What's the word for a basketball team that just can't seem to play ball in the 4th quarter. Oh, yeah. Gophers.
I suppose the Gopher women really didn't hurt themselves that much by blowing yet another game in the late going. They dropped from 5th to 6th in the potential seeding, but with 2 games remaining, both unlikely wins, an 8-10 finish and more like an 8 or 9 seed seems likely. Which means a game against the #1 seed if you can win the 1st one. So, barring a big upset, a 20-11 finish and 8th at best in the Big 10 pecking order for the NCAA tournament. Well, that is not even a bubble record.
But, of course, they could beat Maryland. They as much as beat them the other night out there! But, no, actually, they didn't win. They lost for the 6th time now after leading at halftime, and the 4th time after leading after 3 periods. So, that Maryland loss didn't really hurt that much. The Gophers have already hurt themselves too much with terrible 4th quarter play to worry about any one game.
The good news is they don't need an invite to play in the Big 10 tournament next March 6-10 in Indianapolis. All one can say about that is: Beat Maryland. Which is to say, get up by 20 after 3.
Friday, February 22, 2019
Feb. 21--MIAC finals set
The MIAC season comes to a crashing finish. Half the teams end their season on the Saturday closest to the middle of the month. 3 days later 2 men's and 2 women's quarter-finalists crash out, and 2 days later 2 more men's and 2 more women's semi-finalists are gone, unless one of them happens to sneak into the NCAA D3 tournament (which could happen this year). But, just that fast, you've got a conference final. Or, 2. And so it is for 2019.
Men's Final
The men's final is set for tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. at #2 seed St. John's. The Johnnies were and are the defending (2018) MIAC champions and came into 2019 as the favorite. They stumbled a bit at midseason and lost 3 times including an OT loss at 1st place St. Thomas on January 21. Since then the Johnnies were 9-1 including a 94-75 thumping of the Tommies less than 2 weeks ago. The Tommies limped home at 1-3, losing their last 2 regular season games, still finishing at 18-2 and in 1st. But, then, Thursday night, they lost to red-hot Augsburg 84-81 at home. Actually Augsburg limped home, too, 4-4 in their last 8 games but they knew they could compete with the Tommies, have lost to them 112-105 in 3OT and 88-86.
Augsburg is led by the almost certain Player of the Year in the MIAC in senior forward Booker Coplin who led the conference in scoring (27 ppg) and rebounding (9). He shot an impressive 52/43/90 percent. The Johnnies have a more balanced attack led by David Stokman with 16 ppg on 50/47/87 percent shooting. Augsburg has a shot and they're motivated by the fact that they probably need the win to advance to the NCAA tournament. The Johnnies may be in regardless. The Tommies are probably hoping for a Johnnies win, which might result in the Tommies also advancing. An Auggies win probably means Augsburg and St. John's advance but, hey, St. Thomas is the regular season champ, so maybe even then its Augsburg and the Tommies. All 3 will not advance.
Women's Final
The women's final is just what we expected. Unbeaten St. Thomas at home tomorrow at 3 p.m.
This is the Tommies 10th straight MIAC final. They have won 8 of 9, losing only back in 2011. They finished 2nd in the regular season in 2013 and 2014 but won the playoff. They finished 5th in 2010 and won the playoff. They are 18-1 in playoff games the past 9 years + one win this year. They are 180-20 in the regular season for a total of 198-21 (.904) in 10 years with just tomorrow's game left.
Obviously, they're the favorite. Their opponent is in kind of an opposite situation. Augsburg finished 2nd in the regular season. It was their best finish ever. Previously their best finish in the MIAC had been 5th--make that a tie for 5th--back in 1985. Back in November we said, right here, that this would be the best Augsburg women's team ever, and it has more than lived up to that. They're 16-2 and the only losses are to St. Thomas, 49-34 in January and 83-68 in February. So, pick your poison. Slow it down, or speed it up?
The game matches 2 of the conference's leading scorer, 2 seniors--St. Thomas post Hannah Spaulding, #1 scorer with 17 ppg on 70 percent FG shooting; and Augsburg guard Tamira McLemore, #5 at 16 ppg on 42/42/76 percent shooting.
Here you'd have to think St. Thomas and Augsburg advance no matter what happens tomorrow.
Player of the Day--Tamira McLemore, Augsburg, 33 pts on 5-of-7 3s; Booker Coplin, Augsburg, 32 pts
Team of the Day--Augsburg men
Coach of the Day--Aaron Griess, Augsburg men
Men's Final
The men's final is set for tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. at #2 seed St. John's. The Johnnies were and are the defending (2018) MIAC champions and came into 2019 as the favorite. They stumbled a bit at midseason and lost 3 times including an OT loss at 1st place St. Thomas on January 21. Since then the Johnnies were 9-1 including a 94-75 thumping of the Tommies less than 2 weeks ago. The Tommies limped home at 1-3, losing their last 2 regular season games, still finishing at 18-2 and in 1st. But, then, Thursday night, they lost to red-hot Augsburg 84-81 at home. Actually Augsburg limped home, too, 4-4 in their last 8 games but they knew they could compete with the Tommies, have lost to them 112-105 in 3OT and 88-86.
Augsburg is led by the almost certain Player of the Year in the MIAC in senior forward Booker Coplin who led the conference in scoring (27 ppg) and rebounding (9). He shot an impressive 52/43/90 percent. The Johnnies have a more balanced attack led by David Stokman with 16 ppg on 50/47/87 percent shooting. Augsburg has a shot and they're motivated by the fact that they probably need the win to advance to the NCAA tournament. The Johnnies may be in regardless. The Tommies are probably hoping for a Johnnies win, which might result in the Tommies also advancing. An Auggies win probably means Augsburg and St. John's advance but, hey, St. Thomas is the regular season champ, so maybe even then its Augsburg and the Tommies. All 3 will not advance.
Women's Final
The women's final is just what we expected. Unbeaten St. Thomas at home tomorrow at 3 p.m.
This is the Tommies 10th straight MIAC final. They have won 8 of 9, losing only back in 2011. They finished 2nd in the regular season in 2013 and 2014 but won the playoff. They finished 5th in 2010 and won the playoff. They are 18-1 in playoff games the past 9 years + one win this year. They are 180-20 in the regular season for a total of 198-21 (.904) in 10 years with just tomorrow's game left.
Obviously, they're the favorite. Their opponent is in kind of an opposite situation. Augsburg finished 2nd in the regular season. It was their best finish ever. Previously their best finish in the MIAC had been 5th--make that a tie for 5th--back in 1985. Back in November we said, right here, that this would be the best Augsburg women's team ever, and it has more than lived up to that. They're 16-2 and the only losses are to St. Thomas, 49-34 in January and 83-68 in February. So, pick your poison. Slow it down, or speed it up?
The game matches 2 of the conference's leading scorer, 2 seniors--St. Thomas post Hannah Spaulding, #1 scorer with 17 ppg on 70 percent FG shooting; and Augsburg guard Tamira McLemore, #5 at 16 ppg on 42/42/76 percent shooting.
