The feature game at the Breakdown Boys Tip-Off at Hopkins on Saturday had #1 Eden Prairie facing off with #4 Prior Lake and recent Marquette recruit Garcia Dawson. Garcia scored 26 points on 11-of-21 shooting, but the Eagles made him work and always had an answer on their offensive end.
Prior Lake led 22-18 around the 10 minute mark, but Eden Prairie took charge with a 22-6 run over the following 8 minutes, making 4-of-5 3s. 6-5 senior Austin Andrews scored 11 points in the run, 6-7 senior Connor Christianson 6 on a pair of 3s, and point guard Drake Dobbs scored 4 and added a pair of assists. Meanwhile, Prior Lake made 4-of-12 shots down the stretch. Garcia finished with 14 1st half points but just 2 in the final 9 minutes. EP led 40-28 at the half.
In the 2nd half, EP continued clicking on the offensive end, especially John Henry with 11 points. Meanwhile, the Eagles continued to make things tough for Garcia. He scored 12 on 5-of-10 shooting in the half, but he was in and out of the lineup with fouls, at least two of them on the offensive end when the elbows came up. He finished with 26 points but just 4 boards. Lakers point guard Tyree Ihenacho finished with 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, with 7 boards and 4 turnovers.
The game MVP was Andrews with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting. In the first half, he drove to the rim at will. He added 9 rebounds. Meanwhile, Dobbs scored 17 on 8-of-16 shooing with 5 assists and just one turnover. Christenson finished with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and John Henry also with 14 points plus 5 boards.
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Sunday, December 1, 2019
2019-2020 Season Preview: Player, Team and Coach of the Year Candidates
Well, it's hardly pre-season anymore, but better late than never to finish up with my 2019-2020 season preview. The final installment is a look ahead at our post-season awards. As you may know, we have picked player, team and coach of the year awards going back to 1900, and we're not going to stop now. So, here we go.
Player of the Year Candidates
Paige Bueckers, Hopkins girls, is our 2019 Player of the Year. Not only did she lead the Hopkins girls to an undefeated state championship, but she also led the U.S. national team (in her age group) to a gold medal for the 3rd time. She would be the obvious favorite.
Booker Coplin, Augsburg men, was the one other player I considered seriously for last year's PoY. He was the national NCAA D3 Player of the Year and, like Bueckers, he should be even better.
Daniel Oturu, Minnesota Gopher men, has been the big bright spot for a team that otherwise has struggled. Oturu is big and strong and plays really hard. So far, he has done everything and more than people might have expected for him coming out of high school.
Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha boys, is the obvious favorite for Mr. Basketball and has made the RedHawks, who by enrollment are just a AA team (they have moved up to AAA) Minnesota's best team.
Karl Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves are a pleasant surprise so far this year. Much of the credit goes to Towns, who is simply doing what he has done the past couple of years previously, which is score 25-26-27 ppg with a dozen rebounds and 3-4 assists. But, what has really transformed the Wolves is the transformation in Andrew Wiggins. Widely derided for a relatively ineffective mid-range game, Wiggins is now going to the rim with abandon, and most NBA teams have a hard time stopping him from doing it.
Team of the Year
Hopkins girls. Another 32-0 season seems not only possible but likely. So far they are beating teams by 40-50-60 points, and they are not playing bad teams. If they do that, their 64 consecutive wins will have them within a few more wins of an all-time girls state record.
Mankato State men. The favorites in the Northern Sun.
Minnesota Gopher women. The Gopher men are not going to make this list, so it is up to Lindsay Whalen's women to carry the maroon and gold this winter. The best thing about the Gophers so far has been the play of freshmen guards Jasmine Powell and Sara Scalia in support of 2 solid seniors and 2 solid junior starters.
Minnesota Timberwolves. If they stay above .500 and get into the playoffs, well, that would be a bigger surprise than the Gopher football team starting 9-0.
Park Center boys. I already said that Jalen Suggs might make Minnehaha the best boys team, but it's also true that Park Center might be the best boys team. It is pretty rare that the AAAA champion is not regarded as the best team.
St. Thomas women. Coach Ruth Sinn's Tommies are again the favorite to win the MIAC championship. As always, the big question is how far they can go in the NCAA tournament.
