Congratulations to Devon Knopke and Jauson Sewer for making the 2009 Mr. Basketball All Tournament team.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Congratulations to the Minnesota Magic Black!
After knocking of TNL in one of the semi-final games they beat SW Minnesota Stars for the championship.
Click here for the box score.
Click here for the box score.
TNL 58 - MN Magic Black 71
Olson - 6
Sherva - 5
Ismail - 7
Pajibo - 2
Sewer - 6
Knopke - 13
Ristanovic - 3
Zimmermann - 16
Sherva - 5
Ismail - 7
Pajibo - 2
Sewer - 6
Knopke - 13
Ristanovic - 3
Zimmermann - 16
TNL - 72 - IBCA Iowa Select 43
Olson - 8
Sherva - 13
Ismail - 2
Pajibo -6
Sewer - 10
Knopke - 20
Ristanovic - 2
Zimmermann - 11
Sherva - 13
Ismail - 2
Pajibo -6
Sewer - 10
Knopke - 20
Ristanovic - 2
Zimmermann - 11
TNL - IBCA Iowa Select I
The team wins their pool and heads into bracket play without Cummings and Duberry.
The Czar - Mankato Day 2 Results
I made the trip to Mankato to see for myself what the Mr Basketball MN Showcase had on display. Last night the coaches were out in force, but a very very quiet day in terms of coaches sightings on Saturday (weak schedule didn't help).
Game 1: MN Glory was down 15-4 early to IBCA Iowa Select I as they couldn't buy a shot from anywhere. IBCA star Trevor Osen in foul trouble which limited his 1st half minutes. Glory's Connor Gunderson took advantage of their open-post motion with numerous curl cuts into the lane for easy hoops and then knocked down 3 triples in the 2nd half on his way to 24 points in a 60-51 Glory win.
Game 2: TC Elite vs Mitchell Kernels. TC Elite sleepwalks early but manages to take a 37-24 halftime lead. Mitchell closes to 58-54 with 5:32 remaining but Aaron McCrossan knocks down a pair of his 6 triples in the game and adds on a pair of assists as TC Elite opens the shooting gallery down the stretch. Jordan Gieske doing a nice job of running and working to get easy buckets. TC Elite wins 78-59.
Game 3: MN Select James vs WI Blizzard II. Jake Kreuser with a bunch of touches for Select in this one. Blizzard take a 26-25 lead to half and then open the lead up to 8 early in the 2nd half before Select comes back for a 50-47 win. Tyler Firme's 12 points leads the way and I like his game. Jake Kreuser with 8 points (3-9 FG), 8 rebounds and 2 blocks on my sheet.
Game 4: TNL out of gate quick vs the SW MN Stars 7-0 despite 0-6 shooting from their big 3 of Duberry, Knopke and Sewer. TNL gets 8 in a row including a pair of Duberry triples for a 29-21 lead only to give up the next 9. SW goes to the half up 34-33. 42 all inside of 12 minutes when TNL goes on a 17-4 run to take a 59-46 lead with 6:25 left. The lead gets out to 16 before SW makes a furious late comeback. A steal for 2 cuts the lead to 5 with 2:05 left, then a 3 pt play cuts the lead to 3 at the 1:15 mark and a triple with 55 seconds left cuts the TNL lead to 76-75. TNL misses a front end with 28.8 left and survives a wide open look at the tying 3 withi 18 seconds left. TNL wins 82-80. Jay Sewer leads the way with 23 points (5 triples) on 8-16 shooting. Jasper Duberry with 4 triples as he went 7-12 for 18 points. Devon Knopke struggled with his shot going 2-8 (missed 1st 6) but he went 11-14 from the charity stripe and I had him for 7 rebounds and 3 assists with 15 points.
Game 5: MSB blows out Magic Red 79-59. Richfield's Ben Webster with 19 points for Magic Red. Lucas Brown with 21 points after a cold shooting start as he continues to impress here for MSB. MSB missing key components Zach Vraa, Troy Klingsporn and Andy Jirik.
Game 6: Best thing I can say about the 73-36 WI Blizzard I win over IBCA Iowa Select II squad is to acknowledge the IBCA guard who had the Kurt Rambis glasses going. That was a quality visual. Adam Haidman with 8 triples and 26 points for the victors in the top scoring performance of the tourney to date.
Game 7: Magic Black vs MN Select Kruger. Magic Black out to a 7-0 lead but the Heat are pesky and won't go away. Doug Sewall now with the Magic (was with TNL) gets a nasty gash above his right eye and we've got copious amounts of blood visible. CLEANUP ON COURT 1 PLEASE! But he's tough and comes back with a big patch in the 2nd half. Though I wish he would have had the Cameron Rundles playoff headwrap of a few years ago vs Henry with the single dried trickle of blood down his cheek. Anyway, North (St. Paul's) Nathan Schouvieller takes the extra step and gets called for it but the hammer throwdown came out of nowhere. Surprisingly athleticism there. Jeff Fallat with a putback with 2:07 remaining to give Magic a 52-49 lead. Brodie Raymond with a clutch triple with 29 seconds left to push Select into a 54 all tie. Jalen Williiams hesitates and misses an open 3 and Jeff Fallat fouls on the rebound with 6 seconds left Raymond makes the 1st FT. Magic requests a timeout after possession of the 2nd free throw. 2nd free throw is up and off the rim, mad scramble, ball is loose. Wait. There's the whistle and Magic gets the timeout down 1 with 4.9 left. Good break for the Magic. Jalen Williams goes full court but its not good at the horn and Select Kruger wins 55-54. Jalen Williams perimeter skills were more than expected and he leads the way with 16 points. Raymond with 3 more triples and 15 points as he continues his solid play in his backyard.
Game 8: Heat Select struggled though the 1st 3/4 of the game vs the Western Iowa Knickerbockers. But they make a run and win 69-61. David Mooers comes up big with 19 points for the winners. Nathan Kuck only 7 points as I had him 3-12 shooting, just one of those days. He's been Heat Select's top player all summer. Elijah Sabah quiet with 6 points on 3-5 shooting.
