in NIT
1947 Holy Cross 27-3 #2P, won NCAA
1948 St. Louis 24-3 #2, 2nd in NCAA
1949 St. Louis 22-4 #3 in final AP poll

Eastern basketball wins 4 "titles," but Western ball is moving up as Rice and St. Louis each win 2 and Utah 1.

1950 CCNY 24-5 Unranked, wins both the NCAA and NIT
1951 Columbia 23-1 #3AP
1952 Duquesne 23-4, #4AP, 4th in NCAA
1953 LaSalle 25-3 #2AP
1954 LaSalle 26-4 #10AP, won NCAA
1955 San Francisco 28-1 #1 AP, won NCAA
1956 San Francisco 29-0
1957 SMU 22-4 #4AP
1958 Temple 27-3 #5AP, 3rd in NCAA
1959 Bradley 25-4 #4 AP, 2nd in NIT

Eastern teams win 5 straight and 6 of 10. Columbia leads all with 6. The heyday of mid-major ball: 5 NCAA titles 1943-1955. 7 through 1966.

1960 Bradley 27-2 #4AP, won NIT
1961 St. Bonaventure 24-4 #3AP... St. Joseph's 25-5 3rd in NCAA
1962 Bowling Green 21-3, #8 AP... Bradley 21-7 #5AP
1963 Chicago Loyola 29-2 #3AP, won NCAA
1964 Wichita State 23-6 #5AP
1965 San Francisco 24-5 #10UPI...Princeton 3rd in NCAA... St. Joseph's #3AP
1966 Texas Western 28-1 #3AP, won NCAA
1967 Houston 27-4 #7AP, 3rd in NCAA... Dayton 2nd in NCAA... Princeton2-3 #5AP
1968 Houston 31-2 #1AP, 4th in NCAA
1969 Drake 26-5 #11AP, 3rd in NCAA... LaSalle 23-1 #2AP

Not much to say for Eastern ball. It's all West with Loyola and Texas Western winning it all, and Houston a powerhouse.

1970 Jacksonville 27-2, #4AP, 2nd in NCAA
1971 Western Kentucky 24-6, #7AP, 3rd NCAA... Penn 28-1 #7AP
1972 Long Beach State 25-4 #5AP... Penn 25-3 #3AP
1973 Memphis State #12AP, 2nd NCAA... Long Beach State 26-3 #3AP
1974 Oral Roberts 23-6 #18AP... Long Beach State 24-2 #10AP
1975 UNLV 24-5 #17AP
1976 UNLV 29-2 #3AP
1977 UNLV 29-3 #4AP, 3rd in NCAA
1978 San Francisco 23-6 #11AP
1979 Indiana State 33-1 #1AP, 2nd NCAA

UNLV 1st ever 3-peat. Larry Bird and Indiana State made a run at the NCAA title in 1979. But overall mid-major ball in decline as indicated by those #12 and #18 and #17 mid-major "champions."

1980 Iona 29-5 #19AP... BYU 24-5 #12AP
1981 Utah 25-5 #14AP
1982 Memphis State 24-5 #9AP... Houston made it to NCAA semis
1983 Houston 31-3 #1AP, 2nd NCAA
1984 Houston 32-5 #5AP, NCAA semis
1985 Memphis State 31-5 #5AP, NCAA semis
1986 UNLV 33-5 #11AP
1987 UNLV 37-2 #1AP, NCAA semis
1988 Temple 32-2 #1AP
1989 UNLV 29-8 #15AP

East gets 1st "titles" since 1961 but UNLV catches Columbia with its 6th and Houston catches San Francisco, Long Island U and Navy with 4.

1990 UNLV 35-5 #2AP, won NCAA
1991 UNLV 34-1 #1AP, NCASA semis
1992 UNLV 26-2 #7AP
1993 Massachusetts 24-7 #14AP
1994 Massachusetts 28-7 #8AP
1995 Massachusetts 29-5 #7AP
1996 Massachusetts 35-2 #1AP, NCAA semis
1997 Utah 29-4 #2AP
1998 Utah 30-4 #7AP, 2nd NCAA
1999 Utah 28-5 #6AP

UMass brings Eastern ball back to the top, matching UNLV's record of 4 straight "titles." UNLV leads Columbia overall 9-6 but Utah moves into 3rd with 5 "titles." The decade of the mega-dynasties as just 3 schools won 11 in a row and 13 of 14.

