2019-2020 Season Preview: Minnesota Gopher women rated #17 nationally!

As you may or may not recall, we picked the Gopher women to finish 7^th in the Big 10 at 9-9. To be honest, that seemed just a tad generous as they finished 9-9 a year ago and of course lose their best player and playmaker in Kenisha Bell; and they lose co-starters (you might say) in Annalese Lamke and Irene Garrido Perez. 

But, then, hey, the media jumped in and picked the Gophers to finish 5^th this year, and then ESPN ranked them #17 in the nation. So, that sure makes me look a jerk.  

The Gopher women return the 6^th most points (counting Gadiva Hubbard’s 2018 numbers), the 5^th most rebounds, the 7^thmost assists and the 6^th most minutes from a team that had the 5^th most wins overall (but the 6^th most wins in the conference) a year ago. So, if that doesn’t sound like the middle of the pack, I don’t know what does. And, then, there’s this. At 40%, the Gophers return the 11^th best shooting percentage in the conference. And, therein lies the problem as well, of course, as the opportunity. All of those ordinals add up to 6.57, somewhere between 6^th and 7^th. The media has them 5^th, ESPN 2^nd in the Big 10!

Well, I hope like hell that they’re right and I’m wrong.  And I can see how they (ESPN) did it…almost. They said, uh, Lindsay Whalen! Then they said, Destiny Pitts, 1^st team all-Big 10 according to the Big 10 media. Then they said, well, no, they didn’t. That’s all they said in the online article I saw that had them at #17 in the nation. Lindsay and Destiny. So, I dunno that they really did much of a deep dive on this. And we are going to do a deep dive. Deep breath, and here we go.

Bell shot 40% for her career and 31% on 3s. But, again, she was the Gophers best player, scoring 20 ppg in both her junior and senior seasons. Lamke started as the Gophers went big the first half of the year (actually 21 of 32 games), then Perez started 14 games on the perimeter later on as the Gophers went smaller and quicker. Lamke shot 52%, Perez 38%.

Meanwhile, the returnees Pitts and Hubbard have each shot 41% and 35-36% on 3s over 2 years with the Gophers. Taiye Bello shoots 52%. Jasmine Brunson shot 37 and 23% last year. Mercedes Staples shot 34% in limited minutes, while Kehinde Bello and Barbora Tomancova shot 50% and 32% in really limited minutes. 

So, I figured, if all of the perimeter players could up their shooting percentage by 5 points—if Pitts and Hubbard improved to 46%, and Brunson improved to 42% and Staples to 39%--well, then maybe 5^th place is not out of reach. But, frankly, I figured that wasn’t going to happen, so I had them in 7^th place. Jerk. 

The Big Four

Regardless of all of that, the team’s strength figures to be returning wings Gadiva Hubbard and Destiny Pitts, who have each shot 41% and 35-36% over 2 years with the Gophers. Both are more catch-and-shoot type players, especially Pitts, who made the media’s pre-season 1^st  within reach.

And, then, 6-2 Taiye Bello shoots 52%, though she doesn’t take a lot of shots. She is, of course, a world class rebounder with an uncanny anticipation going after the ball off the offensive glass. But, she scored 10 ppg in high school. She is not going to be a big scorer. Don’t get me wrong, however. I had Bello on my pre-season 1^st all-Big 10 team, with Pitts on the 2^nd team.

But, perhaps the key player will be Jasmine Brunson. She is the 3^rd returning starter, and she’s the one who is probably going to have a new role as the primary ball handler. Last year she scored 8 ppg on 37 and 23% shooting, so I don’t know that you’re really looking for her to take many more shots. She turned it over 2X per game as the secondary ball handler, so you hope she can cut down on her turnovers per touch. And, most important of all, can she get the ball to Pitts and Hubbard and Bello on their spots? 

And, then, who’s gonna be the 5^th starter? 6-2 sophomore post Barbora Tomancova, 6-2 senior forward Kehinde Bello and 5-10 sophomore guard Mercedes Staples are the other returnees. Staples probably has the most upside. She was a 4-star recruit, #64 in her class, the #17 point guard coming out of high school. But, seriously, she is not a point guard. She didn’t show a lot of quickness last year, so her role seems to be catch-and-shoot wing, which is what Pitts and Hubbard are already doing. Maybe Tomancova, who missed most of last year with an injury. She scored 5 ppg for the Czechs in an U18 international tournament not so long ago. Still.