Coach of the Year
Scott Bergman, Sauk Centre girls. Has led his team to 7 of the past 9 state tournaments, the 2018 state title and the #1 pre-season ranking in Class AA this year. (Of course, they then lost their opener to Minnehaha 79-76 in 3 OT.)
Player of the Year Candidates
Paige Bueckers, Hopkins girls, is our 2019 Player of the Year. Not only did she lead the Hopkins girls to an undefeated state championship, but she also led the U.S. national team (in her age group) to a gold medal for the 3rd time. She would be the obvious favorite.
Booker Coplin, Augsburg men, was the one other player I considered seriously for last year's PoY. He was the national NCAA D3 Player of the Year and, like Bueckers, he should be even better.
Daniel Oturu, Minnesota Gopher men, has been the big bright spot for a team that otherwise has struggled. Oturu is big and strong and plays really hard. So far, he has done everything and more than people might have expected for him coming out of high school.
Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha boys, is the obvious favorite for Mr. Basketball and has made the RedHawks, who by enrollment are just a AA team (they have moved up to AAA) Minnesota's best team.
Karl Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Wiggins, Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves are a pleasant surprise so far this year. Much of the credit goes to Towns, who is simply doing what he has done the past couple of years previously, which is score 25-26-27 ppg with a dozen rebounds and 3-4 assists. But, what has really transformed the Wolves is the transformation in Andrew Wiggins. Widely derided for a relatively ineffective mid-range game, Wiggins is now going to the rim with abandon, and most NBA teams have a hard time stopping him from doing it.
Team of the Year
Hopkins girls. Another 32-0 season seems not only possible but likely. So far they are beating teams by 40-50-60 points, and they are not playing bad teams. If they do that, their 64 consecutive wins will have them within a few more wins of an all-time girls state record.
Mankato State men. The favorites in the Northern Sun.
Minnesota Gopher women. The Gopher men are not going to make this list, so it is up to Lindsay Whalen's women to carry the maroon and gold this winter. The best thing about the Gophers so far has been the play of freshmen guards Jasmine Powell and Sara Scalia in support of 2 solid seniors and 2 solid junior starters.
Minnesota Timberwolves. If they stay above .500 and get into the playoffs, well, that would be a bigger surprise than the Gopher football team starting 9-0.
Park Center boys. I already said that Jalen Suggs might make Minnehaha the best boys team, but it's also true that Park Center might be the best boys team. It is pretty rare that the AAAA champion is not regarded as the best team.
St. Thomas women. Coach Ruth Sinn's Tommies are again the favorite to win the MIAC championship. As always, the big question is how far they can go in the NCAA tournament.
Coach of the Year
Scott Bergman, Sauk Centre girls. Has led his team to 7 of the past 9 state tournaments, the 2018 state title and the #1 pre-season ranking in Class AA this year. (Of course, they then lost their opener to Minnehaha 79-76 in 3 OT.)
Matt Marganthaler, Mankato State men. Again, the favorites in the NSIC where Marganthaler has been running a highly successful program longer than most.
Mandy Pearson, UMD women. Pearson and Karla Nelson, Moorhead State, are 2 of the best among a whole lot of great coaches in the Northern Sun.
Ryan Saunders, Minnesota Timberwolves. If the Wolves finish over .500 and in the playoffs, Saunders probably wins this award.
Ruth Sinn, St. Thomas women. As always, a national championship is the goal.
Lindsey Whalen, Minnesota Gopher women. The Gophers are probably going to continue to struggle at least from time to time, but it seems that they're headed in the right direction.
If I had to pick right now, I'd say Paige Bueckers, the Hopkins girls and Ryan Saunders are the front-runners for the 2020 Minnesota Hoops Awards.
If I had to pick right now, I'd say Paige Bueckers, the Hopkins girls and Ryan Saunders are the front-runners for the 2020 Minnesota Hoops Awards.
Farmington 79 Stillwater 73 or 74
Farmington and Stillwater played a fun, entertaining game to close out the annual Hamline girls Thanksgiving tournament. It was a game of runs.
Stillwater opened fast, going ahead 10-2 as Amber Scalia played as aggressively as I've ever seen, scoring 7 of those 1st 10 Pony points.