2000 Tulsa 32-5 #18AP... Temple 32-5 #5AP
2001 St. Joseph's 26-7 #22AP
2002 Gonzaga 29-4 #6AP
2003 Xavier 26-6#12AP
2004 St. Joseph's 30-2 #5AP... Gonzaga 28-3 #3AP
2005 Gonzaga 26-5 #10AP
2006 Memphis 33-4 #4AP
2007 Memphis 33-4 #5AP
2008 Memphis 38-2 #1AP, 2nd in NCAA
2009 Memphis 33-4 #9USAT

Suddenly Memphis is 2nd to UNLV with 7 "titles" and St. Joe's shows again that Eastern ball is not quite dead. Columbia is still 3rd with 6 "titles," Utah has 5, UMass, USF, Houston, LIU and Navy have 4. Allegheny, Wabash, Penn, Army and Temple have 3.

2010 Butler 33-5 #11AP, 2nd in NCAA
2011 Butler 28-10 unranked, 2nd in NCAA
2012 Murray State 31-2 #9Coaches

I thought it interesting that Temple, 1938-1988, goes 51 years. Columbia, 1904-1951, has a spread of 48 years. Utah, 1944-1981, 37 years.

Top coaches are Jerry Tarkanian, Long Beach State (1) and UNLV (9) with 10, and John Calipari (4 each at UMass and Memphis) with 8. Clair Bee (LIU) and Guy Lewis (Houston) have 4 each.

National Team of the Year

More than 1X team of the year
Los Angeles Lakers 6 (+ 2 2nds), Boston Celtics 6, U.S. Men's Olympic Team 5 + 1, UCLA 5 + 1, Connecticut women 4 + 1, Chicago Bulls 4, New York Rens 4, Minnesota 3, Syracuse 3, Wisconsin 2 + 1, U. Chicago 2, Wabash 2, Columbia 2, Penn 2, Original Celtics 2, Pittsburgh 2, Oklahoma A&M 2, U. San Francisco 2, Indiana 2, North Carolina 2, Philadelphia 76ers 2, Connecticut 2, Passaic NJ HS 1 + 1, Kansas 1 + 1, U.S. Women's Olympic Team 1 + 1

Team of the Year
1900 Yale
1901 Purdue
1902 Minnesota
1903 Minnesota
1904 Buffalo Germans
1905 Columbia
1906 Wabash
1907 Chicago
1908 Wabash
1909 Chicago

1910 Columbia
1911 St. John's
1912 Wisconsin
1913 Navy
1914 Utica Utes (2nd: Wisconsin)
1915 Troy Trojans
1916 Wisconsin
1917 Washington State
1918 Syracuse
1919 Minnesota

1920 Penn
1921 Penn
1922 Original Celtics (2nd: Passaic NJ HS)
1923 Kansas
1924 Passaic NJ HS
1925 Princeton
1926 Syracuse
1927 Original Celtics
1928 Pittsburgh
1929 Cleveland Rosenblums (2nd: Montana State)

1930 Pittsburgh
1931 New York Rens
1932 Purdue
1933 New York Rens
1934 New York Rens
1935 NYU
1936 U.S. Olympic Team
1937 Stanford
1938 Temple
1939 New York Rens

1940 Harlem Globetrotters
1941 Long Island U.
1942 Stanford
1943 Illinois (2nd: Wyoming)
1944 Army
1945 Oklahoma A&M
1946 Oklahoma A&M
1947 Chicago Gears
1948 U.S. Olympic Team
1949 Kentucky

1950 CCNY
1951 Rochester Royals
1952 U.S. Olympic Team (2nd: Kansas)
1953 Minneapolis Lakers
1954 Milan IN HS
1955 U. San Francisco
1956 U. San Francisco
1957 North Carolina
1958 St. Louis Hawks
1959 Boston Celtics

1960 Ohio State (2nd: U.S. Olympic Team)
1961 Boston Celtics
1962 Boston Celtics
1963 Chicago Loyola
1964 UCLA
1965 Boston Celtics
1966 Texas Western
1967 UCLA (2nd: Philadelphia 76ers)
1968 UCLA
1969 UCLA

1970 New York Knicks
1971 Milwaukee Bucks
1972 Los Angeles Lakers
1973 UCLA
1974 North Carolina State
1975 Indiana (2nd: UCLA)
1976 Indiana
1977 Portland Trailblazers
1978 UCLA women
1979 Michigan State

1980 Los Angeles Lakers
1981 Boston Celtics
1982 North Carolina
1983 Philadelphia 76ers
1984 Georgetown
1985 Villanova (2nd: Los Angeles Lakers)
1986 Boston Celtics
1987 Los Angeles Lakers
1988 Los Angeles Lakers
1989 Detroit Pistons

1990 Stanford women (2nd: UNLV)
1991 Chicago Bulls (2nd: Duke)
1992 Dream Team U.S. Olympic Team
1993 Chicago Bulls
1994 Arkansas
1995 Connecticut women
1996 Chicago Bulls
1997 Tennessee women
1998 Chicago Bulls
1999 Connecticut