The Newcomers

All 3 could get passed up by the freshmen and/or other newcomers. They’re not a highly rated group, but they are a big group and there is some talent here. First, there are 3 bigs. I’m not sure whether any of them are going to play a lot as freshmen.

• Klarke Sconiers, 6-2, Queens, NY. 3-stars, #18 post, 12 ppg-12 boards with a NY state champ.

• Justice Ross, 6-0, Des Moines, IA. 3-stars, #33 wing, 16-5-4-2-2 as a senior.

• Grace Cumming, 6-3, also Des Moines. 3-stars, #42 post, 11 ppg-10 boards as a senior.

And then there’s the guards. I feel pretty sure that these 2 will play as freshmen.

• Jasmine Powell, 5-6, Detroit. 4-stars, #78 in her class, 18-8-6 as a senior with 2 state titles.

• Sara Scalia, 5-10, Stillwater, MN. 3-stars, #56 guard, 23-4-4-3. A 3-point bomber with some quickness, some ball skills, could be a versatile player. Now, I haven’t seen Powell, but by reputation, at least, Powell is ahead of Scalia.

And then there’s the newcomers who aren’t freshmen. Here, I have no real idea of what the upside is, though Sissoko’s resume is encouraging, assuming she’s not still hurting.

• Kadi Sissiko, 6-2, sophomore, Paris and Syracuse. She was rated the #10 overall player and the #2 guard in her class of 2018. She scored 9 points on 43% shooting for France in an U20 European tournament not so long ago. She went just 3-2 in 10 minutes at Syracuse and had a leg injury. Is she still the player who was rated #10 in her class? I have no idea, but it would seem that there’s some upside there.

• Masha Adaschyk, 5-11, junior, Belarus. She went 13-5-2-1 in junior college, shooting 49 and 39%. So, is there some upside there? Who knows what kind of competition that was against? 

A Starting Lineup

So long about February, here’s a guess as to who’ll be doing what.

Bigs—T. Bello starts, Sissoko is the backup.

Wing/Big—Pitts starts, Sissoko is the backup and plays with Bello when Lyndsey wants to go big.

Wings—Hubbard starts with Staples as the backup.

Point Guard—Long about February I think Powell may have moved into the primary ballhandler role. Brunson is the obvious backup except of course she starts at the other guard spot.

Combo Guard—This is the role Brunson had last year and long about February she’ll return to that role. Earlier in the year she might be at the “1” with Staples starting here. Later on, Staples backs up at the wing and at the combo guard. Scalia will also get some minutes here.

So, to answer my earlier question: I expect Powell to be the 5^th starter by year’s end, and Sissoko and Staples are #6 and #7. If, as a group they can raise the Gophers’ shooting percentage from last year’s 42 percent (and the returnees’ composite of 40 percent), then 5^th place is not out of reach. But, even 5^th place is based on Powell and Sissoko realizing much of their upside potential this year. We have no real idea if that’s a realistic expectation. 

So, we’ll say it again. 9-9 and 7^th place seems more likely. And, if I’m totally off base about Powell and Sissoko, if they’re not ready and if Scalia is not ready, then 8-10 or 7-11 is not out of the question.

Of course, I haven’t answered the question of how the Gophers rise to #17 nationally. Well, all of the above. Pitts, Hubbard, Brunson and Staples all shoot 10% better than last year, and Powell, Sissoko and Scalia all play like veterans in their 1^st year as Gophers. 

Overall, I’d say it’s 50-50 that the Gophers go 9-9. There’s a 25% chance that they’re better than that, and a 25% chance they’re not that good. 

"He Got Screwed:" The Strange Case of Hurricane Julie and Basketball Coach and Kindergarten Teacher Nathan McGuire

If you’re a basketball fan, a recent opinion of the Minnesota Supreme Court may have caught your eye. It’s not every day that high school sports finds its way on to the news pages. The Supreme Court decided that high school coaches are not public officials and that they therefore have the right to sue parents who tell lies about them. 

With no disrespect to the news media involved, the reporting of this complicated case has been pretty episodic. Here’s what happened today. But, wait! I forget! What happened yesterday? What’s the whole story again?

Well, here’s the whole story, again, the strange tale of Hurricane Julie Bowlin and former Woodbury girls basketball coach and still kindergarten teacher Nathan McGuire. 