Here you'd have to think St. Thomas and Augsburg advance no matter what happens tomorrow.
Player of the Day--Tamira McLemore, Augsburg, 33 pts on 5-of-7 3s; Booker Coplin, Augsburg, 32 pts
Team of the Day--Augsburg men
Coach of the Day--Aaron Griess, Augsburg men
Saturday, February 16, 2019
Jan. 16--MIAC Playoffs Matchups Set
Today is one of my least favorite days of the basketball season. The MIAC regular season came to an end today, meaning that the season is over for 5 men's and 6 women's teams. As best as I can tell, these are the first basketball teams anywhere in the state of Minnesota who will be packing away their uniforms and getting on with the rest of life.
But for 6 men's and 6 women's teams, life goes on and includes some playoff basketball. The St. Thomas men defeated St. Mary's 94-81 to clinch the #1 seed. The St. Thomas women had already clinched the #1 seed and also beat St. Mary's 76-55 to finish the regular season undefeated in the MIAC and 24-1 overall.
Men's Playoffs
Gustavus (8-12, 11-14) at Bethel (15-5, 18-7), 7 p.m. The Gusties defeated Concordia 81-68 today while Hamline lost to Bethel 89-63, enabling the Gusties to sneak past the Pipers for the 6th playoff spot. Both teams come into Tuesday night's game with some mo, but Bethel has more firepower and the home court.
St. Olaf (12-8, 13-12) at Augsburg (13-7, 17-8), 7 p.m. The Olies defeated the Auggies 86-80 at Augsburg today to get a rematch on Tuesday. The Auggies have probable MIAC Player of the Year Booker Coplin (27 ppg, 9 reb, 4 assists, 2 steals).
The winners go to St. Thomas (18-2, 22-3) and St. John's (17-3, 21-4) and both will be heavy favorites. The real intrigue is the possible final between the Tommies and Johnnies. The Johnnies clobbered the Tommies 94-75 on Wednesday but that was at Collegeville. They'll be at St. Thomas this time. Still I think St. John's will win the playoff championship, but both teams will advance to the NCAA D3 tournament.
Women's Playoffs
St. Mary's (9-9, 13-12) at Bethel (13-5, 19-6). This will be the last game for at least one great senior ballplayer--maybe Brandi Blattner of St. Mary's, or Taite Anderson and Hannah Johnson of Bethel.
Gustavus (11-7, 14-11) at St. Ben's (11-7, 15-11). Kendall Thompson leads the Gusties, but St. Ben's won 5 of 6 games down the stretch to get into the playoffs.
The winners go to St. Thomas (18-0, 24-1) and Augsburg (16-2, 21-4). As we reported way back in November, this is the best Augsburg women's team EVER while the Tommie women are national championship contenders led by probable Player of the Year Hannah Spaulding (17 ppg-9 reb-71% FG-2 blocks). I don't see St. Thomas losing for several weeks yet, if at all.
Players of the Day--Booker Coplin and Hannah Spaulding
Team of the Day--St. Thomas women
Coach of the Day--Ruth Sinn, St. Thomas women
Friday, February 15, 2019
Jan. 14--Gophers 20 Purdue 2 in 4th quarter at West Lafayette
I've never seen anything like this in my life. A Gopher team outscoring a Big 10 opponent on the road 20-2 in the game's final 10 minutes. But that is what Lindsay Whalen's Gopher women did to Purdue last night. Up 45-43 going into the 4th quarter, they hung an 0-fer on the Boilermakers, as in 0-for-11 shooting for the quarter, and the Gophers coasted to a 65-45, well, it was darn near a laugher in the end.
And, more than that, it was the Gophers 5th straight win after losing 7-of-8, including 64-53 to Purdue at home just 3 weeks ago, you know, in the bad old days.
One thing that's happened is Destiny Pitts found her shooting stroke. She made 10-of-12 last night for 27 points and outscored Purdue all by herself in the 2nd half. Kenisha Bell did her thing, which included 17 points, 9 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals (oh, and 7 turnovers and 10 missed shots). Still, she is the straw that stirs the drink.
Too bad the Gophers have road games remaining at 1st place Maryland and 3rd place Rutgers. They've got to beat Penn State and Michigan State at home to finish 9-9. Right now you'd have to think that leaves the Gophers tied for #7-#8-#9 in the Big 10, so those tie-breakers are going to be very big. If we're #7, we probably get a beatable Nebraska team in the 2nd round, then #2 Iowa in the 3rd. In that scenario, the Gophers probably end up 9-9, 20-9, then 1-1 makes it 21-10 and still only the #7 Big 10 team in the NCAA pecking order. That is probably not going to be good enough. So a win at Maryland or Rutgers or a win over Iowa in the Big 10 tournament is probably needed at this point to get off the bubble and into the NCAA tournament.
Player of the Day--Destiny Pitts
Team of the Day--Gopher women
Coach of the Day--Lindsay Whalen
Jan. 13--Gopher men slip and fall, Johnnies clobber Tommies
The Gopher men had plenty of chances to make life a little easier for themselves but didn't do it Wednesday night in Lincoln, NE. Leading 19-8 early, they gave up a 14-2 run and a 31-13 run before they got back in gear, trailing 39-32 early in the 2nd half. So they pulled ahead 61-59 on a Jordan Murphy putback at 0:59. From there? Well, Daniel Oturu, who had a great game with 16 points, 4 boards, 2 blocks and 2 steals, got one of those blocks at :01. Game over, right? But that was the only good play the Gophers made in the final 0:59 and it was not enough. Oturu's block went out of bounds, Nebraska ball, and Amir Coffey fouled the Nebraska catcher at the buzzer. Or, did he? Richard Pitino was pissed about that call. And what about the offensive foul against Murph 17 seconds earlier. Either one of those calls is the ball game, but no dice. You already know all of this, of course.
What you don't know is where this leaves the Gophers. Well, I mean, besides 6-8 now with 6 games to go. You expected better, didn't you, after that 10-1 start and the win at Madison. But, this is the deal. With 5 of 6 so you don't have to play Michigan or Michigan State in the Big 10 quarter-finals. Anything less and the NCAA tournament is probably out of reach.
Try the math. Win 4, the Gophers are 10-10, 20-11 and probably 1-1 in the tournament for a total of 21-12 and probably the 7th in the pecking order of the Big 10 to advance. Maybe. Or maybe that's not even bubble material.
Win 5 and you're 11-9, 21-10, maybe 6th tournament seed, and maybe you beat Purdue in the quarters. Now you're 23-11 and maybe even 4th in the pecking order. So, best case, yeah, the Gophers advance easily.
But, how do you win 5? You beat Indiana at home, you win at Rutgers and Northwestern, and you beat Purdue at home. Then, do you beat Michigan at home or Maryland on the road? Cuz you gotta do one or the other. OK, so, no. Best case the Gophers are probably 10-10, 20-11, then 21-12 and 7th in the Big 10.