Game 9: IBCA Iowa Select I vs Mitchell Kernels. Game appears meaningless but it has impact on the next game. A Kernels win means Glory and TC Elite play head up for 1 and 2 in the pool. An IBCA win means a TC Elite win forces a 3 way tie. 1st place determined by point differential. Then 2nd place determined by head-head result of the remaining 2 teams. Glory at +29, TC Elite at +16, IBCA at -6. Long story short IBCA blows a 12 point 2nd half lead but comes back to hold off Mitchell 61-54. That means going into game 10 below. TC Elite not only needs to win, but they need to win by 7 or more to win the pool. 6 or less would put them in the 2nd place head-head tiebreaker with IBCA which IBCA won yesterday by 3 and therefore TC Elite would be 3rd and not play in the championship bracket.Game 10: TC Elite vs Glory. Remember TC Elite needs a win by 7+. Glory out to a 28-16 lead with 5:18 left in the 1st half. Josh Pratt back with a pair of triples to cut the lead to 3 2 minutes later (9-0 run). But Glory makes clutch shots and they lead 36-29 at the half. TC Elite to the bonus and within 2 with 8:23 left when they miss the front end of the bonus that would tie the game. Glory's Nate Miller counters with back to back triples and the Glory lead is 57-49 with 7 minutes left. Pratt with a steal for 2 but then he misses the front end with 3:41 left and TC Elite down 63-58. David Gschneider with a hoop and 2 FTs and after we get the scoreboard straightened out, we're tied at 63 with 1:30 to play. Aaron McCrossan's 3 at 1:15 counters a Miller layin and now TC Elite leads 66-65, but remember they need a 7 point win so now the foul game starts. Glory misses 3 front ends (we're only shooting 1+1 in this tourney, no double bonus) but TC Elite can't convert. After 2 Justin Bosman FTs with 18.8 left, Pratt nails a triple with 4.5 to go to tie the game and send us to a 2 minute overtime. New life for TC Elite? No. Glory wins 79-75. Josh Pratt and Connor Gunderson lead their teams with 22 points each. Pratt hot from deep as he had 5 triples.
Game 11: TNL vs MN Select James. Interesting contrast of Select and Jake Kreuser vs the helter skelter style of TNL. Sam Onsomu (I think a mini Bryce Webster when I see him) is a nice piece inside along with Tyler Firme. He's got a big frame and works hard inside. Offense hard to come by in this one as TNL wins easily 65-42. Onsomu leads Select with 10 points. Jake Kreuser 9 points on 3-6 shooting with 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Biggest shock though is how easy TNL won despite the woeful shooting of their guards. Jay Sewer 15 points on 6-15 shooting. Devon Knopke cold again as I had him 2-11 shooting. Nice game of 14 points and aggressiveness at Kreuser from Kyle Zimmerman.
MN Glory, MSB, Magic Black and TNL win the 4 pools.
Posted by Twin Cities Hoops Czar at 11:36 PM
Labels: 2009 Mr Basketball MN Showcase
Saturday, June 20, 2009
TNL 65 - Minnesota Select 42
Duberry 13
Olson 2
Sherva 10
Pajibo 4
Sewer 15
Knopke 5
Ristanovic 2
Zimmermann 14
Click here for the detailed box score.
Olson 2
Sherva 10
Pajibo 4
Sewer 15
Knopke 5
Ristanovic 2
Zimmermann 14
Click here for the detailed box score.
The Czar Checks In ...
Final results from the first day of the inaugural Mister Basketball Minnesota Showcase in Mankato.
Game 1) Magic Red vs WI Blizzard I. 77-41 Blizzard win. Sam Koslowski (17.3 for Menasha St. Mary Central last year ) with 19 points for the Blizzard. I wish this was the top Blizzard team, but this is their 3rd or 4th team. WI Blizzard II is a group of 16s.
Game 2) Lucas Brown's 25 was the top scoring performance of the day. In MSB’s 61-49 win over IBCA Iowa Select II.Game 3) MN Select-Kruger over Western Iowa Knickerbockers 60-36 (no 6'8 Patrick Kurth or Tim Olejniczak for WIK).
Game 4) Magic Black over Heat Select 67-56. 3 guys in dbl figures for each team. Magic’s Jeff Fallat with 14 to lead all scorers. Doug Sewall with Magic Black and not TNL. Elijah Sabah 11 with a pair of triples for Heat Select.
Game 5) IBCA Iowa Select I 58-55 over TC Elite. Edina's Stephen Asp with 24 in a losing effort. Josh Pratt held to 6 points.
Game 6) MN Glory 61-36 over Mitchell Kernels. Nate Miller 19 points for the Glory. Connor Gunderson 10 points.Game 7) SW MN Stars 65-35 over Select-James in a result that surprised me most from this day because of the margin. Jake Kreuser does lead all scorers with 13 points.
Game 8) TNL 66-47 over WI Blizzard II (16s). Devon Knopke 18 points.
Game 9) IBCA Iowa Select II 71-51 over Magic Red.
Game 10) MSB over WI Blizzard I 62-59. Kennedy's Ryan Vikesland with 12 points. 5'8 Nick Whalen with 3 triples and a game high 22 points for the Blizzard. Appears that there was no Zach Vraa for MSB. Drat I want to see him play.
Game 11) Magic Black over Western Iowa Knickerbockers 77-44. Jalen Williams with 16 points to lead 4 players in double figures for Magic Black. Nice to see big Matt Sellers get 13 points. He's done double-duty all summer and many will say he should have played more (at any level) for DLS last year.
Game 12) Heat Select def Select-Kruger 68-65. Nathan Kuck leads Heat Select in scoring again in this one as he had 20. St. Peter's Brodie Raymond with 5 triples and 24 points for Select-Kruger.
Pools A and D (MN Glory, TC Elite, MN Select-James and TNL) all play twice on Saturday. Magic Black and MSB will play their final pool games with a chance to sweep their pools. MN Select-James will likely need 2 wins to finish in the top half of their pool and make the championship bracket. But without the injured Alex Koch (dislocated ankle suffered last weekend at Hamline), a major perimeter threat is lost. I'm rooting for the TC Elite vs Glory game to determine who wins the pool or who advances.
TNL 82 - SW Minnesota 80
Duberry 18
Olson 11
Sherva 6
Sewer 23
Knopke 15
Zimmermann 11
Click here for the complete detailed box score.