Meet Nathan McGuire

So, first, let’s meet Nathan McGuire, who has taught kindergarten in the South Washington County School District since 1998, and still does. He is also a middle school track coach, since 2001. He has six or seven years experience, now, as a girls head basketball coach at Henry Sibley and Holy Angels; and, from the fall of 2012 through January 2014, at Woodbury; and more recently at Minneapolis South. 

Meet Brooke Bowlin

Before we meet Hurricane Julie Bowlin, we should meet her daughter Brooke because, in the beginning, there was Brooke. Brooke Bowlin is a great athlete, make no mistake about that. She’s now playing softball, and apparently playing very well, at St. Cloud State. In fact, she and her siblings are all great athletes. Older brother Tom played wheelchair basketball at Southwest State. Matt played football at Augsburg. Younger sister Nicole plays basketball at Holy Family, as did Brooke.

But, first, back in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, Brooke played varsity basketball as a 7^th and 8^th grader at Holy Angels scoring 5 and 5.5 points per game. Not bad for a 7^th and 8^th grader. In 2011-2012, her head coach was—wait for it—Nathan McGuire, but in 2012-2013, he moved over to Woodbury, in the school district in which he already worked as a teacher and a track coach. 

Then, in the fall of 2013, Brooke Bowlin transferred to Woodbury high to play basketball, once again, for Nathan McGuire. But, this time, all hell broke loose.

Meet the Co-Defendants

But, before we meet Hurricane Julie Bowlin, it is also chronologically correct to introduce her co-defendants because McGuire’s troubles appear to have begun even before Hurricane Julie hit Woodbury. According to an earlier court decision that came before the Supreme Court decision cited above—this was a decision that denied McGuire’s request for reinstatement as Woodbury coach—the court states that “we accept as true the following factual allegations.” The factual allegations in question included that coach McGuire and his staff had decided not to include a player on their 2013 post-season roster “because she acted disrespectfully toward a referee” in a previous game. (A Woodbury parent said she often swore at referees from the bench.)

The girl’s mother, Joy Szondy, and another player’s parent, Chelon Danielson, complained to the Woodbury administration that the coaches had lied about the girls’ behavior, said the court. The girl herself, who has a different last name, and Danielson’s daughter were on the Woodbury roster throughout the 2012-2013 regular season but neither, according to another Woodbury parent, “was very good.” Aaliyah Danielson was in fact an outstanding soccer player and played one year of college soccer at the U. of North Dakota. But, basketball, again, according to a Woodbury parent who saw every game that year, not so much. But Danielson’s mom and Szondy of course thought their daughters were terrific and should have been playing a lot more minutes than they did. They would know!

Meet Hurricane Julie Bowlin

This particular storm was probably on its way to blowing over, however, when Hurricane Julie hit. As we have noted, in the fall of 2013, Brooke Bowlin transferred from Holy Angels to Woodbury. Well, technically, this was not a transfer. Kids, even athletes, can go wherever they want when they enter the 9^thgrade, and the Bowlins decided that Brooke would play for her former head coach at Holy Angels, now at Woodbury. She is listed on a pre-season roster published in the Breakdown Guidebook for 2013-2014. Mom, according to that Woodbury parent, assumed that Brooke would waltz into Woodbury and be handed a starring role on the girls basketball team, and was utterly incensed to find that Brooke would be expected to earn her playing time, like everybody else.

Now, keep in mind, Woodbury was not a bad team. They had gone 19-10 the year before, losing to St. Paul Central in the Section 4AAAA final. And, they started 2013-2014 at 5-1 before things fell apart. So, when Bowlin, a 5-8 freshman guard, arrived at Woodbury in the fall of 2013, the Royals were not exactly bereft of guards. They also had Kayla Bilksi, a 5-9 junior who went on to score 9.5 ppg that year. They also had senior captain Kailey Hakes, who went on to score 9 ppg before tearing her ACL, and they had 5-3 junior Madi Yochum, who went on to score 6 ppg that year. And, they already had a promising group of underclassmen before Bowlin arrived. They included Cecile Kieger, who went on to score 9 ppg as a freshman and (later) 16 as a senior; and Elizabeth Jordahl and Ellie Kriebich, who scored 5 and 3.5 ppg as freshmen; and guards Elizabeth Edinger and Rachel Hakes, who scored 5 and 2.5 ppg as 8^thgraders, but went on to score 12 and 20 points as seniors (Edinger at Cretin as it turned out, Hakes at Woodbury).