Farmington roared back with a 19-0 run to lead 19-10 at around 9:30. The Tigers made 8-of-10 shots and Paige Kindseth scored 9 of the 19 points.
The two teams played fairly evenly over the next 3 minutes, but then Stillwater went on a 12 or 13-3 run to get within 31-28 as Scalia scored another 6 points and assisted on a Liza Karlen, well, basket. It looked to me like Karlen was at the FT line when she shot the ball, but when it went in the basket, Stillwater's score on the scoreboard went from 19 to 22.
Farmington then closed out the half on a 6-2 run to lead 37-30 (on the scoreboard) or 37-29 (according to the Farmington folks and also according to my play-by-play) at the half. Farmington did not challenge the score, however, so, officially, it was 37-30.
The second half was pretty even for the 1st 10 minutes but Farmington's small 18-15 edge, combined with their 7 point halftime lead, meant they were ahead 55-45 at the halfway point.
Stillwater then surged again, using a 14-3 run to take the lead 59-58 on a steal-and-2 by Alexis Pratt.
After that, Farmington led 64-62, Stillwater led 65-64 and 67-64 and 70-67 but Farmington tied it up on a steal-and-2 by Molly Mogenson. Stillwater went up 72-70 on Lizzie Holder's only 2 points of the day. Then Paige Kindseth hit a 3 (73-72 Farmington) and Amber Scalia a 2 for Stillwater's final lead at 74-73. From there Katelyn Mohr scored off an offensive board and assist by Sophie Hart, Mogenson and Mohr each made a pair of throws for the final.
Kindseth was pretty spectacular for Farmington with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, 13 rebounds and 3 assists. Hart was, too, with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 21 rebounds. Point guard Molly Mogenson scored 16 on 6-of-12 shooting, with 6 rebounds and 2 steals.
For Stillwater, Pratt was her usual aggressive self, scoring 25 points, 20 in the 2nd half, on 10-of-24 shooting, with 7 steals. Scalia scored 21 on 8-of-13 shooting with 6 rebounds. Aliza Karlen scored 18 on 5-of-14 shooting with 7 boards.
Overall Farmington made 30-of-62 shots and grabbed 53 rebounds versus just 26 rebounds for the Ponies. Stillwater shot 26-of-66 but stayed in the game with 15 steals and just 6 turnovers.
* * *
I commented earlier that Hopkins led Apple Valley 70-26 at halftime of their game. It ended up 98-38. And some of you are probably aware that Wayzata clobbered Lakeville North 89-52 today. So in the very early going in Class AAAA, here's how my rankings look, which is to say, not much different than they did in the pre-season.
1. Hopkins (4-0, was #1)
2. Wayzata (4-0, was #2)
3. Farmington (3-0, was #3)
4. Park Center (3-0, was #4)
5. Stillwater (2-2, was #7, lost only to #3 and #4)
6. St. Michael-Albertville (2-2, was #5, lost only to #3 and #4)
7. Chaska (1-1, was #9, played Wayzata much closer than Lakeville North did)
8. Lakeville North (1-1, was #6)
9. Rosemount (2-1, was #10, lost only to Hopkins)
10. Maple Grove (1-1, was #8, lost to Eden Prairie, but Eden Prairie lost to Centennial)
Top Players in Our Last 3 Games at Hamline
Center--Sophie Hart, Farmington
Forward--Kendall Coley, St. Louis Park
Point Guard--Paige Bueckers, Hopkins
Guard--Alexis Pratt, Stillwater
Guard--Paige Kindseth, Farmington
2nd Team
Center--Maya Nnaji, Hopkins
Forward--Reagan Alexander, St. Louis Park
Point Guard--Molly Mogenson, Farmington
Guard--Kenzie Kramer, St. Michael
Guard--Amber Scalia, Stillwater
Stillwater opened fast, going ahead 10-2 as Amber Scalia played as aggressively as I've ever seen, scoring 7 of those 1st 10 Pony points.
Farmington roared back with a 19-0 run to lead 19-10 at around 9:30. The Tigers made 8-of-10 shots and Paige Kindseth scored 9 of the 19 points.