2000 Los Angeles Lakers (2nd: Connecticut women)
2001 Los Angeles Lakers
2002 Connecticut women
2003 Syracuse (2nd: San Antonio Spurs)
2004 Connecticut men and women (2nd: U.S. Women's Olympic Team)
2005 San Antonio Spurs
2006 Miami Heat
2007 Florida
2008 U.S. Men's and Women's Olympic Teams
2009 Connecticut women

2010 U.S. National Team (Worlds)
2011 Dallas Mavericks
2012 Baylor women
2013 Miami Heat
2014 Connecticut women 40-0
2015 Golden State Warriors
2016 Cleveland Cavaliers
2017 South Carolina women 33-4
2018 Villanova men 36-4

National Coach of the Year

More than 1 Coach of the Year award:

John Wooden 5 + 2, Geno Auriemma 4 + 2, Mike Krzyzewski 3 + 1, Louis J. Cooke, Phog Allen 3 Phil Jackson 2 + 2, Doc Meanwell, Red Auerbach, Rick Pitino 2 + 1, Joe Raycroft, Howard Cann, Clair Bee, Al McGuire, Dean Smith, Jim Calhoun, Pat Summitt 2, Paul Popovic 2, Ernest Blood, George Keogan, Ed Jucker, Red Holzman, Billy Donovan 1 + 1

1900 James A. Naismith, Kansas
1901 Amos Alonzo Stagg, Chicago
1902 Louis J. Cooke, Minnesota
1903 Cooke
1904
1905 Emmet Angel, Wisconsin
1906
1907 Joe Raycroft, Chicago
1908 Raycroft
1909 Phog Allen, Kansas

1910 Harry Fisher, Columbia
1911 Claude Raymond, St. John's
1912 Doc Meanwell, Wisconsin
1913 Louis Wenzell, Navy
1914 Meanwell
1915 Ralph Jones, Illinois
1916 Lew Wachter, Troy--1st pro coach of the year (2nd: Meanwell)
1917 Doc Bohler, Washington State
1918 Edmund Dolland, Syracuse
1919 Cooke

1920 Griz Wagner, Franklin IN HS (2nd: Howard Cann, NYU)
1921 Ed McNichol, Penn
1922 Jim Furey, Original Celtics (2nd: Ernest Blood, PassaicNJ HS)
1923 Allen
1924 Blood
1925 Al Wittmer, Princeton
1926 Lew Andreas, Syracuse
1927 Abe Saperstein, Harlem Globetrotters (2nd: George Keogan, Notre Dame)
1928 Doc Carlson, Pittsburgh
1929 Nat Holman, CCNY

1930 Buck Freeman, St. John's
1931 Dutch Lonborg, Northwestern
1932 Piggy Lambert, Purdue
1933 Robert Douglas, New York Rens
1934 Ned Irish, Madison Square Garden promoter
1935 Cann
1936 Clair Bee, Long Island U. (2nd: Keogan)
1937 John Bunn, Stanford
1938 James Usilton, Temple
1939 Bee (2nd: Harold Olson, Ohio State(

1940 Honey Russell, Seton Hall
1941 Dutch Dehnert, Detroit Eagles
1942 Everett Dean, Stanford
1943 Erv Shelton, Wyoming
1944 Joe Lapchick, St. John's
1945 Frank Keaney, Rhode Island State
1946 Hank Iba, Oklahoma A&M
1947 Bob Davies, Seton Hall
1948 Eddie Gottlieb, Philadelphia Warriors
1949 Adolph Rupp, Kentucky

1950 Nat Holman, CCNY
1951 Lou Rossini, Columbia
1952 Allen
1953 Branch McCracken, Indiana (2nd: John Kundla, Minneapolis Lakers)
1954 Ken Loeffler, LaSalle
1955 Phil Woolpert, San Francisco
1956 Bucky O'Connor, Iowa
1957 Frank McGuire, North Carolina
1958 Harry Litwack, Temple
1959 Pete Newell,  California

1960 Fred Taylor, Ohio State
1961 Ed Jucker, Cincinnati
1962 Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics (2nd: Jucker)
1963 George Ireland, Chicago Loyola
1964 John Wooden, UCLA (2nd: Auerbach)
1965 Auerbach
1966 Don Haskins, Texas Western
1967 Wooden (2nd: Alex Hannum, Philadelphia 76ers)
1968 Bill Russell, Boston Celtics (2nd: Wooden)
1969 Maury John, Drake

1970 Red Holzman, New York Knicks (2nd: Wooden)
1971 Al McGuire, Marquette
1972 Wooden
1973 Wooden (2nd: Holzman)
1974 Norm Sloan, North Carolina State
1975 Wooden
1976 Bobby Knight, Indiana
1977 A. McGuire
1978 Dick Motta, Washington Bullets
1979 Ray Meyer, DePaul

