Kevin Anderson noted that you could draw a circle with a radius of about 10 miles over the northwestern metro and you would encircle all 4 state champs--Hopkins, DeLaSalle, Providence and Maranatha--plus the AAAA runner-up and 3rd place teams Osseo and Edina and probably Benilde, and Richfield wouldn't miss by much.
And we've said there's nothing that can be done about it but, for us fans, to sit back and enjoy. Someday there will be parity again and you know as well as I do what we will say. Gosh, what happened to the great teams? Those were the good old days!
Tournament Leaders
Class AAAA
Scoring Katybeth Biewen, Edina 53 (Olivia Antilla, Osseo, just missed with 52, and MC McGrory, Edina, also had 52)
Rebounding Nia Coffey, Hopkins 26
Assists Taylor Anderson, Hopkins; Biewen 10
Steals T.T. Starks, Hopkins 6
Blocks N. Coffey 11
My MVP N. Coffey and Sydney Coffey, Hopkins
Class AAA
Scoring Tyseanna Johnson, DeLaSalle 64 (Jessica January, Richfield, 2nd with 56)
Rebounding Mia Loyd, DeLaSalle 32 (Bryann Guyton, Richfield, 2nd with 31)
Assists Allina Starr, DeLaSalle 23
Steals Starr 14
Blocks Mariah Monke, Fergus Falls 5
My MVP Starr and Jessica January, Richfield
Class AA
Scoring Carlie Wagner, NRHEG 112 (Mattie Lueck, Pequot Lakes, was 2nd with 62)
Rebounding Anna Schlaak, NRHEG 28
Assists Kali Peschel, Sauk Centre 9
Steals Wagner 9
Blocks Lueck 10
My MVP Wagner and AnneMarie Healy, Providence
Class A
Scoring Richell Mehus, Spring Grove 81 (Megan Kolness, Ada, next at 55)
Rebounding Onye Osemenam, Maranatha 38
Assists Taylor Elton, Spring Grove 10
Steals Mehus 16
Blocks Osemenam 16
My MVP Mehus and Osemenam
All-Tournament
First Team
C- Olivia Antilla, Osseo
F- Nia Coffey, Hopkins, co-Tournament MVP
F- Sydney Coffey, Hopkins
G- Jessica January, Richfield
G- Allina Starr, DeLaSalle, co-Tournament MVP
6th Player- Carlie Wagner, NRHEG
Second Team
C- Onye Osemenam, Maranatha
F- AnneMarie Healy, Providence
F- Tyseanna Johnson, DeLaSalle
G- Phyllis Webb, Osseo
G- Richell Mehus, Spring Grove
6th- Kali Peschel, Sauk Centre
Third Team
C- Mariah Monke, Fergus Falls
F- Mia Loyd, DeLaSalle
G- Rebekah Dahlman, Braham
G- Brianna Zimmerman, Fergus Falls
G- Katybeth Biewen, Edina
6th- Sierra Ford-Washington, Richfield
Fourth Team
C- Taylor Reiss, Minneota
F- Nicole Wittman, Hutchinson
F- Macy Weller, Sauk Centre
G- Mattie Lueck, Pequot Lakes
G- Taylor Anderson, Hopkins
6th- Mariah Adanane, DeLaSalle
All-State (all season)
First Team
C- Jackie Johnson, Eden Prairie
F- Nia Coffey, Hopkins, jr.
F- Tyseanna Johnson, DeLaSalle, jr.
G- Marissa Janning, Watertown-Mayer
G- Rebekah Dahlman, Braham, jr.
6th Player- Sydney Coffey, Hopkins
Second Team
F- Whitney Tinjum, Chisago Lakes
F- Cayla McMorris, Park Center. soph.
G-Shayne Mullaney, Eden Prairie
G- Jessica January, Richfield, jr.
G- Katybeth Biewen, Edina
6th- Carlie Wagner, NRHEG, soph.
Third Team
F- Kadidjah Shumpert, Benilde-St. Margaret's
F- Marissa Grossfeld, Wayzata
G- Allina Starr, DeLaSalle, jr.
G- Tessa Cichy, Hill-Murray
G- Alexis Foley, White Bear Lake
6th- Brittney Scherber, Bloomington Jefferson
Fourth Team
C- Kayla Timmerman, Wayzata
F- Mia Loyd, DeLaSalle
F- AnneMarie Healy, Providence
G- Tia Elbert, Tartan, soph.