Olson 11
Sherva 6
Sewer 23
Knopke 15
Zimmermann 11
Click here for the complete detailed box score.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Pool Play Game 2
The team takes on the SW Minnesota Stars who defeated the Minnesota Select I team 65-35 in their first pool play game.
Pool Play Game 1
TNL 66 - Wisconsin Blizzard II 47
Duberry 8
Olson 9
Sherva 6
Ismail 7
Sewer 11
Knopke 18
Zimmermann 7
Click here for the complete detailed box score
Duberry 8
Olson 9
Sherva 6
Ismail 7
Sewer 11
Knopke 18
Zimmermann 7
Click here for the complete detailed box score
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Up Next The Mr Basketball Minnesota Showcase
Minnesota Showcase
June 19-21, 2009 • Mankato, MN
Friday, June 19
5:10 PM
TNL Express vs. Wisconsin Blizzard II
Saturday, June 20
12:30 PM
SW Minnesota Stars vs. TNL Express
8:40 PM
Minnesota Select I vs. TNL Express
Sunday, June 14, 2009
TNL 65 - McCray 67
Southwest Team Camp
After playing to a 35-35 tie at the half, Knopke's 3 point shot for the win doesn't stay down as McCray holds on for the win. The team played without Zimmermann.
After playing to a 35-35 tie at the half, Knopke's 3 point shot for the win doesn't stay down as McCray holds on for the win. The team played without Zimmermann.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Spring Lake Park over Anoka in Sudden Death
Monday, June 8, 2009
AAU State Tournament Notes
June 8, 2009
Ryan James
MinnesotaPreps.com Senior Writer
This weekend the Minnesota Pump N Run 16s surprised basketball fans by not only competing with the field but by taking the championship. Their road to the finals included wins over the top three Minnesota Preps ranked teams in the field as the Pumps dispatched of the Minneapolis Redhawks, Minnesota Comets, and Minnesota Fury on their way to the tournament crown.
17s QUARTERFINALS
The TNL Express outlasted the Minnesota Heat Elite team 79-74 in overtime. Free throws from Devon Knopke, a lay-in from Spencer Cummings, and a bucket from Jasper Duberry combined with a strip of the ball from Heat guard Paul Franklin put the game away in the extra session.
Watching Taylor Filipek in the first half against Triple Threat you can see that Taylor has been working on his jumper extensively changing his release a little. His elbow is in more, his release is higher and looks prettier, and the results seem better. Filipek's three triples in the first half against Triple Threat gave them a small edge.
In the second half the Comets ran away winning 68-54. The lead was pushed to double figures when Ben Bucholz scored three times on the inside. The 6-foot-8 post went to the middle every time from either side of the lane and produced with his jump hook as well as with a difficult right handed shot across his body over the defender. His buckets as well as another three and two open floor jams from Filipek put the game away. Amongst their top workers defensively was Michael Johnson who pestered the opposing guards throughout.
Minnesota Comets Elite II started off good with the Minnesota Fury Elite as Martin Wind hit a pair of treys. But they were then blitzed by the Fury as nobody could keep Dajon Newell in front of them, agile 6-foot-6 four man Justin Casey from Park Center scored a number of times at the rim including a spin move lay-in in transition, Yuriy Maleshenko made up for his several long range misses with tip-ins inside, and Bloomington Jefferson's Jack Wittenborg started his red hot shooting weekend with several mid-range jumper makes. The Fury won 84-63.
The Pump N Run 16s defeated the Minneapolis Redhawks 58-56 in the quarters.
17s SEMI-FINALS
The match-up between the Comets and Pumps was even for a half. The Pumps were getting steady scoring production while Dan Kornbaum's low post game was again producing for the Comets and Scott Willenbring made a pair of clutch three-pointers. Willenbring of Rocori is not often included when people are listing great shooters in the 2010 class but his name should warrant consideration after this weekend.
While Scott was hot at the start of the fourth quarter he, nor any other Comet, could connect on an outside shot the rest of the period and the Pumps took advantage. Already with an increasing lead the Pumps turned long Comet misses into Kyle Noreen and Alex Richter dunks the other way. The final score was 58-49 and overall the real difference was that the Comet wings cold not stop Jonah Travis and Alex Richter from getting to the rim. On several third quarter possessions the pair beat the Comet wings to the middle of the lane and then finished with impressive efforts. Travis used his explosion to finish while Richter used great body control to absorb contact and still complete plays. Alex finished with 16 points while Travis produced 12.
In the other semi-final the Fury controlled the second half winning 68-55 over TNL.
17s CHAMPIONSHIP
Yuriy Malashenko opened the game with a pair of three-pointers as the Fury built a small lead in the title game. Malashenko controlled the boards and although he was hot from outside early the rest of his buckets were tip-ins and putbacks. Also, Dajon Newell seemed to have the green light from coach Ben Davis as he was attacking and/or shooting at will throughout the contest. Problem was the shooting percentage wasn't that high.
A turning point for coach Jeremy Miller and the Pumps in the final was Shakopee big Jason Perkins. The 6-foot-4 jack-of-all-trades had a three-point play and a pair of free throws that gave the Pump 16s five straight points and a 26-23 lead.
In the second half it became Wittenborg's hot shooting hand against Jonah Travis for a time. Travis showed the crowd a good looking three-point stroke and it's rare to see him release from deep but it did look good. Miller also placed Jonah at the top of the key where he attacked Fury wings with the dribble drive using the move to get a step then his explosion to finish.
Now getting much attention on the drive with about a minute left Travis kicked out a pass to Alex Kreuser who hit maybe the biggest shot of the game. Tied at 38 the Totino-Grace guard spotted up to swish the triple giving the Pumps a three point lead in the slug fest. After a Newell jumper for the Fury and a Perkins free throw for the Pumps, Fury coach Ben Davis produced a great play to free up Wittenborg at the top of the key but his hot hand misfired. From there Aaron Ziman put the game away with free throws as the Pump 16s won 47-42. Travis finished with a team high 12 points.
15s CHAMPIONSHIP
After scoring 23 points in a semi-final victory over the Minnesota Comets, Minnesota Southside forward Joey King received double or triple teams every time he touched the ball on the block in the championship. The Minnesota Suns were not about to let King put up big numbers on them and it really did work in the first half as King's touches were limited for the first 16 minutes.