1980 Denny Crum, Louisville
1981 Bill Fitch, Boston Celtics
1982 Dean Smith, North Carolina
1983 Jim Valvano, North Carolina State (2nd: Billy Cunningham, Philadelphia 76ers)
1984 John Thompson, Georgtown
1985 Rollie Massimino, Villanova
1986 Mike Kyzyzewski, Duke
1987 Rick Pitino, Providence (2nd: Pat Riley, Los Angeles Lakers)
1988 Riley
1989 Tara VanDerveer, Stanford women (2nd: Chuck Daly, Detroit Pistons)

1990 Daly
1991 Kryzyzewski
1992 Kyrzyzewski
1993 D. Smith (2nd: Phil Jackson, Chicago Bulls)
1994 Nolan Richardson, Arkansas
1995 Geno Auriemma, Connecticut women (2nd: Rudy Tomjanovich, Houston RocketS)
1996 Jackson (2nd: Pitino, Kentucky)
1997 Pat Summit, Tennessee women (2nd: Jackson)
1998 Larry Bird, Indiana Pacers
1999 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut

2000 Tom Izzo, Michigan State (2nd: Auriemma)
2001 Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers (2nd: Krzyzewski)
2002 Auriemma
2003 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
2004 Auriemma and Calhoun
2005 Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs (2nd: Auriemma)
2006 Riley, Miami Heat (2nd: Billy Donovan, Florida)
2007 Donovan (2nd: Summitt)
2008 Summit
2009 Auriemma (2nd: Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers)

2010 Brad Stevens, Butler
2011 Gary Blair, Texas A&M women
2012 Kim Mulkey, Baylor women
2013 Pitino, Louisville
2014 Popovich
2015 John Calipari, Kentucky
2016 Jay Wright, Villanova
2017 Dawn Staley, South Carolina women
2018 Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame women

100 Years 100 Stars: #1-25

These are the biggest stars of the state tournaments--including boys and girls, players and coaches, other contributors.

1. Janet Karvonen, New York Mills girls, F, 1977-78-79-80. Karvonen and the Eagles were the 2^nd high school team ever to win 3 straight state titles. Karvonen set tournament records with 59, then 98 points in a tournament and with 329 career tournament points. More than just New York Mills, she put girls basketball on the Minnesota map.

2. Khalid El-Amin, Mpls. North boys, G, 1995-96-97. North became the 3^rd team ever to win 3 straight Minnesota state titles. And though he was a pass-first point guard, he led all scorers in 5 of North’s 11 tournament wins and set a (then) career tournament scoring record with 238 points.

3. Jim McIntyre, Mpls. Patrick Henry boys, C, 1944-45. McIntyre led Patrick Henry to 2 state titles while setting single game scoring records of 29, then 36 and finally 43 points. He also set tournament records of 86 points in 1944 and 100 points in 1945.

4 (tie). Coco Miller and Kelly Miller, Rochester Mayo girls, G, 1993-95-96-97. The Miller twins led Mayo to 4 state tournaments, a 4^th place as 8^th graders in 1993, a 3^rd place in 1996, and Class AA championships in 1995 and 1997. Coco led all scorers in 1995 with 75 points; Kelly did the same with 63 points in 1996; and Coco led with 72 points while Kelly scored 71 in 1997.

5. Edgerton boys, 1960. The Flying Dutchmen are the smallest school from the smallest town to win a state title in the single class era, and the most famous of the “Cinderella” champions of the era. Leroy Graphenteen, Darrell Kreun, Dean Veenhof and Dean Verdoes earned all-tournament honors.

6. Harvey Roels, Chisholm boys, coach, 1930-40. Roels like the Bluestreaks to 5 straight state tournaments in 1930-34 and to the state title in 1934. More than that, he kept an up-tempo style of play alive during a period dominated by a “dead ball” style of ball control and defensively-oriented play.

7. Butsie Maetzold, Red Wing boys, G, 1920-21-22; Hopkins boys, coach, 1942-53. One of few individuals to win state titles as both a player and a coach. Red Wing won the title in 1920 and 1922, and Maetzold always said they would have won in 1921 but for having to leave 2 starters at home with the flu. As a coach, he won 508 games while losing just 62 for the best W-L percentage ever among coaches who have won 500 games. The  Royals won the 1952 and 1953 titles under Maetzold.

8. Tayler Hill, Mpls. South girls, G, 2007-08-09. Hill led South to 3 straight Class AAAA title games, a pair of losses to St. Paul Central and, finally, a win for the 2009 state championship. Hill tied the girls tournament record in that final game with a remarkable 47 points. She finished her high school career with a girls record 3,888 points.

9. Dorothy McIntyre, MSHSL. More than anyone, it was McIntyre who paved the way for Minnesota’s girls to finally have a state basketball tournament of their own more than 60 years after the boys.