The two teams played fairly evenly over the next 3 minutes, but then Stillwater went on a 12 or 13-3 run to get within 31-28 as Scalia scored another 6 points and assisted on a Liza Karlen, well, basket. It looked to me like Karlen was at the FT line when she shot the ball, but when it went in the basket, Stillwater's score on the scoreboard went from 19 to 22.
Farmington then closed out the half on a 6-2 run to lead 37-30 (on the scoreboard) or 37-29 (according to the Farmington folks and also according to my play-by-play) at the half. Farmington did not challenge the score, however, so, officially, it was 37-30.
The second half was pretty even for the 1st 10 minutes but Farmington's small 18-15 edge, combined with their 7 point halftime lead, meant they were ahead 55-45 at the halfway point.
Stillwater then surged again, using a 14-3 run to take the lead 59-58 on a steal-and-2 by Alexis Pratt.
After that, Farmington led 64-62, Stillwater led 65-64 and 67-64 and 70-67 but Farmington tied it up on a steal-and-2 by Molly Mogenson. Stillwater went up 72-70 on Lizzie Holder's only 2 points of the day. Then Paige Kindseth hit a 3 (73-72 Farmington) and Amber Scalia a 2 for Stillwater's final lead at 74-73. From there Katelyn Mohr scored off an offensive board and assist by Sophie Hart, Mogenson and Mohr each made a pair of throws for the final.
Kindseth was pretty spectacular for Farmington with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, 13 rebounds and 3 assists. Hart was, too, with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 21 rebounds. Point guard Molly Mogenson scored 16 on 6-of-12 shooting, with 6 rebounds and 2 steals.
For Stillwater, Pratt was her usual aggressive self, scoring 25 points, 20 in the 2nd half, on 10-of-24 shooting, with 7 steals. Scalia scored 21 on 8-of-13 shooting with 6 rebounds. Aliza Karlen scored 18 on 5-of-14 shooting with 7 boards.
Overall Farmington made 30-of-62 shots and grabbed 53 rebounds versus just 26 rebounds for the Ponies. Stillwater shot 26-of-66 but stayed in the game with 15 steals and just 6 turnovers.
* * *
I commented earlier that Hopkins led Apple Valley 70-26 at halftime of their game. It ended up 98-38. And some of you are probably aware that Wayzata clobbered Lakeville North 89-52 today. So in the very early going in Class AAAA, here's how my rankings look, which is to say, not much different than they did in the pre-season.
1. Hopkins (4-0, was #1)
2. Wayzata (4-0, was #2)
3. Farmington (3-0, was #3)
4. Park Center (3-0, was #4)
5. Stillwater (2-2, was #7, lost only to #3 and #4)
6. St. Michael-Albertville (2-2, was #5, lost only to #3 and #4)
7. Chaska (1-1, was #9, played Wayzata much closer than Lakeville North did)
8. Lakeville North (1-1, was #6)
9. Rosemount (2-1, was #10, lost only to Hopkins)
10. Maple Grove (1-1, was #8, lost to Eden Prairie, but Eden Prairie lost to Centennial)
Top Players in Our Last 3 Games at Hamline
Center--Sophie Hart, Farmington
Forward--Kendall Coley, St. Louis Park
Point Guard--Paige Bueckers, Hopkins
Guard--Alexis Pratt, Stillwater
Guard--Paige Kindseth, Farmington
2nd Team
Center--Maya Nnaji, Hopkins
Forward--Reagan Alexander, St. Louis Park
Point Guard--Molly Mogenson, Farmington
Guard--Kenzie Kramer, St. Michael
Guard--Amber Scalia, Stillwater
Saturday, November 30, 2019
St. Michael Albertville girls 71 St. Louis Park 66
It was game #5 at Hamline and the best game so far. St. Michael-Albertville seemed to be in control most of the way, and yet every time you looked at the scoreboard St. Louis Park was back within 4 or 5. Oh, and for the record, the scoreboard showed 72-65 at the final buzzer, and the Hub shows a final of 72-65, but the official scorebook says 71-66 so I say 71-66.
Kenzie Kramer and Tess Johnson scored 23 each for St. Michael. Kramer hit a couple of bombs but mostly she did it with some dipsy-doodle runners in the lane, where you'd think "tough shot" until it went in the basket. Johnson scored with probably the prettiest jumper in Minnesota today, mostly in the lane from 12 to 18 feet.