In the second half King's frustration got to him and he didn't box out strong on a play giving up a putback. But this play seemed to light a fire under the 6-foot-7 Eastview standout as he went back the other way to split the double time to score strong with two short hooks. Joey's effort on the glass then picked up as he cleaned misses of the rim high on the glass.
As the third quarter became the fourth King took more and more control. He turned one defensive board into a Kevin Love like outlet pass for a score and Joey was getting to the free throw line possession after possession. Later he produced with a face-up jumper, a drop-step power move score, and some free throws and the Southside crew withstood a great effort from Anthony Hill and the Suns to win 49-46. In a losing effort Hill (a Champlin Park freshman) scored with three three-pointers and a couple drives plus played good pressure defense.
PLAYER NOTES
The best dunks of the weekend included a tip-dunk in the semi-final from Jonah Travis and a monster baseline jam from Luke Januschka. The 6-foot-5 wing from St. Cloud Cathedral went baseline and dunked on one of the bigger Triple Threat players as both collided in the air.
Marcus Alipate not only tripped to Stanford this past weekend but he also met with the Cal coaches and saw their campus.
Ben Bucholz has a strong interest in North Dakota and they have a strong interest in him. Will they come together soon? Time will tell.
Scott Nystrom of the Comets Elite II seemingly can get to the basket on anybody. If he learns to play better without the ball and gets that jumper more consistent expect division twos to be giving him strong interest.
Martin Wind was one of the more exciting players to watch all weekend. He hit more then three-pointers as Martin was beating kids off the dribble to get to the hole using his tricky handles plus Martin produced some very creative passes for teammates to score on.
This weekend Kevin Noreen was visiting Marquette.
One of the hardest working players in the entire event was Annandale big Phil Nowak. The 6-foot-5 bruiser was dominant on the glass for Triple Threat.
How about Maranatha Christian Academy stud freshman Darian Pittman getting calls like his initials were MJ? He scored 24 points in a win over Howard Pulley White and 18 of them were on charity tosses.
Ryan James
MinnesotaPreps.com Senior Writer
This weekend the Minnesota Pump N Run 16s surprised basketball fans by not only competing with the field but by taking the championship. Their road to the finals included wins over the top three Minnesota Preps ranked teams in the field as the Pumps dispatched of the Minneapolis Redhawks, Minnesota Comets, and Minnesota Fury on their way to the tournament crown.
17s QUARTERFINALS
The TNL Express outlasted the Minnesota Heat Elite team 79-74 in overtime. Free throws from Devon Knopke, a lay-in from Spencer Cummings, and a bucket from Jasper Duberry combined with a strip of the ball from Heat guard Paul Franklin put the game away in the extra session.
Watching Taylor Filipek in the first half against Triple Threat you can see that Taylor has been working on his jumper extensively changing his release a little. His elbow is in more, his release is higher and looks prettier, and the results seem better. Filipek's three triples in the first half against Triple Threat gave them a small edge.
In the second half the Comets ran away winning 68-54. The lead was pushed to double figures when Ben Bucholz scored three times on the inside. The 6-foot-8 post went to the middle every time from either side of the lane and produced with his jump hook as well as with a difficult right handed shot across his body over the defender. His buckets as well as another three and two open floor jams from Filipek put the game away. Amongst their top workers defensively was Michael Johnson who pestered the opposing guards throughout.
Minnesota Comets Elite II started off good with the Minnesota Fury Elite as Martin Wind hit a pair of treys. But they were then blitzed by the Fury as nobody could keep Dajon Newell in front of them, agile 6-foot-6 four man Justin Casey from Park Center scored a number of times at the rim including a spin move lay-in in transition, Yuriy Maleshenko made up for his several long range misses with tip-ins inside, and Bloomington Jefferson's Jack Wittenborg started his red hot shooting weekend with several mid-range jumper makes. The Fury won 84-63.
The Pump N Run 16s defeated the Minneapolis Redhawks 58-56 in the quarters.
17s SEMI-FINALS
The match-up between the Comets and Pumps was even for a half. The Pumps were getting steady scoring production while Dan Kornbaum's low post game was again producing for the Comets and Scott Willenbring made a pair of clutch three-pointers. Willenbring of Rocori is not often included when people are listing great shooters in the 2010 class but his name should warrant consideration after this weekend.
While Scott was hot at the start of the fourth quarter he, nor any other Comet, could connect on an outside shot the rest of the period and the Pumps took advantage. Already with an increasing lead the Pumps turned long Comet misses into Kyle Noreen and Alex Richter dunks the other way. The final score was 58-49 and overall the real difference was that the Comet wings cold not stop Jonah Travis and Alex Richter from getting to the rim. On several third quarter possessions the pair beat the Comet wings to the middle of the lane and then finished with impressive efforts. Travis used his explosion to finish while Richter used great body control to absorb contact and still complete plays. Alex finished with 16 points while Travis produced 12.
In the other semi-final the Fury controlled the second half winning 68-55 over TNL.
17s CHAMPIONSHIP
Yuriy Malashenko opened the game with a pair of three-pointers as the Fury built a small lead in the title game. Malashenko controlled the boards and although he was hot from outside early the rest of his buckets were tip-ins and putbacks. Also, Dajon Newell seemed to have the green light from coach Ben Davis as he was attacking and/or shooting at will throughout the contest. Problem was the shooting percentage wasn't that high.
A turning point for coach Jeremy Miller and the Pumps in the final was Shakopee big Jason Perkins. The 6-foot-4 jack-of-all-trades had a three-point play and a pair of free throws that gave the Pump 16s five straight points and a 26-23 lead.
In the second half it became Wittenborg's hot shooting hand against Jonah Travis for a time. Travis showed the crowd a good looking three-point stroke and it's rare to see him release from deep but it did look good. Miller also placed Jonah at the top of the key where he attacked Fury wings with the dribble drive using the move to get a step then his explosion to finish.
Now getting much attention on the drive with about a minute left Travis kicked out a pass to Alex Kreuser who hit maybe the biggest shot of the game. Tied at 38 the Totino-Grace guard spotted up to swish the triple giving the Pumps a three point lead in the slug fest. After a Newell jumper for the Fury and a Perkins free throw for the Pumps, Fury coach Ben Davis produced a great play to free up Wittenborg at the top of the key but his hot hand misfired. From there Aaron Ziman put the game away with free throws as the Pump 16s won 47-42. Travis finished with a team high 12 points.