Bowlin, by way of comparison, scored 5 ppg as a freshman after becoming eligible at Holy Family and scored 14 ppg as a senior (against Class AA competition while the Woodbury girls, of course, faced Class AAAA competition for the most part).

With all of this talent, it hardly seems to have been an obviously ridiculous idea not to hand a starting job to the newcomer, Bowlin, but to spread the minutes around in the fall of 2013 to see which combinations worked the best. And that’s what coach McGuire and his assistants did. And, keep in mind, this was in the fall, long before a single official game had been played.

But, according to the same court opinion cited above, “Julie and Tom Bowlin complained to the school and the district because their daughter was not getting enough playing time.” RiverTowns.net (September 4, 2015) provides other details. 

“Before a game was played in the 2013-14 season, a meeting was held with the girl, her parents, the high school principal, the athletic director, two assistant coaches and McGuire during which the parents complained about playing time, the lawsuit alleges. The coaching staff hadn’t decided who had made the team, who would start and how playing time would be handled. Still, the parents wanted an update about their child’s status on the team.

“McGuire said the Bowlins talked to an influential parent in the program, leaving the other parent with the impression that they were trying to get the head coach fired, the lawsuit alleges. The parents demanded high school administration remove McGuire as head coach, then got the Minnesota Department of Education involved.

“The player attended one more practice. Within a week the player had transferred, without competing for Woodbury.”

Before leaving Woodbury, the Bowlins had found kindred spirits in Joy Szondy and Chelon Danielson. The court further acknowledged that the three moms “continued to seek McGuire’s removal even after their daughters were no longer playing on the team.” Szondy’s daughter had graduated. Danielson’s had quit basketball.

Category 5

As a result of the complaints, McGuire was not merely non-renewed as coach for the following season. He was suspended in the middle of the 2013-2014 season, on January 4, 2014, based on what at that time were called “unnamed allegations.” As noted above, the team was 5-1 when this happened. The won just one game and lost 19 the rest of the season. In March, the school board voted to non-renew his coaching contract, which action did not affect his status as a kindergarten teacher. By the time of his first court case, the allegations that were addressed by the court were that he had benched one girl and hadn’t handed a starting position to Brooke Bowlin, and he challenged the non-renewal on the basis that these parental complaints were not valid grounds for the dismissal. 

The court found that the school district was within its rights to non-renew McGuire for any reason whatsoever, whether they were true, false or whatever.

But, it had been clear enough to McGuire for some time that there was more to the “unnamed allegations” than what had in fact been named. 

Early on, according to a Woodbury parent, the other girls were called into an interview, one by one, with a representative of the school administration. Did coach McGuire swear?, they were asked. Had he touched them inappropriately? Did he flirt with the girls? Well, at least one girl said, well, of course he swears. Every coach swears. But, did he touch anyone inappropriately? Did he flirt? The parent was pretty sure that everybody said, No way, because, well, no way. The idea that they would even ask such questions was shocking, or stupid, or both.

Based on this line of questioning, however, it became clear that the Bowlins and the Danielson and the Szondys had accused him of inappropriate touching and flirting and other inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature. The Bowlins and Danielsons filed “maltreatment-of-minors” complaints against McGuire with the state Department of Education. I am not aware that the precise nature of these complaints is public and I have not seen or heard what was claimed. But, I do know that the Department was legally bound to investigate, and it found no evidence that either girl had been “maltreated.” 

That did not slow down Hurricane Julie Bowlin, however. Later, she told other parents that McGuire had been put in jail and that he had also been involved in the theft of funds.

Sometime during all of this, McGuire’s house was pelted by eggs, an attack that traumatized McGuire’s young children, according to a Woodbury parent. The Danielson and Szondy daughters were identified by Woodbury police as the perpetrators. A Woodbury parent thought they were arrested.

The Bowlins have been remarkably “vindictive” toward McGuire, totally out of proportion to McGuire’s alleged offense, the Woodbury parent concluded, but they were “a weird family” from the beginning. Perhaps this egging incident helps understand why McGuire has been as “vindictive” in return as he has been, said the parent, assuming that a defamation lawsuit is “vindicative.” “Justice” might, of course, be another word for it.

I should add that in addition to being suspended in January 2014 and then non-renewed in March, McGuire’s career may have been further damaged. A Woodbury parent told me that he understood that McGuire was a finalist for the Stillwater girls head coaching job in the spring of 2014. Actually, he said that McGuire was as good as hired, though I cannot vouch for that. Gerard Coury had left to coach the Park Center boys. But, the Woodbury administration gave the Stillwater people a “no comment” when they called to ask about McGuire’s non-renewal, and this scared the Stillwater folks away from McGuire.