Player of the Day--I'll pick Oturu just because Murphy has been the pick so many times before.
Team of the Day--St. John's 94 St. Thomas 75, and now the Tommies lead in the MIAC is just one game, 17-2 to the Johnnies 16-3 and the Johnnies will have a lot of confidence going into a possible MIAC final against their arch-rival. And, get this. The Tommies shot 50 percent. But the Johnnies? 64 percent. 8-of-12 3s. 5 Johnnies were in double figures--Zach Hanson 22, David Stokman 16, Lucas Walford 14, Jubie Alade 12 and Colton Codute off the bench for 11.
Coach of the Day--Pat McKenzie, St. John's.
What you don't know is where this leaves the Gophers. Well, I mean, besides 6-8 now with 6 games to go. You expected better, didn't you, after that 10-1 start and the win at Madison. But, this is the deal. With 5 of 6 so you don't have to play Michigan or Michigan State in the Big 10 quarter-finals. Anything less and the NCAA tournament is probably out of reach.
Try the math. Win 4, the Gophers are 10-10, 20-11 and probably 1-1 in the tournament for a total of 21-12 and probably the 7th in the pecking order of the Big 10 to advance. Maybe. Or maybe that's not even bubble material.
Win 5 and you're 11-9, 21-10, maybe 6th tournament seed, and maybe you beat Purdue in the quarters. Now you're 23-11 and maybe even 4th in the pecking order. So, best case, yeah, the Gophers advance easily.
But, how do you win 5? You beat Indiana at home, you win at Rutgers and Northwestern, and you beat Purdue at home. Then, do you beat Michigan at home or Maryland on the road? Cuz you gotta do one or the other. OK, so, no. Best case the Gophers are probably 10-10, 20-11, then 21-12 and 7th in the Big 10.
Player of the Day--I'll pick Oturu just because Murphy has been the pick so many times before.
Team of the Day--St. John's 94 St. Thomas 75, and now the Tommies lead in the MIAC is just one game, 17-2 to the Johnnies 16-3 and the Johnnies will have a lot of confidence going into a possible MIAC final against their arch-rival. And, get this. The Tommies shot 50 percent. But the Johnnies? 64 percent. 8-of-12 3s. 5 Johnnies were in double figures--Zach Hanson 22, David Stokman 16, Lucas Walford 14, Jubie Alade 12 and Colton Codute off the bench for 11.
Coach of the Day--Pat McKenzie, St. John's.
Jan. 12--Princeton wins at Hermantown
There were at least 4 boys games on Tuesday night matching top 20 rated teams. 3 of them were in the south and west metro where they play such games all the time. So our favorite this time out saw #4AAA Princeton at #19AAA Hermantown. The hosts led 44-42 at the half but Princeton came back to win it in the 2nd half 88-83. Jon Stimmler scored 27 points for Princeton and Calvin Peterson added 24 points, all on 8 3-pointers. Peter Soumis led Hermantown with 25. This was a big one as it will factor into seeding in the Section 7AAA.
For the record, Lakeville North clobbered Shakopee 83-61 as Tyler Wahl scored 25; Hopkins held off Edina 74-63 as Zeke Nnaji scored 25 and Jack Middleton 27 for the Hornets; and Wayzata took a surprisingly easy win off Eden Prairie 78-61.
Player of the Day--Jack Middleton
Team of the Day--Princeton
Coach of the Day--Brett Cloutier, Princeton
Jan. 11--Centennial, Hopkins, Rush City girls win
3 big second halfs helped the Centennial, Hopkins and Rush City girls to wins on Monday night. The 3 winners led at halftime by a composite score of 100-98, but blitzed their opponents 102-40 in the 2nd half.
Centennial trailed Maple Grove 32-27 at the half in their NW Suburban matchup but the Crimson managed just 8 2nd half points and the Cougars pulled away to a 56-40 win. Taylor Mcauley scored 20 and Sarah Lavell 13 for Centennial, and Jordan Lamber and Abby Schulte the same 20 and 13 for the Crimson. Centennial got 23 points from the rest of their roster, Maple Grove a measly 7. Centennial also made 16-of-18 FT to pull away. They are now 15-1 in the conference and 19-4 overall. The Crimson are 12-3 and 15-6.
Hopkins led Becker at the half 53-36, then doubled the Bulldogs 36-18 in the 2nd half. Paige Bueckers led Hopkins with 26 points while Maya Nnaji, Dlayla Chakolis, Amaya Battle and Taylor Woodson all scored in double figures. Freshman Adeline Kent scored 19 for Becker. They played in the old Hopkins gym for some reason. Weather related? Hopkins remans unbeaten.
Rush City trailed host Mpls. North 30-20 at the half but blitzed the Polars 37-14 in the 2nd half for a 567-44 win. It was an unusual game in that only 7 players scored, 5 of them in double figures. Shawna Mell scored 25 for Rush and Kaylyn Bowen 11. Tiffany McNeill led North with 19 as only 3 players were able to score for the Polars.
Player of the Day--Paige Bueckers
Team of the Day--Rush City won on the road
Coach of the Day--Jill Becker, Centennial
Centennial trailed Maple Grove 32-27 at the half in their NW Suburban matchup but the Crimson managed just 8 2nd half points and the Cougars pulled away to a 56-40 win. Taylor Mcauley scored 20 and Sarah Lavell 13 for Centennial, and Jordan Lamber and Abby Schulte the same 20 and 13 for the Crimson. Centennial got 23 points from the rest of their roster, Maple Grove a measly 7. Centennial also made 16-of-18 FT to pull away. They are now 15-1 in the conference and 19-4 overall. The Crimson are 12-3 and 15-6.
Hopkins led Becker at the half 53-36, then doubled the Bulldogs 36-18 in the 2nd half. Paige Bueckers led Hopkins with 26 points while Maya Nnaji, Dlayla Chakolis, Amaya Battle and Taylor Woodson all scored in double figures. Freshman Adeline Kent scored 19 for Becker. They played in the old Hopkins gym for some reason. Weather related? Hopkins remans unbeaten.
Rush City trailed host Mpls. North 30-20 at the half but blitzed the Polars 37-14 in the 2nd half for a 567-44 win. It was an unusual game in that only 7 players scored, 5 of them in double figures. Shawna Mell scored 25 for Rush and Kaylyn Bowen 11. Tiffany McNeill led North with 19 as only 3 players were able to score for the Polars.