15s CHAMPIONSHIP
After scoring 23 points in a semi-final victory over the Minnesota Comets, Minnesota Southside forward Joey King received double or triple teams every time he touched the ball on the block in the championship. The Minnesota Suns were not about to let King put up big numbers on them and it really did work in the first half as King's touches were limited for the first 16 minutes.
In the second half King's frustration got to him and he didn't box out strong on a play giving up a putback. But this play seemed to light a fire under the 6-foot-7 Eastview standout as he went back the other way to split the double time to score strong with two short hooks. Joey's effort on the glass then picked up as he cleaned misses of the rim high on the glass.
As the third quarter became the fourth King took more and more control. He turned one defensive board into a Kevin Love like outlet pass for a score and Joey was getting to the free throw line possession after possession. Later he produced with a face-up jumper, a drop-step power move score, and some free throws and the Southside crew withstood a great effort from Anthony Hill and the Suns to win 49-46. In a losing effort Hill (a Champlin Park freshman) scored with three three-pointers and a couple drives plus played good pressure defense.
PLAYER NOTES
The best dunks of the weekend included a tip-dunk in the semi-final from Jonah Travis and a monster baseline jam from Luke Januschka. The 6-foot-5 wing from St. Cloud Cathedral went baseline and dunked on one of the bigger Triple Threat players as both collided in the air.
Marcus Alipate not only tripped to Stanford this past weekend but he also met with the Cal coaches and saw their campus.
Ben Bucholz has a strong interest in North Dakota and they have a strong interest in him. Will they come together soon? Time will tell.
Scott Nystrom of the Comets Elite II seemingly can get to the basket on anybody. If he learns to play better without the ball and gets that jumper more consistent expect division twos to be giving him strong interest.
Martin Wind was one of the more exciting players to watch all weekend. He hit more then three-pointers as Martin was beating kids off the dribble to get to the hole using his tricky handles plus Martin produced some very creative passes for teammates to score on.
This weekend Kevin Noreen was visiting Marquette.
One of the hardest working players in the entire event was Annandale big Phil Nowak. The 6-foot-5 bruiser was dominant on the glass for Triple Threat.
How about Maranatha Christian Academy stud freshman Darian Pittman getting calls like his initials were MJ? He scored 24 points in a win over Howard Pulley White and 18 of them were on charity tosses.
2009 AAU District Championships Thoughts
The Czar
Sunday, June 7, 2009
My thoughts on vomit, horse racing hats, officiating, defensive struggles and whatever else of note from this weekend's AAU District Championships.
15U
I start the weekend by seeing Tommy McDermott take the tip for 43 Hoops Daniels in the 8-9 game. vs 43 Hoops Gameli My kind of tip with a guard taking it. A pair of Kevin Jensen layups start a run that puts Daniels over the top 53-44. No real surprises in any of the bracket games. Suns came from 10 down vs Daniels in the quarters and won by 19 with a big 3rd quarter (21-2 run). Howard Pulley White took out Daniels last week and took out Pump N Run this week for bragging rights. Comets Elite took out Magic Elite and Southside defeated Heat Elite. Darian Pittman with 24 points (18 FTs) for the Suns as they defeated Pulley in the semis 72-61. Pulley with a pair of runs in that one but couldn't get over the top. That game took forever with all the whistle. Interesting that after a comment of mine to the assigning official about 1 of the refs, he jumped in at half and made it a 3 man crew. Joey King with 23 for Southside as they defeated a very game Comets team 68-60 in the other semi. That game was tied inside of 3 minutes to play. Southside defeated the Suns 49-46 in a war for the 15U title. Nice double teams from the Suns to try and keep King in check. We even had a fan (youngster I believe) leave some of the their lunch in the stands the hard way during the title game. What is that smell? Ewwwwwww, that's vomit. That set of bleachers is toast.
Pump N Run did get their shot at 43 Hoops (finally these teams play again at some level) in the consolation bracket instead of the winners bracket. PNR up 13 late in the 3rd quarter but 43 Hoops doesn't go away. Cortez Tillman goes up and comes down awkwardly on his left wrist late and has to leave. Kevin Jensen makes a pair of FTs to cut the lead to 3 with 1:34 left. But PNR gets 8 in a row thanks to a pair of 3 point plays and PNR wins 60-49.
16U
The biggest shocker of the weekend for me had to be the Comets Elites (yes I picked them to win it) losing not once but twice on Saturday. Going out 61-53 to the Magic Elites isn't that big a deal, but the upstart MSB squad also beat the Comets Elites on Saturday. Remember that MSB gave Pump N Run all they wanted during bracket play at the Pump N Run tournament. I get Team Minnesota losing to the Wrath in the semifinals correct for a clean upper half of the draw. Wrath really handled Wear Out The Net from start to finish and I didn't expect that. Heat Elite took it to Magic Elite in the other semi 42-26. Heat Elite defeat the Wrath 44-39 in another major defensive struggle for the 16U D1 title. The Wrath are like a python in that they just squeeze the life out of you. Jack Klukas is known, but also keep the name Conner Nord in mind from Eden Prairie. Nice presence inside for The Wrath. Heat's end game execution wasn't ideal, but they managed to survive. MSB also took out WOTN on Sunday. SW MN Heat did make the 16U-D2 title game.
17U
MSB wins the D2 bracket 40-36 over Fury Gold in another defensive struggle. Jalen Jaspers with Magic Black again this weekeend but I was surprised Fury Gold took them out by 24 in the semis. Now to the real fun, 17U-D1
Triple Threat took out TC Elite 65-43 in a major suprise in margin in the 8-9 game. 17-10 TC Elite after 1 quarter but they gave up a 26-3 run over about 1 quarter of play and were down 18 after 3. In the quarters, TNL needed OT vs Heat Elite before winning 79-74. Comets Seevers after beating Heat Select got down 30 to Fury Elite. But they cut the lead to 12 before bowing out 68-54. Comets Hanson defeated Triple Threat. Pump N Run 16s took out the Redhawks 58-56 in the last quarterfinal. PNR wins the 1st 2 quarters 13-12 for a 2 point halftime lead. Taylor Hanson 2 fouls in the 1st quarter cut his minutes and nothing from Parker Hines. The Redhawks go small and use a 2-3 zone nicely to end the 3rd quarter and a Taylor Hanson 3 gives them a 1 point lead going to the final stanza. Tied with 2:14 left and then Hanson fouls out. Jonah Travis with 3 of 4 FTs and a pair of dunks after that. Hines keeping the Redhawks close but his 3 at the horn only cuts the margin. PNR wins 58-56. Travis leads the way with 13 points. Parker Hines held to 9.