Stillwater, of course, hired a coach other than McGuire. The irony of the whole situation is that one of Stillwater’s current assistants, former Stillwater boys coach and former AD Sherm Danielson, is the father of Chelon Danielson and the grandfather of Aaliyah Danielson, who helped the Bowlins to torment Nathan McGuire as he got swept up in Hurricane Julie. A giant coincidence? I am not aware of any wrongdoing by Danielson or anyone else at Stillwater. 

Commentary

So, to clarify, McGuire first sued the school district to try to get his job back. The fact is that he was fired—OK, non-renewed—because he pissed off the Bowlins. All that stuff about inappropriate touching was obviously BS. If the school district had believed for a moment that the charges of sexual impropriety had any validity whatsoever, then they would be guilty of gross malfeasance in allowing McGuire to continue to teach kindergartners, which is, however, what they did. So, they knew that those charges were false, and yet they gave aid and comfort to the lying liars and threw Nathan McGuire under the bus. 

As a Woodbury parent said, “He got screwed, because of the way (the school district) handled it.”

Now, sure, the Bowlins were “vindictive” and told vicious lies about a good man. So, yeah, they screwed him, too, I suppose. The harm to Nathan McGuire’s reputation originated with the lies the Bowlins told. But their impact in the community would have been mostly defused if the school district had stood by him and said that, you know, these things you’ve heard about coach McGuire? They’re lies. They’re not true. Instead, the school district did everything it could to signal that there might have been some truth to the Bowlins’ lies. Thanks a lot.

So, shame on the Woodbury school district. Just because the court said that they can fire whomever they like for any reason doesn’t make it right, doesn’t make it good. Giving aid and comfort to sociopaths cannot be good for your community.

So, then, McGuire sued the Bowlins, Szondys and Danielsons for defamation. He lost at the district and appeals court levels not on the merits of the case but because the courts found him to be a public official. The Supreme Court said, no. Just because he works for a public entity does not mean that he or any other coach is a public official. He’s got nothing to say about laws and ordinances and policing and public policy and all of the other activities that are fundamental to governing. He’s a basketball coach, for Christ sakes. And, as the court said, “Basketball is not fundamental to democracy.” (Some, of course, might argue this point.)

So, take note, you can no longer call your kid’s coach a sexual predator or a thief or a jailbird because he or she isn’t giving your kid enough minutes! And, if you do that, be aware that you are not in the right. Nobody thinks you are in the right. You are a sociopath.

But, this case also raises the question of how Brooke Bowlin became eligible to play basketball and other sports at Holy Family in 2013-2014. According to the MSHSL, student-athletes who transfer after the first day of 9^th grade have to give up a year of eligibility. Bowlin’s “transfer” from Holy Angels to Woodbury wasn’t really a transfer because she was entering 9^thgrade. But, the transfer to Holy Family a month later is a different thing. In theory, she shouldn’t have been eligible to play that year. And, in fact, she did not play until the final game of the regular season at the end of February. So, apparently, there was some delay and some discussion about her eligibility status. And, if she was transferring because she wasn't getting enough playing time, it's hard to see the MSHSL having much sympathy for that. On the other hand, if she transferred because of inappropriate touching or something like that, well....

So, in conclusion, now that McGuire’s defamation case against Hurricane Julie is again free to move forward, a decent person can only hope that he wins a large financial settlement so that other sociopaths will think twice about ripping apart an community, a school, an athletic program, a basketball team, just because your kid ain’t the queen of the hop. 

Look Out!

The Lynx got off to a good start in the WNBA playoffs, thumping Seattle 80-64 at home and winning again 58-55 on the road. Yeah, that 2nd game was a little closer than one would like. Seattle was ahead 55-54 when Seimone Augustus made the game-winner with 39 seconds left. But it's a sweep and a much stronger effort than the 2-1 win over Seattle a year ago, in which the Lynx lost game 2 on the road and won game three at home by 1 point.

Like I said in my previous post about the Lynx: So far, so good.

But wait! In another sense, I don't like what I'm seeing at all. Looking more broadly at the other 3 playoff series, the WNBA playoffs have started out like last night's Emmys: Surprises galore. And that could mean one of two things. Or it could mean two of two things. Some of these playoff teams are not that good. Or, some are peaking at the right time. Or both.