Reagan Alexander and Kendall Coley each scored 21 for Park. Alexander did it around the rim, a lot of it off the offensive board. Coley did it from here, there and everywhere--a couple 3s, a couple baseline jumpers, a couple of cuts into the lane, a couple of O-boards.
Right now Hopkins is playing Apple Valley. The Royals jumped out to a 19-2 lead and now its 46-17 with 8:30 minutes to go. Hopkins D is just too much. There've already been a half dozen steals for Hopkins baskets off baseline in-bound passes, though if and when AV gets into the front-court they've run some nice offense and scored both inside and from long range. But they're going to need a bunch of stops now and that's not going to happen.
Kenzie Kramer and Tess Johnson scored 23 each for St. Michael. Kramer hit a couple of bombs but mostly she did it with some dipsy-doodle runners in the lane, where you'd think "tough shot" until it went in the basket. Johnson scored with probably the prettiest jumper in Minnesota today, mostly in the lane from 12 to 18 feet.
Reagan Alexander and Kendall Coley each scored 21 for Park. Alexander did it around the rim, a lot of it off the offensive board. Coley did it from here, there and everywhere--a couple 3s, a couple baseline jumpers, a couple of cuts into the lane, a couple of O-boards.
Right now Hopkins is playing Apple Valley. The Royals jumped out to a 19-2 lead and now its 46-17 with 8:30 minutes to go. Hopkins D is just too much. There've already been a half dozen steals for Hopkins baskets off baseline in-bound passes, though if and when AV gets into the front-court they've run some nice offense and scored both inside and from long range. But they're going to need a bunch of stops now and that's not going to happen.
Saturday at Hutton Arena for Some Girls Hoops
The 20th annual Pat Patterson basketball classic was held yesterday (Friday Nov. 29) and today (Saturday Nov. 30) at the Hutton Arena at Hamline University. The 1st 3 games on Saturday went something like this.
Roseville 61 Orono 42
Both teams reversed there Friday result, Roseville bouncing back from a 62-60 shocker to Waconia to defeat Orono, who beat Bloomington Kennedy yesterday. Roseville had a big size advantage against Orono and didn't particularly exploit it in the 1st half, which ended with the Raiders up 29-24. In the 2nd half, Jayda Johnston and Tamia Ugass started to click inside and Roseville pulled away. Johnston scored 22 for Roseville, Ugass 13. Haley Paulson scored 15 for Orono.
St. Paul Como 80 Bloomington Kennedy 40
Just before tipoff, JFK coach Quintin Johnson said, "We've got some babies out there," and indeed the starting lineup featured a freshman, a sophomore and a junior. Of course, Como started 5 sophomores. But the Como girls have a lot more game experience at a higher level and it showed. Forward Chloe Dmytruk was especially active around the rim and on defense, and especially in the 1st half, which ended with Como up 43-27. The 2nd half was all Como, who finished with 19 steals, 6 by Ronnie Porter, and the game finished in running time. Dmytruk finished with 20 points, 6 boards and 4 blocks.
Freshman guard Ashlee Burchette was just about the only offense for JFK as she took it to the rim enough to score 14 points.
Waconia 62 Lakeville South 50
Waconia ran away from a 51-49 lead at 3:30, closing things out with an 11-1 run. Senior guard Tess Johnson scored 9 of the final 11. Ironically she finished with just 10 for the day, but it was enough to put her over 1,000 for her career.
Rosemount 55 White Bear Lake 33
Neither team defended the 3 worth a darn in the 1st half, which ended up with Rosemount up 35-25. I don't know if the defense was better in the 2nd half but after 12-and-a-half minutes of the 2nd half Rosemount was on an 8-3 run for a 43-28 lead. The final was 55-33 as Taylor Janssen scored 18 for Rosemount.
The top players in the 1st "half" of the day (4 of 7 games).