Fury and TNL close at the half of their semifinal, but Fury opens it up in the 2nd half and wins 68-55. Comets Hanson vs Pump N Run in the other semifinal. 1st 5 points of the game to PNR but a 9-2 Hanson run looks like it has them going. Jonah Travis with a reverse layin and PNR using some 2-3 which is contrary to the 1-2-2 they show. 15-14 PNR after 1. To the 2nd quarter and Travis has a monster 2 handed follow dunk, Jason Perkins with a straight away triple and Eric Robertson with a big triple. PNR 29-18 at the 1:40 mark for a 14-4 run in the quarter. The PNR lead is 7 at the half. The Comets make a run in the 3rd with a Taylor Filipek 3 point and a pair of triples from sniper Scott Willenbring. That cuts the PNR lead to 38-34 going to the 4th and it almost feels like PNR is just hanging on. But Alex Richter is back in to start the final quarter after his usual end of quarter bench rotation and he gets 5 in a row to push the lead right back to 8. Dan Kornbaum keeps the Comets close with a 3 point play at 4:13. 45-42 PNR leads. Perkins with another huge bomb inside of 3 minutes and the lead is 8. Kyle Noreen with a breakaway dunk and Richter with a layup to cap. PNR wins 58-49. Richter with 16 and Travis with 12.
PNR vs Fury Elite in the championship game. Yuriy Maleshenko with a pair of quick triples for the Fury, but PNR wins the rest of the quarter 13-6. Jack Wittenborg concludes a 6-0 Fury run with his 2nd post up against Aaron Ziman for a 16-13 Fury lead early in the 2nd quarter. 26-24 PNR at the half. LeDarian Horton with a nice 3rd quarter but neither team can gain a major advantage on the scoreboard. 36-34 PNR going to the final quarter. Aaron Ziman picks up his 4th foul seconds into the quarter and the problem that is Dajon Newell just became more so. Then again maybe not as nobody can seem to score. Jonah Travis with a great skip pass out of a post double team and Alex Kreuser nails a triple with 3:45 left for a 41-38 lead. Newell slips a screen and finishes. Richter counters on the other end. A missed 1 and 1 by Fury with 1:31 left is painful but PNR doesn't convert and Fury has the ball with 58 seconds left down 43-40. Newell with a jumper to cut the lead to 1 with 45 seconds left. After a Perkins FT, Wittenborg misses a good look at a 3. Ziman makes 2 FTs to clinch the win. PNR 16s win the 17U state title 47-42. Congrats to coach Miller on his 1st state title. Jonah Travis with 12 in the win for the only player in double figures.
Biggest story of the weekend is PNR's physical play. Normally its the older team having the advantage in pushing the younger team around. Not so in this instance. PNR was too physical for the Redhawks and beat up the Comets. And they were plenty tough in the war against a very rough and tough Fury team. The Comets had no answer for Alex Richter on the wing in the semifinal game and Jonah Travis was a beast in the championship game. In the 3 games against very solid MN 17s, PNR gave up 56, 49 and 42 points. Then they made big shots on the offensive end with the Perkins/Robertson/Kreuser triples in addition to plays from Richter or Travis.
A couple of nice posters handed out by the Comets Seevers squad during the weekend. Andrew Good handed out one with a 2 handed mash in the game vs Heat Select. Luke Januschka with a 1 handed breakout poster in the consolation game against Triple Threat.
And finally, long time readers may remember that Friday night at this event last year we had a lady decked out in full Kentucky Derby regalia (fantastic hat included). Well, this year didn't disappoint. We had both days of a lady wearing a nice purple fedora like hat with a "flower" on it (lack of better term) and matching outfit. It didn't meet last year's standard, but still high quality fashion that my simple mind found amusing in this setting.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
My thoughts on vomit, horse racing hats, officiating, defensive struggles and whatever else of note from this weekend's AAU District Championships.
15U
I start the weekend by seeing Tommy McDermott take the tip for 43 Hoops Daniels in the 8-9 game. vs 43 Hoops Gameli My kind of tip with a guard taking it. A pair of Kevin Jensen layups start a run that puts Daniels over the top 53-44. No real surprises in any of the bracket games. Suns came from 10 down vs Daniels in the quarters and won by 19 with a big 3rd quarter (21-2 run). Howard Pulley White took out Daniels last week and took out Pump N Run this week for bragging rights. Comets Elite took out Magic Elite and Southside defeated Heat Elite. Darian Pittman with 24 points (18 FTs) for the Suns as they defeated Pulley in the semis 72-61. Pulley with a pair of runs in that one but couldn't get over the top. That game took forever with all the whistle. Interesting that after a comment of mine to the assigning official about 1 of the refs, he jumped in at half and made it a 3 man crew. Joey King with 23 for Southside as they defeated a very game Comets team 68-60 in the other semi. That game was tied inside of 3 minutes to play. Southside defeated the Suns 49-46 in a war for the 15U title. Nice double teams from the Suns to try and keep King in check. We even had a fan (youngster I believe) leave some of the their lunch in the stands the hard way during the title game. What is that smell? Ewwwwwww, that's vomit. That set of bleachers is toast.
Pump N Run did get their shot at 43 Hoops (finally these teams play again at some level) in the consolation bracket instead of the winners bracket. PNR up 13 late in the 3rd quarter but 43 Hoops doesn't go away. Cortez Tillman goes up and comes down awkwardly on his left wrist late and has to leave. Kevin Jensen makes a pair of FTs to cut the lead to 3 with 1:34 left. But PNR gets 8 in a row thanks to a pair of 3 point plays and PNR wins 60-49.