Take Indiana, please. Indiana 2 Chicago 0. Chicago, after all, won the Eastern Division title this year, while Indiana finished 4th. But this is the same Indiana team that put it all together last year at this time and clobbered the Lynx 3-1 in the finals. Well, they're obviously putting it together again this year. So there's the second case--a playoff team peaking at the right time...again.

In the other surprises, #3 Phoenix won at #2 L.A. in that 1st game, then L.A. turned around and won at Phoenix. This may indeed be a case of both teams showing off their weaknesses. And the visitor has won both games in the Atlanta (#2 in the East) vs. Washington (#3) series. Again, maybe both of these teams are signaling their weaknesses and their inability to contend for a WNBA final.

But, again, there can be little doubt that Indiana has the ability to contend for the WNBA title, and to play out of their heads at playoff time. And it's not as if they finished strong, they finished 4-4 to get to 16-18, when 1 more win could have gotten them the home court in the 1st round, at least. They did beat Chicago, however, 82-77, in Chicago. And in the 1st playoff game, the hero of last year's NBA finals, Shavonte Zellous, led the way again with 20 points. And in game 2, their other hero a year ago, Tamika Catchings, scored a game-high 18 points.

They'll play Atlanta or Washington in the Eastern final. Washington or Atlanta will have home ice, and Indiana will be favored.

The Lynx now move on to face L.A. or Phoenix in the final. They'll have the home ice and they'll be favored. L.A. remains a dangerous opponent. But for now, all eyes are on Indiana. A repeat of last year's finals are likely--in terms of the two contestants--hopefully not in terms of the outcome. The Lynx will have to slow down Zellous, and nobody could do that last year. And they'll have to find a way to score inside against Tamika Catchings, and nobody could do that last year.

But, first, L.A. Or, Phoenix. Like I said, L.A. remains a dangerous opponent. Phoenix, not so much. But all eyes are on Indiana. Go, Lynx!

Shocker at St. Thomas

Well, it can't seriously be considered a surprise that Steve Fritz is hanging up his X's and O's. I mean, he's been at it for 31 years. And with last month's national championship, there aren't too many more hills that haven't been climbed. 30 winning records in 31 years. 594 wins versus just 246 losses (.707).

No, that's not the surprise.

The surprise was the naming of 11-year Tommies assistant John Tauer as interim coach. I mean, what's with the interim? The announcement said a proper search for a permanent successor to the wide one will occur in the spring of 2012, after the interim coach has had a year to impress the search committee, or otherwise.

Seriously. Interim? I mean, who decided on that? The outgoing coach doesn't get to pick his successor. No, the athletic director does that. Well, that, too, is one Steve Fritz. And who is gonna pick the permanent coach a year from now? Steve Fritz, maybe?

Well, the fact is that Fritz has already hired Tauer 11 times. Of course he wants Tauer to be his successor. And so what caliber of options are going to arise? What really great young coach is going to step forward and say, Steve, I want that job, when he knows that Tauer is da man.

I guess there's some bureaucratic requirement or other that St. Thomas requires in cases like this, so I guess they're going through some motions. And, sure, Johnny Tauer doesn't mind waiting a year to really get his own set of keys. But you'll note that the St. Thomas summer basketball camp is already the John Tauer Camp.

So you can all just forget about that interim label. It's unfortunate that it's there at all, because it's so damn obvious that it doesn't mean what it says. And that is that Johnny Tauer--well, he's not gonna get 31 years, like his predecessor--but Johnny Tauer is gonna be pulling the strings for the Tommies for probably the next 21 years.

Congrats, Steve. Congrats, Johnny. What a ride, and the indications are that it ain't over.

Tyus Jones, Team USA Advance to Medal Round

The USA 17U National Team finished the preliminary round at the 2012 World Championships in impressive style, and now faces Canada in Friday's quarter-final round.

USA beat previously 3-1 China 116-47 on Tuesday to finish the prelims undefeated at 5-0. Canada comes into quarter-final play at 3-2. A win there sets up a semi-final match-up on Saturday vs. Spain (3-2) or China (3-2). Another win there and Croatia (also 5-0 in the prelims) is the likely opponent in Sunday's final.