G- Maddie Guebert, Eastview, fr.
6th- Kali Peschel, Sauk Centre
Final Ranking
1. Hopkins 31-1, Class AAAA Champion, early favorite for 2013 Class AAAA champion
2. Hopkins bench (OK, just kidding)
2. DeLaSalle 26-3. Class AAA Champion. How good is Hopkins? They beat the #2 Islanders 76-53 on the Island. Early favorite for 2013 Class AAA champion.
3. Osseo 26-6, Class AA Runner-Up, strong contender to return to 2013 tournament
4. Edina 27-5
5. Wayzata 23-6
6. Providence 27-4. Class AA Champion, early favorite for 2013 Class AA champion.
7. Eden Prairie 22-6
8. Eastview 25-7
9. Benilde-St. Margaret's 23-5
10. Bloomington Kennedy 23-5
11. White Bear Lake 23-6
12. Lakeville North 21-9, strong contender to return to 2013 tournament
14. Roseville 24-4
15. Richfield 27-5, Class AAA Runner-Up, contender to return to 2013 tournament
16. Sauk Centre 27-5, Class AA Runner-Up
17. Maranatha 28-5, Class A Champion, early favorite for 2013 Class A champion
18. Hutchinson 26-5
19. Park Center
21. St. Paul Central 20-7
22. Duluth East 22-6
23. St. Michael Albertville 22-8
24. Hill-Murray 22-8
25. Park 20-9
26. New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva 32-1, contender to return to 2013 tournament
27. Buffalo 24-625. Park 20-9
26. New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva 32-1, contender to return to 2013 tournament
28. Chisago Lakes 24-6
29. Chanhassan 22-5
30. Braham 29-2
31. Watertown-Mayer 25-4
32. Mankato East 26-3
33. Robbinsdale Cooper 23-5
34. Centennial 20-9
35. Cambridge-Isanti 20-8
36. Red Wing 19-11
37. Champlin Park 15-12
38. Esko 26-4
39. Minnetonka 14-1437. Champlin Park 15-12
38. Esko 26-4
40. Prior Lake 14-14
41. St. Peter 24-5
42. Forest Lake 16-12
43. Mountain-Buhl 31-2, Class A Runner-Up, likely to return to 2013 tournament
44. Rochester Mayo 21-7
45. Ada-Borup 28-3, strong contender to return to 2013 tournament
46. Spring Grove 28-5
47. Marshall 21-7
48. Minneota 29-2, likely to return to 2013 tournament
49. Bloomington Jefferson
50. Simley 22-6
Moron the Concentration of Talent
It all started with open enrollment, you know. Is it about 20 years ago, now, that kids were given the right to enroll wherever they pleased. The idea was that, well, different strokes for different folks. And, more than that, some schools just aren't doing the job, and kids should have a right to transfer out of such schools.
People say, but open enrollment wasn't meant for sports. I don't know if it was or not, but the rules don't say you can't. So why shouldn't athletes be able to seek out the best situation, the same as math majors? But of course we already do discriminate against athletes, who either have to sit out a year if they transfer...(wait for it, now, wait for it)...or they have to navigate their way through loopholes bigger than the East Ridge gym. I guess a kid who can dribble behind her back under pressure and pop a 3 can manage that.
If you're really serious about no-transfers, then you gotta eliminate the loopholes like the NCAA. If you transfer, you sit. I don't care what your parents did. Sit.
And if you used an ineligible player, you would be banned from the tournament. Not just the ineligible player, the whole team. I mean, that's the way it used to be. Spare the rod, none of this spoil the child stuff.
Well, guess what? Nobody's gonna do that.
So like I said, sit back and enjoy. The present system is better for the truly blue chip athlete. It might not be better for the fans, and it might not even be better for the average kid. But it works great for the blue chipper. And that is totally consistent with where American values are at today. If you have the ability to make $100 million, go for it! If you have $100 million to spend on a political campaign, go for it! If you can make that $200 million by shutting down the factory in East St. Paul and shipping those jobs to Mexico, what are you waiting for?
And if you have the ability to earn a Division I basketball scholarship, then you should be able to do whatever is needed to cross that finish line.
The rich are getting richer everywhere else in America today. Why would we deny elite athletes that ability?
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