10. Rev. Fred B. Hill, Carleton College. Hill, professor of biblical literature and chairman of the faculty committee on athletics, was most instrumental in the founding of the state tournament in 1913. He rallied the Carleton community to its support and offered to pay the travel costs of the participating teams. At the banquet honoring the participants, a committee was formed to assure that there would be a tournament again in 1914 and beyond. Hill was elected its chair. By 1917, this committee had become the Minnesota State High School League.

11. Mark Olberding, Melrose boys, C, 1973-74. Melrose won the 1974 Class A and overall championships after losing the 1973 Class A final to a last second shot by Chisholm’s Mike Kochevar. Olberding led both tournaments in scoring with 91 (in 3 games) and 112 points (in 4 games). It was his career tournament scoring record that Khalid El-Amin broke in 1997.

12. Myron Glass, Rochester Lourdes girls, coach, 1986-2010 and Rochester Lourdes girls, 1986-2010. The winningest coach in state tournament history—boys or girls—with 8 state championships. Glass brought the Eagles to 15 tournaments in 25 years. Glass is also #2 among girls coaches with almost 700 wins.

13. Kenny Novak, Jr., Hopkins boys, coach, 1993-2011. With 3 straight state titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011, Novak became the winningest boys coach with 6 state titles. Those 6 titles have come in the space of just 10 years, and 5 have come in just 7 years from 2005-11.

14. St. Paul Central girls, 2007. The undefeated Central girls were widely acclaimed as the best girls team ever in the state of Minnesota. They out-scored 3 tournament opponents by an average of 78-54. Kiara Buford, Georgie Jones, Angel Robinson and Theairra Taylor earned all-tournament honors. 4 girls had transferred into Central after starting their careers otherwise. It was this that inspired the anti-transfer rule that says a player who transfers after his or her freshman year shall forfeit a year of eligibility for athletics.

15. Edina boys 1966-67-68. The Hornets were the 1^st 3-peat champion. It was a struggle in1966 with wins by 1 point, in 3 OT and in 1 OT.  The 1967 and 1968 editions cruised by an average score of 74-54 (1967) and 75-52 (1968). Bill Fiedler, Jay Kiedrowski, Kurt Shellhas, Mark Thoele, Jeff Wright and Bob Zender won all-tournament honors.

16. Ron Johnson, New Prague boys, C, 1955-56. Led the tournament in scoring with 94 and then a record 109 points. The 109 points and his 203 career points stood as records until Mark Olberding surpassed both in 1974.

17. Kelly Skalicky, Albany girls, G, 1980-81. Skalicky led Albany to the 1980 state title, and scored a record 45 points in 1 game and 102 in a tournament (both records later were  broken by Tayler Hill). But first she and Albany faced Karvonen and New York Mills in the 1979 final, the game that really put girls basketball on the Minnesota map.

18. Randy Breuer, Lake City boys, C, 1978-79. Led Lake City to the 1978 and 1979 state titles, and scored a record 113 points in the latter year that still stands. He scored 41 and 42 points in 2 tournament games in 1979.

19. Red Wing 1915-1933. The Red Wing Wingers were the 1^st Minnesota high school dynasty, winning 3 of the 1^st 10 tournaments and 4 in 21 years. It would be more than 50 years before another school would match Red Wing’s 4 titles and almost ¾ of a century before its record would be broken. Stars of the Red  Wing dynasty included Butsie Maetzold, the Nordly brothers—Louis, Carl, Oliver and Harold, Art Lillyblad, Dick Seebach and others. And from 1920 through 1933, when Red Wing was successful, the state tournament would set new attendance records.

20 (tie). Mpls. North boys 1995-96-97 and Mpls. North girls 1997-2005. The boys were the 2^nd 3-peat champion after Edina, while the North girls played for a remarkable 8 of 9 state championships, winning 5 including 3 straight in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

21. Isaiah Dahlman, Braham boys, F, 2004-05-06. Dahlman led the Bombers to 3 state titles, and he led the tournament in scoring in both 2004 and 2005 with 75 and 88  points. In 2006 he scored another 73 points, 14 fewer than Cody Schilling. Meanwhile his career total of 236 is just 2 short of El-Amin’s record.

22. Blake Hoffarber, Hopkins boys, G, 2005-06. Led Hopkins to 2 Class AAAA titles. In 2005 he made perhaps the single most dramatic shot in tournament history while sitting on the court to force OT and avert defeat. Led the  Royals in scoring in both championship games with 25 and 19 points.

23. Faith Johnson Patterson, Mpls. North-DeLaSalle girls, coach, 1997-2011. Patterson led Mpls. North to a remarkable 8 Class AAA title games in 9 years, of which they won 5 and lost 3. She added a runner-up in 2009 and then a 6^th state title with DeLaSalle in 2011.