In 5 games, Apple Valley guard Tyus Jones led Team USA with 27 assists (5.4 per game) while scoring 7 points per game. He started 2 games at the point guard spot, where Joel Berry also started twice and Conner Frankamp once. Jones played 19 minutes per game, Berry and Frankamp each 21. Jones' assist to turnover ratio was about 3.5 to 1, Berry was at 2 to 1, and Frankamp also 3.5 to 1. He shot a solid 54 percent from the field, 5th best on the team behind 4 inside players, but he made just 1-of-3 3s. Frankamp made 8-of-16 3s. Berry is from Lake Highland Prep, Apopka, FL while Frankamp is from Wichita North. All 3 are class of 2014.

Frankamp led team USA in scoring in the preliminary round with 14+ ppg. Jahlil Okafor of Chicago Whitney Young emerged as the USA's best all-around player, however. The 6-10 post (class of 2014) scored 14 points with a team-high 10 boards, while shooting 58 percent. He overshadowed the #1 player among the 2013s, Jabari Parker, also from Chicago (Simeon), who also scored 14 points per game.

Stephen Domingo, 6-7 forward and 2013, from San Francisco St. Ignatius, also scored in double figures (10 ppg) while making 12-of-28 3s. Justise Winslow of Houston St. John's, a 6-6 forward in the class of 2014, emerged as a defensive stopper. He led the team in blocks and steals while grabbing 7 boards per game.

Best of the Hall of Fame Winter Classic, Part 2--The Boys

The Minnesota High School Basketball Hall of Fame held 3 boys games (to go along with 3 girls games described in a separate post) on Saturday, January 14 at Anoka Ramsey Community College. The boys results:

#3 Hopkins 87 Andover 81

St. Francis 79 #9 Austin 76

#2 Lakeville North 86 #5 Eden Prairie 75

The lead changed hands 11 times in the 1st game between Hopkins and Andover. Andover led early, but Hopkins led by 16 late in the 1st half and 46-34 at the half. Andover came back and the 2 teams swapped the lead through much of the 2nd half. Hopkins only took the lead for good inside of 4 minutes. It was a case of too much Jayden Moore and Anthony Smith for Hopkins. Moore is a 5-10 freshman guard and he did it all with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists. He did need 25 shots to get his 26 points (10-for-25), while Smith only needed 17 shots (12-for-17 including 7-of-10 3s) to get to 33 points and he added 6 rebounds. 

Andover got 25 points and 5 steals from Sam Musungu, and 23 points and 12 rebounds from Landyn Nelson. Guard Ben Kopetzki had an off-night for him with 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting but also with 9 assists. 

The 2nd game was even more a game of runs though the lead changed hands just once. Austin led by 15 in the 1st half but St. Francis got back within 45-44 at the half, as both teams shot 50% or better. Guard Jack Lang hit 7 3s in the 1st half for 21 Austin points. The 2nd half was all Matthew Bothun and once St. Francis got the lead, they never relinquished it. The largest lead was 8 at the 6 minute mark, but it was a one-possession game through most of the final 2 or 3 minutes. The 6-9 Bothun, who is headed for North Dakota, it all. He is very highly skilled both inside and out. He scored 34 points on 14-of-24 shooting with 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. 

Finally, the "big game" was slightly less big than anticipated as Lakeville North's 6-11 senior Nolan Winter did not play, but that didn't seem to slow the Panthers down. Seniors Will Kutzler and Jace Hernandez filled in for Winter and scored 13 points between them. But it was "guards" Jack Robison (6-6 junior) and Hudson Vaith (6-5 senior) who did the heavy lifting with 55 points between them. Lakeville ran out to a 47-28 halftime lead though Eden Prairie closed the gap with a 47-39 2nd half advantage. 

Top Performers

C--Buai Duop, Austin, 6-4, senior, 20 points (9-of-14 FG), 5 rebounds

F--Matthew Bothun, St. Francis, 6-9, senior, 34 points (14-of-24 FG), 9 rebounds

W--Hudson Vaith, Lakeville North, 6-5, senior, 32 points

PG--Jayden Moore, Hopkins 5-10, freshman, 26 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists

SG--Anthony Smith, Hopkins, 5-8, junior, 33 points (12-of-17 FG, 7-of-10 3s), 6 rebounds

2nd Team

C--Will Kutzler, Lakeville North, 6-7, senior, 9 points

F--Landyn Nelson, Andover, 6-5, senior, 23 points (9-of-19 FG), 12 rebounds

W--Jack Robison, Lakeville North, 6-6, junior, 23 points

PG--Sam Musungu, Andover, 6-2, senior, 25 points (9-of-22 FG), 4 rebounds, 5 steals