Player of the Day--Paige Bueckers
Team of the Day--Rush City won on the road
Coach of the Day--Jill Becker, Centennial
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Jan. 8-9--Grand Meadow, Eden Valley Watkins girls, New Ulm Cathedral, St. Cloud Cathedral boys come up big
The high schools held the spotlight Friday and Saturday. The top performances were these:
Friday boys--New Ulm Cathedral, ranked at #13A, took to the road to surprise #3 Minnesota Valley Lutheran 94-87. Now, of course, taking to the road in this case means a short trip crosstown as the Lutheran Chargers are located in New Ulm, same as the Catholic Greyhounds. Cathedral led 18-7 early, then 30-15, then 32-25 and still by 10 at the half as they hit 8 of their first 9 3s. The lead was 7 with 7 minutes to go, and the Hounds were able to hold on. Alex Hillesheim came up big for Cathedral with 28 points, including his 1,000th, while Chris Knowles added 21 points and the other 3 starters were also all in double figures. Jake Kettner scored 26 points for MVL. Cathedral is now 15-4, 10-4 in the Tomahawk, trailing unbeaten Springfield and MVL. MVL is 10-1 and 18-2.
Friday girls--Grand Meadow came in unbeaten, at home, and an underdog, according to some. Well, it's true that the MBN had just the previous day moved the 21-0 Superlarks up to #3 statewide, and moved 17-4 Goodhue down to #4. Still, Grand Meadow continues to fight for respect despite that 21-0 record and, now, a 49-42 win over the always dangerous Wildcats. Jordan Glynn scored 24 for the Larks, including her 2,000th point. Lexi Lodermeier scored 18 for Goodhue. Grand Meadow is 22-0, 13-0 in the Southeast Conference, Goodhue is 17-5, 9-2 and still 1st in the Hiawatha Valley Blue.
Saturday boys--Esko and St. Cloud Cathedral have had some powerhouses in recent years, and I don't think either of them expected to be 12-9 (Esko) or even 13-5 (St. Cloud). The Crusaders, at least, are rated at #16. Well, they played a lot better than that Saturday night against what is still a pretty good Esko team. They've played everybody. Here they left the comfort of their home gym, their section, their conference for a two game road trip to #3 Perham (a 62-52 loss) and then #16 Cathedral. I don't know if you can count Esko out of the Section 7AA race at this point. They are probably a better bet than Cathedral, whose got Osakis, Melrose, Hawley and Breckenridge in their section. But, again, on Saturday, they were super, winning 79-50. We don't have any other details on this one but that is one impressive score.
Saturday girls--Undefeated Eden Valley Watkins traveled to Alexandria to play in the Winter Lakes Classic, and the #3AA Eagles drew #2A and previously undefeated Menahga. Well, after Saturday's game the Eagles are still unbeaten, the Braves are not. It was Menahga's 1st regular season loss in 2 years. EVW took an early 17-6 lead but a 12-4 Menahga rally made it 21-18 at the half. Menahga was still close at 40-36 before the Eagles took charge down the stretch, closing the game on a 13-6 run. Emma Schultz scored 16 and Halle Jensen 15 for EVW, Alyssa Peterson 12 for Menahga.
Player of the Day Friday--Jordyn Glynn, Grand Meadow
Player of the Day Saturday--Michael Hurt scored 46 as JM held off Mayo 63-58
Team of the Day Friday--Grand Meadow girls still unbeaten
Team of the Day Saturday--Eden Valley Watkins girls still unbeaten
Coach of the Day Friday--Ryan Queensland, Grand Meadow girls
Coach of the Day Saturday--Tom Jansen, EVW girls
Friday boys--New Ulm Cathedral, ranked at #13A, took to the road to surprise #3 Minnesota Valley Lutheran 94-87. Now, of course, taking to the road in this case means a short trip crosstown as the Lutheran Chargers are located in New Ulm, same as the Catholic Greyhounds. Cathedral led 18-7 early, then 30-15, then 32-25 and still by 10 at the half as they hit 8 of their first 9 3s. The lead was 7 with 7 minutes to go, and the Hounds were able to hold on. Alex Hillesheim came up big for Cathedral with 28 points, including his 1,000th, while Chris Knowles added 21 points and the other 3 starters were also all in double figures. Jake Kettner scored 26 points for MVL. Cathedral is now 15-4, 10-4 in the Tomahawk, trailing unbeaten Springfield and MVL. MVL is 10-1 and 18-2.
Friday girls--Grand Meadow came in unbeaten, at home, and an underdog, according to some. Well, it's true that the MBN had just the previous day moved the 21-0 Superlarks up to #3 statewide, and moved 17-4 Goodhue down to #4. Still, Grand Meadow continues to fight for respect despite that 21-0 record and, now, a 49-42 win over the always dangerous Wildcats. Jordan Glynn scored 24 for the Larks, including her 2,000th point. Lexi Lodermeier scored 18 for Goodhue. Grand Meadow is 22-0, 13-0 in the Southeast Conference, Goodhue is 17-5, 9-2 and still 1st in the Hiawatha Valley Blue.
Saturday boys--Esko and St. Cloud Cathedral have had some powerhouses in recent years, and I don't think either of them expected to be 12-9 (Esko) or even 13-5 (St. Cloud). The Crusaders, at least, are rated at #16. Well, they played a lot better than that Saturday night against what is still a pretty good Esko team. They've played everybody. Here they left the comfort of their home gym, their section, their conference for a two game road trip to #3 Perham (a 62-52 loss) and then #16 Cathedral. I don't know if you can count Esko out of the Section 7AA race at this point. They are probably a better bet than Cathedral, whose got Osakis, Melrose, Hawley and Breckenridge in their section. But, again, on Saturday, they were super, winning 79-50. We don't have any other details on this one but that is one impressive score.
Saturday girls--Undefeated Eden Valley Watkins traveled to Alexandria to play in the Winter Lakes Classic, and the #3AA Eagles drew #2A and previously undefeated Menahga. Well, after Saturday's game the Eagles are still unbeaten, the Braves are not. It was Menahga's 1st regular season loss in 2 years. EVW took an early 17-6 lead but a 12-4 Menahga rally made it 21-18 at the half. Menahga was still close at 40-36 before the Eagles took charge down the stretch, closing the game on a 13-6 run. Emma Schultz scored 16 and Halle Jensen 15 for EVW, Alyssa Peterson 12 for Menahga.
Player of the Day Friday--Jordyn Glynn, Grand Meadow
Player of the Day Saturday--Michael Hurt scored 46 as JM held off Mayo 63-58
Team of the Day Friday--Grand Meadow girls still unbeaten
Team of the Day Saturday--Eden Valley Watkins girls still unbeaten
Coach of the Day Friday--Ryan Queensland, Grand Meadow girls
Coach of the Day Saturday--Tom Jansen, EVW girls
Jan. 10--Gopher women do it again
Do what again? Well, the won their 4th straight, which ain't bad. They beat Northwestern for the 4th straight time. And, well, they blew a big lead again. They led 37-24 at the half, at home, against a team they had beaten on the road barely a week ago. So, what happened? After 3, the lead was down to 50-42, still pretty safe right? It was still 54-49, but the Wildcats ripped off 9 straight points to go up 58-54 with just 59 ticks left on the clock.