24 (tie). Jack Evens, Bloomington Jefferson boys, coach, 1975-90, and Kevin Lynch, Bloomington Jefferson boys, F-G, 1986-87 and Bloomington Jefferson boys, 1976-1987. Evens and Lynch combined to win back-to-back state titles in 1986 and 1987. For Evens, these were the 3^rd and 4^th titles, making him the 1^st coach ever to win 4 and Jefferson the 2^nd school to win 4 state titles.

25. Bob McDonald, Chisholm boys, coach, 1973-2011. McDonald coached the Bluestreaks for more than 50 years, and has more wins than any other Minnesota coach—boys or girls—with more than 970. His teams also won the Class A state title in 1973, 1975 and 2011.

100 Years 100 Stars: Forward Thinking

These are the best of the "normal" forwards. Nowadays we call them "small forwards," and that's about right. What it really means to me is guys who really really played forward in high school, as opposed to the many many guys who played center in high school then moved over to the forward later in their careers.

From the beginning in basketball through the advent of the low post, the forwards were the designated scorers in basketball, like the forwards or wings in ice hockey. (See Harold Gillen 1914, Martin Norton 1921 or Bennie Lichtenegger 1926.) When the low post became popular, the center became the top scorer. But a middle-sized kid with good athletic skills (can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim) and/or a good outside shot (see Tony Jaros 1940, Dave Tschimperle 1953 or Tom Nordland 1957) would still have a chance to be a star right up to the present day. (See Shane Schilling 1999, Isaiah Dahlman 2006 or Joe Coleman 2011).

Top 20 State Tournament Forwards

1. Dave Tschimperle, Hopkins 1951-52-53. Led the Royals to 8 wins in 9 tournament games, good for a 5th and 2 1sts. Led the 1951 and 1953 tournaments in scoring. Only the 2nd boy ever to make all-tournament 3 times.

2. Isaiah Dahlman, Braham 2004-05-06. Broke Joel McDonald's all-time scoring record, and came within 2 points of Khalid El-Amin's tournament career record. Oh, and won 3 Class AA titles.

3. Martin Norton, Mpls. Central 1921. Led Central to the 1921 title, scoring a record 77 points and setting FT records that stood for more than 85 years until they were broken by Cody Schilling. In 1963 Halsey Hall still had Norton on his all-time tournament 5. The previous year, in 1920, Central had taken 3rd place in the national tournament and Norton was named all-American.

4. Bob Bruggers, Danube 1961-62. Scored 2,364 career points, #2 at the time. Also led Danube to 2 tournaments, narrowly missing a big upset of St. Louis Park in a 1962 semi. Park won 66-62 as Bruggers made just 10-of-23 FT.

5. Tom Nordland, Mpls. Roosevelt 1956-57. Helped Roosevelt to 2 titles, the 1st in a record 101-54 rout of  Blue Earth in 1956. He was regarded as the best jump shooter the tournament had ever seen, scoring 84 points in 1957.

6. Johnny Dick, Buhl 1935-36. Led Buhl to the 1935 and '36 tournaments, including a huge upset of Mpls. Edison in 1936 en route to 3rd place. Dick was regarded as one of the great players to play in the tournament to that time.

7. Arvesta Kelly, Cretin-Derham Hall 1991-92-93. Led the Raiders to 3 straight title games where they won in '91 and '93. Kelly led the 1992 tournament in scoring with 67 points.

8. Tom Mulso, Sherburn 1970. Electrified the 1970 tournament with 83 total points and a surprise state championship for the Cinderella team from southern Minnesota. Scored a career total of 1,126.

9. Bennie Lichtenegger, Gaylor 1926. The prototype of the small town Cinderella was Gaylord in 1926, and Lichtenegger led all scorers in all 3 games for a total of 34.

10. Shane Schilling, Minnetonka 1998-99. Led the Skippers to 2 title games, a championship in 1998 and a 2nd place finish behind Mounds View in 1999. Led all scorers in 4 of 6 tournament games.

11. Joel McDonald, Chisholm 1991. Set a career scoring record of 3,292 points, and led the Bluestreaks to the 1991 Class A title, leading all scorers with 86 points. Later became Minnesota's all-time leading small college scorer at St. Cloud State.

12. John Klarich, Buhl 1941-42. Helped Buhl to the 2nd repeat state championships to that time. Led all scorers in all 3 1942 games for a total of 49 points.

13. Joe Coleman, Hopkins 2011. Led the Royals to the 2010 and 2011 Class AAAA titles.

14. John Beyer, Luverne 1964-65. Led the Cardinals to the 1964 state title and to 4th place in 1965.

15. Larry Ogden, White Bear Lake 1984-85. Helped White Bear to the 1984 and 1985 titles, the Bears finishing with an unbeaten season in both cases.