SG--Jack Lang, Austin, 5-11, senior 24 points (8-of-14 FG, 7-of-13 3s), 4 rebounds

Best of the Hall of Fame Winter Classic, Part 1--The Girls

You might have heard of the Hall of Fame Winter Classic sponsored by the Minnesota High School Basketball Hall or Fame. Or not. The event was kind of snakebit. Over 4 years, out of a total of 48 scheduled games, they had played only 5 due to snowstorms and COVID. But, there's good news. They got in all 12 games last Saturday at Anoka Ramsey Community College, 6 girls, 6 boys, 6 varsity, 6 JV, with 8 of the 12 participating teams being ranked at the time. 

Among the girls, the varsity results were:

#1 Hopkins 74 Roseville 53

#6 Minnetonka 56 #8 Benilde-St. Margaret's 52 in the best of the 3 girls games

#7 Goodhue 86 Pine City 58

Minnetonka-Benilde was the 1st game up. Tonka shot it rather poorly, 24% in the 1st half, 38% in the 2nd, 30% for the day. Aaliyah Crump, selected as the game MVP, shot 8-of-24 and scored 23 points and added 8 rebounds for the winners. Benilde shot it a little better at 38% for the game. Olivia Olson shot 9-of-16 and scored 21 points to go with 9 rebounds. It was 26-all at the half and it stayed close. A Crump 3 inside of a minute-and-a-half finally put Minnetonka in the driver's seat. Benilde turned it over 21 times, and Minnetonka had 13 extra FG attempts and a 23-11 edge in points off turnovers. 

Goodhue then put on a clinic against a good Pine City team. I specifically mention that Pine City is a good team because the final score--Goodhue 86 Pine City 58--might not suggest as much. The Dragons have 3 6-1 girls, who shot 15-of-34 among them and all of whom scored in double figures (Kloey Lind 15, Sophia Lahti 14 and Karly Jusczak 13). But they could not match up with Goodhue's quickness. Tori Miller and Elizabeth Gadient combined to shoot 16-of-24 for 36 points, while Gadient added 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. They turned Pine City over 25 times, 21 of them on Goodhue steals, and had a 32-8 edge in points off turnovers. They also had a 22-2 scoring advantage off the bench.

Finally, Roseville stayed with #1 Hopkins for awhile as the Royals shot just 39% to Roseville's 35%. But Hopkins had a 17-3 edge on the offensive boards and a 15-2 edge in 2nd chance points. Kelly Boyle scored 27 for Hopkins on 9-of-18 3-pointers, while Taylor Woodson dominated in every phase of the game with 20 points (9-of-13 FG), 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Kendall Barnes scored 19 for Roseville, thanks mainly to 14 trips to the FT line. 

Top Performers

C--Sidney Reed, Minnetonka, 6-1, junior, 9 points (4-of-9 FG), 11 rebounds

F--Taylor Woodson, Hopkins, 6-0, senior, 20 points (9-of-13 FG), 9 rebounds, 3 steals

PG--Elizabeth Gadient, Goodhue, 5-11. junior, 16 points (7-of-10 FG), 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals

SG--Kelly Boyle, Hopkins, 5-7, senior (9-of-19 FG/9-of-18 3s), 4 assists

SG (tie)--Aaliyah Crump, Minnetonka, 6-1, sophomore, 23 points, 8 rebounds

SG (tie)--Olivia Olson, Benilde, 6-1, junior, 21 points, 9 rebounds

6th--Ava Wallaker, Goodhue, 5-8, freshman, the only player to come off the bench in the 3 girls games and score in double figures at 10 with 3 assists and 4 steals

2nd Team

C--Sunaja Agara, Hopkins, 6-0, senior, 9 points 5 rebounds

F--Kloey Lind, Pine City, 6-1, senior, 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

F--Tori Miller, Goodhue, 5-11, senior, 22 points (9-of-14 FG)

PG--Kendall Barnes, Roseville, 5-7, junior, 19 points, 8 rebounds

SG--Kendall McGee, Benilde, sophomore, 19 points, 5 rebounds

6th (tie)--Analya Solonoa, Roseville, 5-8, 8th grade, 9 points (3-of-6 FG) and 2 rebounds in just 11 minutes off the bench

6th (tie)--Sydney Friedly, Benilde, 8th grade, 5 points (2-of-5 FG), 3 assists and 2 steals in 22 minutes off the bench