After that it was all Gophers, 4-0 in that last minute. Destiny Pitts hit a quick bucket at 0:52, then Kenisha Bell grabbed a rebound and put it back up into the basket with just 8 ticks left to force OT. Elk River's Abi Scheid missed a pair of FT for Northwestern with 4 ticks left on the clock. Ouch.
In OT, the Gophers couldn't miss. Well, not literally but they made 4-of-6 FG and 7-of-8 FT for a 15-6 advantage. In OT they scored as many points or more as they scored in 3 of the regulation periods.
Bell is electrifying at times, like when she scored the bucket that forced OT, and agains scoring a pair of buckets in OT, and in pulling down 11 rebounds and adding 5 assists and 5 steals. MVP! MVP! But, she missed 11 shots and turned it over 7 times. Pitts picked up some of the slack, making 4-of-10 3s, scoring 21 points and adding 6 boards and 2 steals of her own. Jasmine Brunson continued to bounce back from a mid-season benching, making 5-of-11 shots and 4-of-6 FT for 14 points with 3 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Pitts and Brunson did combine for 8 turnovers.
Irene Perez continued her strong play of the past month with 8 points on 3-of-7 shooting, 2 boards and 4 assists. Taiye Bello continued to struggle shooting it, with 6 points, but she had 9 boards, 3 blocks and 2 steals. The Gophers played just 14 minutes off the bench as Annalese Lamke continued to struggle since coming out of the starting lineup in favor of Perez and that small, 4-out lineup. But, hey, the Gophers have won 4 with that lineup now.
Player of the Day--Kenisha Bell. 11 missed shots and 7 turnovers, but where would the Gophers be without her?
Team of the Day--Gopher women
Coach of the Day--Lindsay Whalen
After that it was all Gophers, 4-0 in that last minute. Destiny Pitts hit a quick bucket at 0:52, then Kenisha Bell grabbed a rebound and put it back up into the basket with just 8 ticks left to force OT. Elk River's Abi Scheid missed a pair of FT for Northwestern with 4 ticks left on the clock. Ouch.
In OT, the Gophers couldn't miss. Well, not literally but they made 4-of-6 FG and 7-of-8 FT for a 15-6 advantage. In OT they scored as many points or more as they scored in 3 of the regulation periods.
Bell is electrifying at times, like when she scored the bucket that forced OT, and agains scoring a pair of buckets in OT, and in pulling down 11 rebounds and adding 5 assists and 5 steals. MVP! MVP! But, she missed 11 shots and turned it over 7 times. Pitts picked up some of the slack, making 4-of-10 3s, scoring 21 points and adding 6 boards and 2 steals of her own. Jasmine Brunson continued to bounce back from a mid-season benching, making 5-of-11 shots and 4-of-6 FT for 14 points with 3 boards, 3 assists and 3 steals. Pitts and Brunson did combine for 8 turnovers.
Irene Perez continued her strong play of the past month with 8 points on 3-of-7 shooting, 2 boards and 4 assists. Taiye Bello continued to struggle shooting it, with 6 points, but she had 9 boards, 3 blocks and 2 steals. The Gophers played just 14 minutes off the bench as Annalese Lamke continued to struggle since coming out of the starting lineup in favor of Perez and that small, 4-out lineup. But, hey, the Gophers have won 4 with that lineup now.
Player of the Day--Kenisha Bell. 11 missed shots and 7 turnovers, but where would the Gophers be without her?
Team of the Day--Gopher women
Coach of the Day--Lindsay Whalen
Thursday, February 7, 2019
Feb. 7--Rosemount, Mountain Iron Buhl girls win
Most of the high school schedule tonight was wiped out by cold and snow, but there were a few games that went on as scheduled. Two of those stood out in terms of interest.
Surging Rosemount upset Farmington, who came in at 18-2 and #4AAAA statewide, 57-55 in OT. It was the Irish' 4th straight win and 2nd straight upset. They defeated Eastview just this Tuesday 57-45, and are now 13-9.
And, Mountain Iron-Buhl, with an uncharacteristic 4 losses and rated just #12A in the state, defeated Cherry, who came in at 17-3 and rated #17A, 76-58.
What made the games even more interesting than just the high rankings is the number of younger plays on these 2 courts tonight. Rosemount, for example, starts 2 freshmen, 2 sophomores and 6-2 junior Taylor Janssen, who scored 24 tonight and is averaging 14 for the year. 6-0 soph Helen Staley scored just 7 tonight but is averaging 11, and 5-9 frosh Alexa Ratzlaff is averaging 10. 6-0 freshman Tayah Leenderts averages 7 and 5-8 soph Ivory Finley averages 6 but scored 10 tonight. With 3 6-footers and all 5 starters returning, look out for the Irish next year. But, first, look out for them between now and March.
Farmington is also young with 3 sophs, 3 juniors and just 1 senior among their top 7. Sophomore Paige Kindseth scored 16 and junior Molly Mogenson 15 tonight. They each average 12, as does 6-4 sophomore post Sophie Hart, who is rumored to be a high D1 recruit. Soph Peyton Blandin averages 9 points, and juniors Morgan Ebel and Katelyn Mohr 7 and 4. The Tigers will remain in the state's top 5 despite the loss.
Cherry, meanwhile, starts a frosh, a soph and 3 juniors, who score 59 points per game among them. Sophomore post Jessalyn Schroetter averages 16 and scored 23 tonight. MIB's top 4 scorers on the season are all seniors, but next year's rotation is beginning to come into view. Freshman guard Brooke Niska scored 13 tonight and 2 other frosh and an 8th grader are in the Rangers' rotation.
Player of the Day--Taylor Janssen
Team of the Day--Rosemount
Coach of the Day--Chris Orr, Rosemount
Surging Rosemount upset Farmington, who came in at 18-2 and #4AAAA statewide, 57-55 in OT. It was the Irish' 4th straight win and 2nd straight upset. They defeated Eastview just this Tuesday 57-45, and are now 13-9.
And, Mountain Iron-Buhl, with an uncharacteristic 4 losses and rated just #12A in the state, defeated Cherry, who came in at 17-3 and rated #17A, 76-58.
What made the games even more interesting than just the high rankings is the number of younger plays on these 2 courts tonight. Rosemount, for example, starts 2 freshmen, 2 sophomores and 6-2 junior Taylor Janssen, who scored 24 tonight and is averaging 14 for the year. 6-0 soph Helen Staley scored just 7 tonight but is averaging 11, and 5-9 frosh Alexa Ratzlaff is averaging 10. 6-0 freshman Tayah Leenderts averages 7 and 5-8 soph Ivory Finley averages 6 but scored 10 tonight. With 3 6-footers and all 5 starters returning, look out for the Irish next year. But, first, look out for them between now and March.
Farmington is also young with 3 sophs, 3 juniors and just 1 senior among their top 7. Sophomore Paige Kindseth scored 16 and junior Molly Mogenson 15 tonight. They each average 12, as does 6-4 sophomore post Sophie Hart, who is rumored to be a high D1 recruit. Soph Peyton Blandin averages 9 points, and juniors Morgan Ebel and Katelyn Mohr 7 and 4. The Tigers will remain in the state's top 5 despite the loss.