16. Harold Gillen, Stillwater 1913-14. Led Stillwater to the 1914 state title, and went on to win all-America honors as a Minnesota Gopher.

17. Aaron Middendorf, Caledonia 1997. Led Caledonia to the 1997 Class AA title, scoring 45 points in a final game win over DeLaSalle.

18. Darius Lane, Totino-Grace 1998. Scored 2,197 career points, including a tournament-high of 88 points in 1998.

19. Brian Grohnke, Edina 1964. Led all scorers in 1964 with 87 points, the most to that time by a player other than a center/post, as Edina took 3rd place.

20. Jay Kiedrowski, Edina 1966-67. Helped Edina to its 1st 2 out of 3 titles in 1966-67.

Top 20 Forwards Overall

1. Norm Grow, Foley 1958. Finished his high school career as the all-time leading scorer with 2,852 points, a record that stood for 34 years, and as the #1 rebounder with 1,417, a record that stood for 49 years.

2. Isaiah Dahlman, Braham 2006. See #2 above.

3. Martin Norton, Mpls. Central 1921. See #3 above.

4. Dave Tschimperle, Hopkins 1953. See #1 above.

5. Sam Jacobson, Park 1994. Scored a total of 2,461 points in his career and later helped the Minnesota Gophers to the Final Four.

6. Bob Bruggers, Danube 1962. See #4 above.

7. Joel McDonald, Chisholm 1991. See #11 above.

8. Tom Nordland, Mpls. Roosevelt 1957. See #5 above.

9. Harold Gillen, Stillwater 1914. See #16 above.

10. Tony Jaros, Mpls. Edison 1940. Broke all Minneapolis Conference scoring records as a senior in 1940. Voted Minnesota Gopher player of the decade for the 1940s, and also played for the Minneapolis Lakers.

11. Don "Swede" Carlson, Mpls. Edison 1938. Helped Edison to the 1937 state title, which team was regarded as the best ever in the state to that time. Played for the Minnesota Gophers and Minneapolis Lakers.

12. Johnny Dick, Buhl 1942. See #6 above.

13. Joe Coleman, Hopkins 2011. See #13 above.

14. Tom Mulso, Sherburn 1970. See #8 above.

15. Bennie Lichtenegger, Gaylord 1927. See #9 above.

16. Cory Johnson, Duluth East 2006. Scored 2,960 career points, and led East to 2nd place in Class AAA in 2006.

17. Shane Schilling, Minnetonka 1999. See #10 above.

18. John Kundla, Mpls. Central 1935. Went on to lead the Minnesota Gophers to the 1937 Big 10 title.

19. Omar Larson, Granite Falls 1953. Scored 1,401 career points, and was described by Kundla as the best jump shooter of his time.

20. Jim Akason, Halstad 1952. Scored 1,640 points and retired as the #1 scorer to that time. Led Halstad to 3rd place in the 1952 tournament.

100 Years 100 Stars: The Power and the Glory

Today we turn to the "4" spot, the so-called power forward. Of course, the idea of a "power forward" as kind of a 2nd post only came into vogue in the 1950s. It depended, of course, on seeing the value of the 1st post, and that had only happened about the time of WWII. Johnny Kundla inserted 6-10 Vern Mikkelson into the Mpls. Laker's lineup next to George Mikan, and the rest is history.

We manage to find some power forwards prior to that, of course. I mean, if a team had 2 forwards and 1 was bigger than the other--voila! Power forward. A lot of these guys, further, never played forward in high school. But there are so many great centers, and so few few great power forwards, that if a guy was a center in high school but a forward in college or the pros, then to me he's a power forward.

Anyway, here are the top 20 in the state tournament, and the top 20 more generally in Minnesota high school basketball history.

Top 20 Power Forwards State Tournament

1. Mark Olberding, Melrose 1973-74. Led Melrose to 2 Class A title games and the 1974 overall championship. He scored a record 112 points in '74 (since broken by 1 point by Randy Breuer). Played for the Minnesota Gophers and professionally.

2. Bob Zender, Edina 1966-67-68. 1st boy to be a major contributor to 3 state title teams, all-tournament twice. Led all scorers in 5 of 6 games in '67 and '68. Played college ball at Nebraska.

3. Hal Haskins, Alexandria 1943. Led Alex to 2nd place in 1943, scoring a 2nd-all-time-best 19 ppg. Was also the 1st Minnesotan to score 1,000 points in his high school career. Went on to earn all-America honors and win a national championship at Hamline.

4. Kris Humphries, Hopkins 2002-03. Led Hopkins to the 2002 title and 3rd place in 2003, and led Class AAAA in scoring both years. Mr. Basketball 2003. Played for the Minnesota Gophers and now in the NBA.