16U
The biggest shocker of the weekend for me had to be the Comets Elites (yes I picked them to win it) losing not once but twice on Saturday. Going out 61-53 to the Magic Elites isn't that big a deal, but the upstart MSB squad also beat the Comets Elites on Saturday. Remember that MSB gave Pump N Run all they wanted during bracket play at the Pump N Run tournament. I get Team Minnesota losing to the Wrath in the semifinals correct for a clean upper half of the draw. Wrath really handled Wear Out The Net from start to finish and I didn't expect that. Heat Elite took it to Magic Elite in the other semi 42-26. Heat Elite defeat the Wrath 44-39 in another major defensive struggle for the 16U D1 title. The Wrath are like a python in that they just squeeze the life out of you. Jack Klukas is known, but also keep the name Conner Nord in mind from Eden Prairie. Nice presence inside for The Wrath. Heat's end game execution wasn't ideal, but they managed to survive. MSB also took out WOTN on Sunday. SW MN Heat did make the 16U-D2 title game.
17U
MSB wins the D2 bracket 40-36 over Fury Gold in another defensive struggle. Jalen Jaspers with Magic Black again this weekeend but I was surprised Fury Gold took them out by 24 in the semis. Now to the real fun, 17U-D1
Triple Threat took out TC Elite 65-43 in a major suprise in margin in the 8-9 game. 17-10 TC Elite after 1 quarter but they gave up a 26-3 run over about 1 quarter of play and were down 18 after 3. In the quarters, TNL needed OT vs Heat Elite before winning 79-74. Comets Seevers after beating Heat Select got down 30 to Fury Elite. But they cut the lead to 12 before bowing out 68-54. Comets Hanson defeated Triple Threat. Pump N Run 16s took out the Redhawks 58-56 in the last quarterfinal. PNR wins the 1st 2 quarters 13-12 for a 2 point halftime lead. Taylor Hanson 2 fouls in the 1st quarter cut his minutes and nothing from Parker Hines. The Redhawks go small and use a 2-3 zone nicely to end the 3rd quarter and a Taylor Hanson 3 gives them a 1 point lead going to the final stanza. Tied with 2:14 left and then Hanson fouls out. Jonah Travis with 3 of 4 FTs and a pair of dunks after that. Hines keeping the Redhawks close but his 3 at the horn only cuts the margin. PNR wins 58-56. Travis leads the way with 13 points. Parker Hines held to 9.
Fury and TNL close at the half of their semifinal, but Fury opens it up in the 2nd half and wins 68-55. Comets Hanson vs Pump N Run in the other semifinal. 1st 5 points of the game to PNR but a 9-2 Hanson run looks like it has them going. Jonah Travis with a reverse layin and PNR using some 2-3 which is contrary to the 1-2-2 they show. 15-14 PNR after 1. To the 2nd quarter and Travis has a monster 2 handed follow dunk, Jason Perkins with a straight away triple and Eric Robertson with a big triple. PNR 29-18 at the 1:40 mark for a 14-4 run in the quarter. The PNR lead is 7 at the half. The Comets make a run in the 3rd with a Taylor Filipek 3 point and a pair of triples from sniper Scott Willenbring. That cuts the PNR lead to 38-34 going to the 4th and it almost feels like PNR is just hanging on. But Alex Richter is back in to start the final quarter after his usual end of quarter bench rotation and he gets 5 in a row to push the lead right back to 8. Dan Kornbaum keeps the Comets close with a 3 point play at 4:13. 45-42 PNR leads. Perkins with another huge bomb inside of 3 minutes and the lead is 8. Kyle Noreen with a breakaway dunk and Richter with a layup to cap. PNR wins 58-49. Richter with 16 and Travis with 12.
PNR vs Fury Elite in the championship game. Yuriy Maleshenko with a pair of quick triples for the Fury, but PNR wins the rest of the quarter 13-6. Jack Wittenborg concludes a 6-0 Fury run with his 2nd post up against Aaron Ziman for a 16-13 Fury lead early in the 2nd quarter. 26-24 PNR at the half. LeDarian Horton with a nice 3rd quarter but neither team can gain a major advantage on the scoreboard. 36-34 PNR going to the final quarter. Aaron Ziman picks up his 4th foul seconds into the quarter and the problem that is Dajon Newell just became more so. Then again maybe not as nobody can seem to score. Jonah Travis with a great skip pass out of a post double team and Alex Kreuser nails a triple with 3:45 left for a 41-38 lead. Newell slips a screen and finishes. Richter counters on the other end. A missed 1 and 1 by Fury with 1:31 left is painful but PNR doesn't convert and Fury has the ball with 58 seconds left down 43-40. Newell with a jumper to cut the lead to 1 with 45 seconds left. After a Perkins FT, Wittenborg misses a good look at a 3. Ziman makes 2 FTs to clinch the win. PNR 16s win the 17U state title 47-42. Congrats to coach Miller on his 1st state title. Jonah Travis with 12 in the win for the only player in double figures.
Biggest story of the weekend is PNR's physical play. Normally its the older team having the advantage in pushing the younger team around. Not so in this instance. PNR was too physical for the Redhawks and beat up the Comets. And they were plenty tough in the war against a very rough and tough Fury team. The Comets had no answer for Alex Richter on the wing in the semifinal game and Jonah Travis was a beast in the championship game. In the 3 games against very solid MN 17s, PNR gave up 56, 49 and 42 points. Then they made big shots on the offensive end with the Perkins/Robertson/Kreuser triples in addition to plays from Richter or Travis.
A couple of nice posters handed out by the Comets Seevers squad during the weekend. Andrew Good handed out one with a 2 handed mash in the game vs Heat Select. Luke Januschka with a 1 handed breakout poster in the consolation game against Triple Threat.
And finally, long time readers may remember that Friday night at this event last year we had a lady decked out in full Kentucky Derby regalia (fantastic hat included). Well, this year didn't disappoint. We had both days of a lady wearing a nice purple fedora like hat with a "flower" on it (lack of better term) and matching outfit. It didn't meet last year's standard, but still high quality fashion that my simple mind found amusing in this setting.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
MN Comets/Seevers 65 - TNL 52
Team loses it's third place game.