Cherry, meanwhile, starts a frosh, a soph and 3 juniors, who score 59 points per game among them. Sophomore post Jessalyn Schroetter averages 16 and scored 23 tonight. MIB's top 4 scorers on the season are all seniors, but next year's rotation is beginning to come into view. Freshman guard Brooke Niska scored 13 tonight and 2 other frosh and an 8th grader are in the Rangers' rotation.
Player of the Day--Taylor Janssen
Team of the Day--Rosemount
Coach of the Day--Chris Orr, Rosemount
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Jan. 6--Gopher women get their mojo back
The Gopher women won their 3rd straight game and their 2nd straight on the road, at Indiana 65-61. OK, no, they didn't shoot it great. It's crazy at this stage to think they're ever going to be a good shooting team but they made 36 percent hold up. Mainly they did it by getting to the FT line. Kenisha Bell got their 17 times (!). She only made 11 but her 22 point total looks pretty good considering the 5-of-21 FG line. Destiny Pitts added 17 on 8-of-9 FT.
Irene Garrido Perez is turning out to be a great story. She was always smooth as silk but Lindsay didn't seem to have much confidence in her until the past couple of weeks. Suddenly she was in the starting lineup, not shooting, not scoring, but providing lots of smoothness. Well, tonight, she made 3-of-3 3s and scored 11 points to go with 6 boards and 3 assists.
Taiye Bello's another one who isn't much of a shooter but she makes up for it on the boards. Tonight she scored 6 points but added 14 boards and 3 blocks. All in all, it was just enough as the Gophers led all the way and held on as Indiana rallied down the stretch.
Meanwhile, the men had a grinder at Williams, which is no surprise considering they were playing Bucky. The Gophers actually outshot Bucky overall, but Bucky had it all over our guys on odd-numbered shots. You know, 3-pointers (6-1) and 1s (10-8). We took it inside effectively as Murph scored 19 and Oturu 11 but Kalscheur and Amir Coffey only managed 8 each and the Gophers haven't often won without a big game from Amir Coffey. (I think Murph added something like 18 boards.) So it was tonight. Wisconsin led most of the way and the final was 56-51.
High School Boys
There were also a couple of big 'uns at De and East Ridge. #1AAA DeLaSalle knocked off #1AAAA Hopkins 75-67. De led 40-30 at the half and 61-37 10 minutes later. Hopkins came back to make it respectable but not anything more than that. Zeke Nnaji scored 26, Tyrell Terry 23 with 7 assists, and Jamison Battle 16.
At East Ridge, Wayzata gave the Raptors everything they could handle, but they handled it. East Ridge led 34-30 at the half, it was 80-all at the end of reg. Each team scored 6 in the 1st OT, but East Ridge put it away with 19 points in the 2nd OT to win it 105-100. Not surprisingly you had 10 players in double figures led by Jacob Beeninga with 36 and Ben Carlson with 31.
Player of the Day--Tyrell Terry
Team of the Day--Gopher women
Coach of the Day--Lindsay Whalen
High School Boys
There were also a couple of big 'uns at De and East Ridge. #1AAA DeLaSalle knocked off #1AAAA Hopkins 75-67. De led 40-30 at the half and 61-37 10 minutes later. Hopkins came back to make it respectable but not anything more than that. Zeke Nnaji scored 26, Tyrell Terry 23 with 7 assists, and Jamison Battle 16.
At East Ridge, Wayzata gave the Raptors everything they could handle, but they handled it. East Ridge led 34-30 at the half, it was 80-all at the end of reg. Each team scored 6 in the 1st OT, but East Ridge put it away with 19 points in the 2nd OT to win it 105-100. Not surprisingly you had 10 players in double figures led by Jacob Beeninga with 36 and Ben Carlson with 31.
Player of the Day--Tyrell Terry
Team of the Day--Gopher women
Coach of the Day--Lindsay Whalen
Jan. 5--JM wins Big 9 battle at Austin
Austin lost its 2nd straight game for the 1st time in 3 years as the visiting Rochester John Marshall Rockets came from behind to claim a 70-57 win. It was a game of runs. JM led by 13 in the 1st half, but Austin stormed back to lead 50-45 at the 9 minute mark. But Medi Obang got his 4th foul for Austin at that point and went to the bench with his 20 points. He didn't score again as JM went on a 10-0 and 25-7 run to the final gun.
JM dominated inside as Matthew Hurt scored 31 and Lincoln Meister 25. JM won the rebounding battle too, 30-16.
The Packers still hold 2nd place in the Big 9 at 11-2 while JM is 10-2. Mankato East is still unbeaten at 12-0 and 15-1 overall. Austin is rated #4AAA and East #5AAA but that's about to change.
Player of the Day--Hurt
Team of the Day--Zumbrota-Mazeppa girls, who shocked host Goodhue 50-44 as Ali Hunstad scored 26. Goodhue remains in 1st place in the HVL at 9-1/17-3. ZM is 6-3/14-5.
Coach of the Day--Andy Bromeling, ZM girls
Jan. 4--Mostly cancelled but not Rushford-Pete
Rushford-Peterson braved the weather Monday night to travel down to Spring Grove for a big boys basketball game. Spring Grove was 14-1 and rated #8A, while RP was 12-6, #14. Still I won't say this was an upset because RP just has a way of coming up big when it counts, like tonight, on the road at a #8A opponent, they came from behind for a 69-66 win. RP led at the half, but Spring Grove led by as many as 3 in the 2nd half. But Landon Skalet scored 20 points for RP with 3 3s, while Luke O'Hare added 17, Kobe Lind 14 and Justin Ruberg 11. It's hard to beat that kind of balance, though Spring Grove had some balance of their own with Alex Folz scored 25 points with 6 3s, Noah Elton 14 and Ethan Matzke 11 with 6 boards and 4 assists. A lot of talent on that Spring Grove floor Monday night, and for RP O'Hare and Lind are sophomores and Ruberg just a freshman.
Player of the Day--Landon Skalet
Team of the Day--Rushford Peterson
Coach of the Day--Chris Drinkall in his 1st year replacing the legendary Tom Vix
Jan. 3--You win some, you lose some...the Gophers, that is
Let me get this straight. The Gopher women played horribly for 20 minutes, then they played 20 great minutes. And they won. The Gopher men played great for 26 minutes, and lost. So, it comes down more to how bad is bad, than how good is good? Who knows.
The men led Purdue 47-34 at 14:05. 8:30 later they were down 60-51. You do the math. OK, I'll do the math. Purdue 26 Minnesota 4 over 8:30. Plenty bad. The final was 73-63. Amir Coffey scored 22, Jordan Murphy went 10 and 10.