5. Mark Landsberger, Mounds View, 1972-73. Led Mounds View to 1972 Class AA title and to 5th place in 1973. Led all scorers in 4 of 7 games. Played for Minnesota Gophers for 1 year.

6. Jim Fritsche, St. Paul Humboldt 1949. Led Humboldt to the state title, scoring 23.3 ppg, 2nd only to Jim McIntyre at the time. Also led the St. Paul City Conference in scoring twice. Went on to play at Hamline.

7. Rick Rickert, Duluth East 2001. Scored 2,358 career points including 90 in 2001 tournament, where he was the 1st boy to score 30 ppg since Randy Breuer. Mr. Basketball 2001. Played at the U of M.

8. Kevin McHale, Hibbing 1976. Led Hibbing to runner-up spot in 1976. Out-scored by Steve Lingenfelter 26-21 in the final. Mr. Basketball 1976. Played at the U and for the Boston Celtics.

9. Bill Davis, Richfield 1960. Led the Spartans to 3rd place after famous loss to Edgerton in the semis. Scored tournament-best 88 points, and 1,206 for his high school career. Went on to be captain at the U of M.

10. Dean Veenhof, Edgerton 1960-61. Battle with Bill Davis was the 1st time 2 1,000 point scorers faced each other in the tournament. Finished his career with 1,887 points.

11. Jabbar Washington, Mpls. North 1995-96-97. Helped the Polars to a three-peat as state champion, leading all scorers in 3 games in 3 years.

12. Kurt Shellhas, Edina 1966-67. 2-time state champ, 2-times all-tournament.

13. Ray Cronk, Bemidji 1957-58. Scored 86 points in 1958 but Lumberjacks lost in the 1st round both times.

14. Greg Downing, Duluth Central 1977, 1979. Led Central to 1979 title and led all Class AA scorers with 67 points.

15. Gordon Burich, Chisholm 1933-34. Helped Bluestreaks to 3rd, then 1st. Led them in scoring 3 times in 2 years.

16. Redd Overton, Mpls. North 1980-81. Led North to 1980 Class AA title, and to the consolation title in 1981.

17. Jeff McCarron, Sherburn 1970. Helped Sherburn win the last of the single class titles. Scored 37 points with 24 rebounds in semi-final win over Marshall 71-60, and 1,597 in his career.

18. Paul McDonald, Chisholm 1974-75. Led Chisholm to Class A 3rd place in 1974, and championship in 1975. Led all scorers in 3 of 6 games--these being in his sophomore and junior seasons.

19. Milan Knezovich, Hibbing 1948-49. Led Hibbing to a 3rd and a 5th place finish, leading all scorers in 4 of the 6 games. Finished his high school career as the #1 scorer in Minnesota high school basketball with 1,476 points.

20. Bob and Dick Peterson, Henning 1965. Led Henning to 6th and 4th place finishes. Dick led all scorers 3 times in 6 games, while Bob's 29 points in the 1965 1st round was the top game.

Overall Top 20 Power Forwards

1. Mark Olberding, Melrose 1974. #1 above.

2. Bob Zender, Edina 1968. #2 above.

3. Hal Haskins, Alexandria 1943. #3 above.

4. Jim Fritsche, St. Paul Humboldt 1949. #6 above.

5. Bill Davis, Richfield 1960. #9 above.

6. Milan Knezovich, Hibbing 1949. #19 above.

7. Kris Humphries, Hopkins 2003. #4 above.

8. Jabbar Washington, Mpls. North 1997. #11 above.

9. Kevin McHale, Hibbing 1976. #8 above.

10. Mark Landsberger, Mounds View 1973. #5 above.

11. Ray Cronk, Bemidji 1958. #13 above.

12. Vern Mikkelson, Askov 1945. Never played in the state tournament, but won all-American honors at Hamline, and Hall of Fame honors as a Minneapolis Laker.

13. Johnny Norlander, Virginia 1938. Played in the 1937 state tournament without making much of an impression. Made a big splash at Hamline, helping with the 1942 national title. Then played professionally for several years.

14. Frank Wachlarowicz, Little Falls 1975. State champ and tournament MVP, went on to become the all-time Minnesota small college scorer at St. John’s.

15. Paul McDonald, Chisholm 1976. #18 above.

16. Rick Rickert, Duluth East 2001. #7 above.

17. Dean Veenhof, Edgerton 1960. #10 above.

18. Jeff McCarron, Sherburn 1970. #17 above. 

19. Jim Peterson, St. Louis Park 1980. Led Park to a 2nd, 4th and 3rd place finish in state tournament. Played for the Minnesota Gophers and in the NBA. Mr. Basketball 1980.

20. Kevin Noreen, Minnesota Transitions 2010. Noreen scored 4,000 points, currently an all-time Minnesota record, and also led Transitions to the 2010 Class A title. Mr. Basketball 2010.