F--Taylor Janssen, Rosemount, 6-2, senior
F--Jayda Johnston, Roseville, 6-1, senior
F--Helen Staley, Rosemount, 6-0, junior
F--Chloe Dmytruk, Como, 5-11, sophomore
PG--Kaylynn Ashbury, Como, 5-6, sophomore
2nd Team
C--Tamia Ugass, Roseville 6-3, junior
F--Haley Paulson, Orono, 5-10, junior
CG--Annie Guentzel, Lakeville South, 5-8, senior
SG--Rai'Janee Meadows, Roseville, 5-10, junior
SG--Tess Johnson, Waconia, 5-9, senior
The last 3 games are:
St. Louis Park vs. St. Michael Albertville
Apple Valley vs. Hopkins
Farmington vs. Stillwater
Roseville 61 Orono 42
Both teams reversed there Friday result, Roseville bouncing back from a 62-60 shocker to Waconia to defeat Orono, who beat Bloomington Kennedy yesterday. Roseville had a big size advantage against Orono and didn't particularly exploit it in the 1st half, which ended with the Raiders up 29-24. In the 2nd half, Jayda Johnston and Tamia Ugass started to click inside and Roseville pulled away. Johnston scored 22 for Roseville, Ugass 13. Haley Paulson scored 15 for Orono.
St. Paul Como 80 Bloomington Kennedy 40
Just before tipoff, JFK coach Quintin Johnson said, "We've got some babies out there," and indeed the starting lineup featured a freshman, a sophomore and a junior. Of course, Como started 5 sophomores. But the Como girls have a lot more game experience at a higher level and it showed. Forward Chloe Dmytruk was especially active around the rim and on defense, and especially in the 1st half, which ended with Como up 43-27. The 2nd half was all Como, who finished with 19 steals, 6 by Ronnie Porter, and the game finished in running time. Dmytruk finished with 20 points, 6 boards and 4 blocks.
Freshman guard Ashlee Burchette was just about the only offense for JFK as she took it to the rim enough to score 14 points.
Waconia 62 Lakeville South 50
Waconia ran away from a 51-49 lead at 3:30, closing things out with an 11-1 run. Senior guard Tess Johnson scored 9 of the final 11. Ironically she finished with just 10 for the day, but it was enough to put her over 1,000 for her career.
Rosemount 55 White Bear Lake 33
Neither team defended the 3 worth a darn in the 1st half, which ended up with Rosemount up 35-25. I don't know if the defense was better in the 2nd half but after 12-and-a-half minutes of the 2nd half Rosemount was on an 8-3 run for a 43-28 lead. The final was 55-33 as Taylor Janssen scored 18 for Rosemount.
The top players in the 1st "half" of the day (4 of 7 games).
F--Taylor Janssen, Rosemount, 6-2, senior
F--Jayda Johnston, Roseville, 6-1, senior
F--Helen Staley, Rosemount, 6-0, junior
F--Chloe Dmytruk, Como, 5-11, sophomore
PG--Kaylynn Ashbury, Como, 5-6, sophomore
2nd Team
C--Tamia Ugass, Roseville 6-3, junior
F--Haley Paulson, Orono, 5-10, junior
CG--Annie Guentzel, Lakeville South, 5-8, senior
SG--Rai'Janee Meadows, Roseville, 5-10, junior
SG--Tess Johnson, Waconia, 5-9, senior
The last 3 games are:
St. Louis Park vs. St. Michael Albertville
Apple Valley vs. Hopkins
Farmington vs. Stillwater
DePaul 73 MN Gopher Men 68
The Gophers got out-quicker and out-shot by DePaul at Williams Arena Saturday. It felt like a 15 point game but, in the end, the Gophers stayed within 73-68 and had a chance to tie in the closing seconds. So what happened?
Well, DePaul shot 8-of-16 3s and the Gophers made 7-of-29. From 2 point range the Gophers made 14-of-32 or 44 percent. Free throws? 19-for-30, 63 percent. The Gophers shot the ball like crap. That's what happened. It especially pains me to note that Gabe Kalscheur made 2-of-9 3s.
And, DePaul was just quicker. That manifest itself in 3 main ways. 1) DePaul was very quick to double down on Daniel Oturu. Whenever the Gophers passed the ball into Oturu, a second DePaul defender arrived there as soon as the ball did. He had nowhere to go.
2) Each team had 11 turnovers. DePaul turned them into 17 points. Almost every Gopher turnover was showtime and a home run for DePaul.