The women, on the other hand, shot 4-of-23 in the 1st half. By all rights, it shoulda been all over, especially considering they were playing 9-1, 1st place in the Big 10 Rutgers. But, no, they were only behind 23-17. Then they came out and outscored 9-1, 1st place Rutgers 43-23 to win going away, 60-46. Fact is, they only shot 12-of-27 in the 2nd half, but it sure beats 4-of-23. It also helps that they made 25-of-31 FT to just 5-of-10 for Rutgers.
Kenisha Bell scored 19 with 5 assists. Destiny Pitts scored 14 with 7 rebounds.
Player of the Day--Taiye Bello 11 points and a career high 21 rebounds
Team of the Day--Gopher women
Coach of the Day--Lindsay Whalen
The men led Purdue 47-34 at 14:05. 8:30 later they were down 60-51. You do the math. OK, I'll do the math. Purdue 26 Minnesota 4 over 8:30. Plenty bad. The final was 73-63. Amir Coffey scored 22, Jordan Murphy went 10 and 10.
The women, on the other hand, shot 4-of-23 in the 1st half. By all rights, it shoulda been all over, especially considering they were playing 9-1, 1st place in the Big 10 Rutgers. But, no, they were only behind 23-17. Then they came out and outscored 9-1, 1st place Rutgers 43-23 to win going away, 60-46. Fact is, they only shot 12-of-27 in the 2nd half, but it sure beats 4-of-23. It also helps that they made 25-of-31 FT to just 5-of-10 for Rutgers.
Kenisha Bell scored 19 with 5 assists. Destiny Pitts scored 14 with 7 rebounds.
Player of the Day--Taiye Bello 11 points and a career high 21 rebounds
Team of the Day--Gopher women
Coach of the Day--Lindsay Whalen
Jan. 1-2--Hopkins, Hopkins and Sauk Centre get the wins
It was quite a scene at Hopkins Lindbergh Center last Friday as 4,000 fans watched the Royals knock off arch-rival Wayzata not once but twice. But the Trojans did not go down easily, not the boys and certainly not the girls. The girls was a #1 vs. #2 game. The Hopkins boys are also #1, while Wayzata is ranked #7.
The Wayzata boys led 43-37 at the half but Hopkins scored 53 points in the 2nd half to pull away to a 90-80 win. Arizona-bound 6-10 senior forward Zeke Nnaji had a statement game with 41 points. He remains 2nd to Matthew Hurt in the race for Mr. Basketball, but he is definitely in the race. Hopkins is 18-2, Wayzata 14-6.
The previously undefeated Trojan girls led 53-51 deep into the 2nd half before Hopkins crept ahead 62-61. Then all-everything Paige Bueckers hit a 3 for a 65-61 lead and the Royals held on. Bueckers scored 43 points while Jenna Johnson scored 22 and Kallie Theisen 19 for Wayzata. Hopkins remains unbeaten at 19-0.
On Saturday Albany traveled to #1 rated 15-2 Sauk Centre. At 11-6, the Huskies were a big underdog. But they led 57-44 at 6:30 of the 2nd half, when Sauk started to come back strong. The outscored Albany 15-1 down the stretch, and McKenna Westby hit a game-winning jumper for a final of 59-58 Sauk. Tori Peschel scored 18 points for Sauk, Westby scored 10.
Player of the Day
Friday is a tie between Paige Bueckers and Zeke Nnaji.
Saturday Kallie Theisen of Wayzata who scored 20 on Friday and then 19 against Lakeville North on Saturday.
Team of the Day
Friday Hopkins girls
Saturday Sauk Centre girls
Coach of the Day
Friday Brian Cosgriff, Hopkins girls
Saturday Mike Schumacher, Wayzata girls, got his team back up after the loss on Friday. Wayzata defeated a good Lakeville North team 78-48.
The Wayzata boys led 43-37 at the half but Hopkins scored 53 points in the 2nd half to pull away to a 90-80 win. Arizona-bound 6-10 senior forward Zeke Nnaji had a statement game with 41 points. He remains 2nd to Matthew Hurt in the race for Mr. Basketball, but he is definitely in the race. Hopkins is 18-2, Wayzata 14-6.
The previously undefeated Trojan girls led 53-51 deep into the 2nd half before Hopkins crept ahead 62-61. Then all-everything Paige Bueckers hit a 3 for a 65-61 lead and the Royals held on. Bueckers scored 43 points while Jenna Johnson scored 22 and Kallie Theisen 19 for Wayzata. Hopkins remains unbeaten at 19-0.
On Saturday Albany traveled to #1 rated 15-2 Sauk Centre. At 11-6, the Huskies were a big underdog. But they led 57-44 at 6:30 of the 2nd half, when Sauk started to come back strong. The outscored Albany 15-1 down the stretch, and McKenna Westby hit a game-winning jumper for a final of 59-58 Sauk. Tori Peschel scored 18 points for Sauk, Westby scored 10.
Player of the Day
Friday is a tie between Paige Bueckers and Zeke Nnaji.
Saturday Kallie Theisen of Wayzata who scored 20 on Friday and then 19 against Lakeville North on Saturday.
Team of the Day
Friday Hopkins girls
Saturday Sauk Centre girls
Coach of the Day
Friday Brian Cosgriff, Hopkins girls
Saturday Mike Schumacher, Wayzata girls, got his team back up after the loss on Friday. Wayzata defeated a good Lakeville North team 78-48.
Friday, February 1, 2019
January Awards--Team of the Month/Team of the Year
Our contenders for January include:
• Timberwolves are playing hard and improving since the departure of Mr. Yuck and the arrival of Ryan Saunders.
• Gopher men have not always played well, but they've played with heart and they've bounced back from adversity.
• Gopher women may have saved, well, something, with that win at Northwestern the other night.
• St. Thomas men and women continue to rip it up, but the Augsburg women in particular, and also the Johnnies, and the Moorhead and UMD women are playing well.
• The Hopkins girls look seriously unbeatable, though previously unbeaten Wayzata gave them a great game on February 1 before losing 69-66. The Farmington and Cromwell girls posted big, big wins last month.
Our Team of the Month for January is a tie between the St. Thomas men and women. The men went 10-0 to get to 14-0 in the MIAC. The key game was a 74-72 OT win over 2nd place St. John's on Jan. 21. The women went 9-0 and are now 13-0 in the conference, and they also defeated the 2nd place team, Augsburg, 49-34, on Jan. 12. Our top teams were the Gopher women in November and the Hopkins girls in December.
Our Coach of the Month candidates coach all of these team candidates and our Coach of the Month is also a tie between Tommie coaches Johnny Tauer and Ruth Sinn. Lindsay Whalen was our top coach in November and again in December.
Our team standings now as we look ahead to our Team of the Year awards in March look like this.
1. Hopkins girls
2 (tie). St. Thomas men and women
3. Gopher men
4 (tie). D1 2019 boys and North Tartan 2020 girls AAU clubs from last summer
5. Gopher women
6. Augsburg women
7. Minnehaha boys
8. Timberwolves
9. Hopkins boys
10. MS Moorhead women
Coach of the Year right now looks like this.