And 3) on the game's final play, the Gophers had 10.7 seconds and the ball, down 3, from the far baseline. Point guard Marcus Carr brought the ball up court with not too much of a sense of urgency, so by the time they swung the ball over to the far side to Kalscheur, he could only shoot the ball. There was no time for a pass and if he missed the shot there was no time for an O-board. The play unfolded way too slowly. But, then, returning to the subject of DePaul's quickness, they defended the 3 point line really hard and when Kalscheur got the ball, there were 2 Blue Demons on him and in fact his shot got blocked and fell ten feet short of the rim.
So the Gophers shot like crap, while DePaul shot pretty well and used its quickness to its advantage in certain situations. And did I mention that DePaul is now 8-0, and yet the Gophers lost by 5. So, on the plus side for the Gophers, there's Daniel Oturu. As I said, DePaul defended him really, really well and so he only scored 18 points to go along with 19 rebounds and 4 blocks. Without almost ever catching the ball on his spot. Oturu is becoming one of the top posts in the Big 10.
Nevertheless, if Oturu averages 18 points and 19 boards in the Big 10, for example, the Gophers are going to have to drain a lot of 3s to compete and right now they don't look like a team that can do that.
Well, DePaul shot 8-of-16 3s and the Gophers made 7-of-29. From 2 point range the Gophers made 14-of-32 or 44 percent. Free throws? 19-for-30, 63 percent. The Gophers shot the ball like crap. That's what happened. It especially pains me to note that Gabe Kalscheur made 2-of-9 3s.
And, DePaul was just quicker. That manifest itself in 3 main ways. 1) DePaul was very quick to double down on Daniel Oturu. Whenever the Gophers passed the ball into Oturu, a second DePaul defender arrived there as soon as the ball did. He had nowhere to go.
2) Each team had 11 turnovers. DePaul turned them into 17 points. Almost every Gopher turnover was showtime and a home run for DePaul.
And 3) on the game's final play, the Gophers had 10.7 seconds and the ball, down 3, from the far baseline. Point guard Marcus Carr brought the ball up court with not too much of a sense of urgency, so by the time they swung the ball over to the far side to Kalscheur, he could only shoot the ball. There was no time for a pass and if he missed the shot there was no time for an O-board. The play unfolded way too slowly. But, then, returning to the subject of DePaul's quickness, they defended the 3 point line really hard and when Kalscheur got the ball, there were 2 Blue Demons on him and in fact his shot got blocked and fell ten feet short of the rim.
So the Gophers shot like crap, while DePaul shot pretty well and used its quickness to its advantage in certain situations. And did I mention that DePaul is now 8-0, and yet the Gophers lost by 5. So, on the plus side for the Gophers, there's Daniel Oturu. As I said, DePaul defended him really, really well and so he only scored 18 points to go along with 19 rebounds and 4 blocks. Without almost ever catching the ball on his spot. Oturu is becoming one of the top posts in the Big 10.
Nevertheless, if Oturu averages 18 points and 19 boards in the Big 10, for example, the Gophers are going to have to drain a lot of 3s to compete and right now they don't look like a team that can do that.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
2019-2020 Season Preview: Boys Class AAAA
Class AAAA looks to be pretty wide open this year though I would agree with most of the rankings I've seen--and this is, Park Center and Eden Prairie look like #1 and #2. But a number of teams will be breathing down their necks, most notably Prior Lake, Wayzata and Cretin, and can you ever really count Hopkins out? Let's take a look at the sections.
Section 1 looks like a 2-team race, though Lakeville South can probably surround juniors Riley Mahlman and Reid Patterson with a better supporting cast than Rochester Mayo can surround senior twin guards Gabe and Mason Madsen.
Section 2 also looks like a 2-team race though the gap behind Eden Prairie and Prior Lake to #3, #4 and #5 (Shakopee, Chaska and Edina) is a lot smaller. EP has everybody back but Prior Lake has the top player in Class AAAA in 6-11 Dawson Garcia.
Lakeville North moves to Section 3, where we think arch-rival Eastview will have the edge this year with 6-11 Steve Crowl.
Section 4 looks like another 2-team race, but defending champion East Ridge lost a transfer in Kendall Brown, while Cretin gained one in 6-6 senior wing J'Vonne Hadley. Advantage Cretin.