1 (tie). Ruth Sinn and Johnny Tauer, St. Thomas
2. Lindsay Whalen, Gopher women
3. Ted Riverso, Augsburg women
4. Brian Cosgriff, Hopkins girls
5. Ryan Saunders, Timberwolves
6. Karla Nelson, MS Moorhead women
7 (tie). Liz Carpenter, Farmington girls, and Alexis Gray-Lawson, St. Paul Como girls
8. Richard Pitino, Gopher men
9. Seth Anderson, Waseca boys, and James Ware, Park Center boys
10. Pat McKenzie, St. John's men
For the record, our Game of the Month for January was the Gopher men winning at Wisconsin 59-52. Our top games earlier were the Gopher women over Syracuse 72-68 and the Gopher men over Nebraska 85-78.
• Timberwolves are playing hard and improving since the departure of Mr. Yuck and the arrival of Ryan Saunders.
• Gopher men have not always played well, but they've played with heart and they've bounced back from adversity.
• Gopher women may have saved, well, something, with that win at Northwestern the other night.
• St. Thomas men and women continue to rip it up, but the Augsburg women in particular, and also the Johnnies, and the Moorhead and UMD women are playing well.
• The Hopkins girls look seriously unbeatable, though previously unbeaten Wayzata gave them a great game on February 1 before losing 69-66. The Farmington and Cromwell girls posted big, big wins last month.
Our Team of the Month for January is a tie between the St. Thomas men and women. The men went 10-0 to get to 14-0 in the MIAC. The key game was a 74-72 OT win over 2nd place St. John's on Jan. 21. The women went 9-0 and are now 13-0 in the conference, and they also defeated the 2nd place team, Augsburg, 49-34, on Jan. 12. Our top teams were the Gopher women in November and the Hopkins girls in December.
Our Coach of the Month candidates coach all of these team candidates and our Coach of the Month is also a tie between Tommie coaches Johnny Tauer and Ruth Sinn. Lindsay Whalen was our top coach in November and again in December.
Our team standings now as we look ahead to our Team of the Year awards in March look like this.
1. Hopkins girls
2 (tie). St. Thomas men and women
3. Gopher men
4 (tie). D1 2019 boys and North Tartan 2020 girls AAU clubs from last summer
5. Gopher women
6. Augsburg women
7. Minnehaha boys
8. Timberwolves
9. Hopkins boys
10. MS Moorhead women
Coach of the Year right now looks like this.
1 (tie). Ruth Sinn and Johnny Tauer, St. Thomas
2. Lindsay Whalen, Gopher women
3. Ted Riverso, Augsburg women
4. Brian Cosgriff, Hopkins girls
5. Ryan Saunders, Timberwolves
6. Karla Nelson, MS Moorhead women
7 (tie). Liz Carpenter, Farmington girls, and Alexis Gray-Lawson, St. Paul Como girls
8. Richard Pitino, Gopher men
9. Seth Anderson, Waseca boys, and James Ware, Park Center boys
10. Pat McKenzie, St. John's men
For the record, our Game of the Month for January was the Gopher men winning at Wisconsin 59-52. Our top games earlier were the Gopher women over Syracuse 72-68 and the Gopher men over Nebraska 85-78.
January Awards--Player of the Month/Player of the Year
Player of the Month
The contenders this month are many. Starting at the top of the food chain and working our way down:
• Timberwolves. Karl Anthony Towns was very deservedly named to the all-star team. He is carrying this team, and they have been a respectable team since the departure of Mr. Yuck.
• Gophers. Jordan Murphy continues his Superman impression while Amir Coffey has also played well. For the women, Kenisha Bell remains their key player almost every night.
• Small Colleges. Booker Coplin of Augsburg had a stellar January, while Anders Nelson of St. Thomas, David Stokman of St. John's, Harrison Cleary of UMC, and Ryan Bruggeman of SW State have also played very well. Meanwhile, Hannah Spaulding of St. Thomas has been the top woman.
• High School Boys. Dawson Garcia has joined Jalen Suggs as the best of the 2020s.
• High School Girls. McKenna Hofschild scored an all-time MN record 63 points on December 1. Molly Mogenson and Farmington have had a great season so far. But Paige Bueckers is the best of the best.
Our Player of the Month for January is Jordan Murphy. It's his second monthly award after also winning in November. Hofschild won in December. For the season, now the rankings are as follows. This would of course represent a preview of our possible Player of the Year award coming up in March.
1. Jordan Murphy, Gopher men
2. Paige Bueckers, Hopkins girls
3. Matthew Hurt, Rochester John Marshall boys
4. Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves
5. Kenisha Bell, Gopher women
6. Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha boys
7. Amir Coffey, Gopher men
8 (tie). Dawson Garcia, Prior Lake boys, and McKenna Hofschild, Prior Lake girls.
9 (tie). Anders Nelson, St. Thomas men, and Hannah Spaulding, St. Thomas women
10. Taiye Bello, Gopher women
Honorable Mention--Ryan Bruggeman, Harrison Cleary, Booker Coplin, Adalia McKenzie, Zeke Nnaji,
The contenders this month are many. Starting at the top of the food chain and working our way down:
• Timberwolves. Karl Anthony Towns was very deservedly named to the all-star team. He is carrying this team, and they have been a respectable team since the departure of Mr. Yuck.
• Gophers. Jordan Murphy continues his Superman impression while Amir Coffey has also played well. For the women, Kenisha Bell remains their key player almost every night.
• Small Colleges. Booker Coplin of Augsburg had a stellar January, while Anders Nelson of St. Thomas, David Stokman of St. John's, Harrison Cleary of UMC, and Ryan Bruggeman of SW State have also played very well. Meanwhile, Hannah Spaulding of St. Thomas has been the top woman.
• High School Boys. Dawson Garcia has joined Jalen Suggs as the best of the 2020s.
• High School Girls. McKenna Hofschild scored an all-time MN record 63 points on December 1. Molly Mogenson and Farmington have had a great season so far. But Paige Bueckers is the best of the best.
Our Player of the Month for January is Jordan Murphy. It's his second monthly award after also winning in November. Hofschild won in December. For the season, now the rankings are as follows. This would of course represent a preview of our possible Player of the Year award coming up in March.
1. Jordan Murphy, Gopher men
2. Paige Bueckers, Hopkins girls
3. Matthew Hurt, Rochester John Marshall boys
4. Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves
5. Kenisha Bell, Gopher women
6. Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha boys
7. Amir Coffey, Gopher men
8 (tie). Dawson Garcia, Prior Lake boys, and McKenna Hofschild, Prior Lake girls.
9 (tie). Anders Nelson, St. Thomas men, and Hannah Spaulding, St. Thomas women
10. Taiye Bello, Gopher women
Honorable Mention--Ryan Bruggeman, Harrison Cleary, Booker Coplin, Adalia McKenzie, Zeke Nnaji,
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