Section 5--Park Center is big and strong and athletic everywhere you look. Osseo has a super sophomore class but their time is not yet in 2020.
Geez, another 2-team race in Section 6. Wayzata edged Hopkins in 2017 and 2018 and looks to do so again. Each team is likely to start 4 sophomores and juniors. Wayzata's might be a little bit ahead, but Hopkins has the best senior in guard Kerwin Walton.
Section 7--Anoka has a great group of youngsters, if it can keep them together. Cambridge has guard Henry Abraham back for one more go. Coon Rapids and Duluth East have some talent and some depth. I like Anoka.
Section 8--Buffalo or Moorhead, your pick.
State Tournament Matchups
#1 Park Center vs. Anoka
#4 Hopkins vs. #5 Eastview
#2 Eden Prairie vs. Buffalo or Lakeville South
#3 Cretin vs. Lakeville South or Moorhead
Class AAAA All-State
Steven Crowl, Eastview, 6-11, senior, PF, 20 pp
Dan Dainja, Park Center, 6-9, senior, C
Dawson Garcia, Prior Lake, 6-11, senior, PF
Gabe Madsen, Rochester Mayo, 6-5, senior, CG
Kerwin Walton, Hopkins, 6-5, senior, PG, 17 peg
Henry Abraham, Cambridge, 6-0, senior, PG, 23 ppg
Ben Carlson, East Ridge, 6-8, senior, PF, 17 ppg
Drake Dobbs, Eden Prairie, 6-0, senior, PG
Tre Holloman, Cretin, 6-3, soph, PF, 12 ppg
Riley Mahlman, Lakeville South, 6-9, junior, C, 14 pp
Section 1 looks like a 2-team race, though Lakeville South can probably surround juniors Riley Mahlman and Reid Patterson with a better supporting cast than Rochester Mayo can surround senior twin guards Gabe and Mason Madsen.
Section 2 also looks like a 2-team race though the gap behind Eden Prairie and Prior Lake to #3, #4 and #5 (Shakopee, Chaska and Edina) is a lot smaller. EP has everybody back but Prior Lake has the top player in Class AAAA in 6-11 Dawson Garcia.
Lakeville North moves to Section 3, where we think arch-rival Eastview will have the edge this year with 6-11 Steve Crowl.
Section 4 looks like another 2-team race, but defending champion East Ridge lost a transfer in Kendall Brown, while Cretin gained one in 6-6 senior wing J'Vonne Hadley. Advantage Cretin.
Section 5--Park Center is big and strong and athletic everywhere you look. Osseo has a super sophomore class but their time is not yet in 2020.
Geez, another 2-team race in Section 6. Wayzata edged Hopkins in 2017 and 2018 and looks to do so again. Each team is likely to start 4 sophomores and juniors. Wayzata's might be a little bit ahead, but Hopkins has the best senior in guard Kerwin Walton.
Section 7--Anoka has a great group of youngsters, if it can keep them together. Cambridge has guard Henry Abraham back for one more go. Coon Rapids and Duluth East have some talent and some depth. I like Anoka.
Section 8--Buffalo or Moorhead, your pick.
State Tournament Matchups
#1 Park Center vs. Anoka
#4 Hopkins vs. #5 Eastview
#2 Eden Prairie vs. Buffalo or Lakeville South
#3 Cretin vs. Lakeville South or Moorhead
Class AAAA All-State
Steven Crowl, Eastview, 6-11, senior, PF, 20 pp
Dan Dainja, Park Center, 6-9, senior, C
Dawson Garcia, Prior Lake, 6-11, senior, PF
Gabe Madsen, Rochester Mayo, 6-5, senior, CG
Kerwin Walton, Hopkins, 6-5, senior, PG, 17 peg
Henry Abraham, Cambridge, 6-0, senior, PG, 23 ppg
Ben Carlson, East Ridge, 6-8, senior, PF, 17 ppg
Drake Dobbs, Eden Prairie, 6-0, senior, PG
Tre Holloman, Cretin, 6-3, soph, PF, 12 ppg
Riley Mahlman, Lakeville South, 6-9, junior, C, 14 pp
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