Duberry - 10
Olson - 2
Ismail - 4
Sewer - 17
Knopke - 7
Zimmermann - 8
Cummings - 4
Duberry - 10
Olson - 2
Ismail - 4
Sewer - 17
Knopke - 7
Zimmermann - 8
Cummings - 4
MN Fury Elite 68 - TNL 55
Team loses in semi-fianl game to a hot shooting Fury team.
Duberry - 5
Olson - 6
Sherva - 5
Ismail - 6
Hager - 2
Sewer - 2
Knopke - 9
Ristanovic - 3
Zimmermann - 12
Cummings - 5
Duberry - 5
Olson - 6
Sherva - 5
Ismail - 6
Hager - 2
Sewer - 2
Knopke - 9
Ristanovic - 3
Zimmermann - 12
Cummings - 5
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Up Next The #2 Seeded Fury
The team takes on the #2 seeded Minnesota Fury in the semis tonight at 8:15.
And The Winner Is ...!
TNL 79 - MN Heat Elite 74 in OT
After 2 hours and 47 fouls the Express take out the Elite in overtime. In what was a fiercely competitive game by both teams, you walked away from this one only thinking about the officiating and the score table.
There was a number of head scratching fouls called and blunder after blunder at the scorers table. Probably the BIGGEST blunder of them all happened with the score 48-41 TNL. TNL scores and they give the points to the Elite for a 48-43 score while the Express are on the foul line shooting 2 and make both for a SCOREBOARD score of 50-43. The game is halted and both teams go to the table ... the score is then changed to 50-41. The two points where rightfully taken away from the Elite but NOT given to the Express. The game is stopped again and we end up with a score of 50-45 ... and NO real explanation is given. After all the mishaps and all of the deliberation the score should have been 52-41 TNL.
The Express keep the Elite at bay until the Elite make a late run to get back in the game and tie it up. TNL end up with the ball with the score tied at 69-69 with 16 seconds left. Cummings gets loose on the baseline but can't convert his reverse layup, Sewer gets the rebound and misses a hurried 7 footer to send the game into overtime.
In OT the Elite gets the first basket before TNL puts them away with 6 close to the basket points from Ismail and 2 free throws a piece from Duberry and Knopke for the win.
Duberry - 19
Ismail - 10
Sewer - 8
Knopke - 15
Ristanovic - 4
Zimmermann - 17
Cummings - 6
After 2 hours and 47 fouls the Express take out the Elite in overtime. In what was a fiercely competitive game by both teams, you walked away from this one only thinking about the officiating and the score table.
There was a number of head scratching fouls called and blunder after blunder at the scorers table. Probably the BIGGEST blunder of them all happened with the score 48-41 TNL. TNL scores and they give the points to the Elite for a 48-43 score while the Express are on the foul line shooting 2 and make both for a SCOREBOARD score of 50-43. The game is halted and both teams go to the table ... the score is then changed to 50-41. The two points where rightfully taken away from the Elite but NOT given to the Express. The game is stopped again and we end up with a score of 50-45 ... and NO real explanation is given. After all the mishaps and all of the deliberation the score should have been 52-41 TNL.
The Express keep the Elite at bay until the Elite make a late run to get back in the game and tie it up. TNL end up with the ball with the score tied at 69-69 with 16 seconds left. Cummings gets loose on the baseline but can't convert his reverse layup, Sewer gets the rebound and misses a hurried 7 footer to send the game into overtime.
In OT the Elite gets the first basket before TNL puts them away with 6 close to the basket points from Ismail and 2 free throws a piece from Duberry and Knopke for the win.
Duberry - 19
Ismail - 10
Sewer - 8
Knopke - 15
Ristanovic - 4
Zimmermann - 17
Cummings - 6
2009 AAU District Championship 17U Predictions
The Czar Checks in.
To the fun, here's my thoughts on each bracket
17U-D1
Give me Comets-Seevers over Heat Select in the 7-10 game. The 8-9 game is the "We get no respect game" for the honor of playing the top seeded Comets-Hanson team. I'll take TC Elite but I won't be surprised if Triple Threat wins.
In the quarters, Comets Hanson takes out the 8-9 winner and Fury Elite takes out the 7-10 winner (Fury handled the Comets-Seevers club surprisingly easily last Saturday).
Most likely upset is in the 3-6 game with TNL vs Heat Elite. I like TNL here but a big game from Ryan Duxbury in the post would make this one very interesting. As always pace is huge here. A fast pace favors TNL, slow pace should allow Duxbury touches and favor the Heat.
The 4-5 game with the Pump N Run 16s vs Mpls Redhawks should be dynamite. PNR defeated the Redhawks at the Comets tourney. PNR without Eric Robertson in that one and I think the Redhawks were shorthanded. PNR has enough big bodies to defend Taylor Hanson. I look for Kyle Noreen to get the main task of defending Parker Hines. The Redhawks will run and PNR's size can cause them problems in transition defense. Keep an eye on that as well. Interesting that the 43 Hoops 16U-Carr team beat the Redhawks by 3 in the MN Select tourney championship game. Would the score of this game mean anything to those of us who do polls?
Semifinals: I'll take Comets Elite-Hanson and Fury Elite. I think those 2 teams have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.
Championship: Should be a classic. Will Mike Johnson get more time in an effort to better defend Dajon Newell or do they throw a group of guys like Tengwall and Riewer at him? I think the Comets matchup well in this one with a guy like Alex Hanks to guard LeDarian Horton and/or Danny Geiger. Bucholz and Kornbaum matchup against Casey and Wensmann. Taylor Filipek vs Yuriy Maleshenko would be fun to see. I'll take the Comets to win.
17U-D2
Give me Magic Blue over Old Skool and Glory over River City in the playin games.
Quarters: MSB over Magic Blue, Comets North over Comets Blue (northern bragging rights), Fury Gold over WOTN, Magic Black over Glory in an interesting game.
Semis: Magic Black over Fury Gold, MSB over Comets North
Championship: Magic Black over MSB
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
TNL Draws Ryan Duxburry and the Minnesota Heat Elite @ 2PM On Saturday
Ryan James
MinnesotaPreps.com Senior Writer
Stillwater is likely to be a preseason top ten team next year as they bring back the vast majority of their line-up including 6-foot-8 junior center Ryan Duxbury. Ryan was the second leading scorer for Stillwater as the Ponies finished their year winning 12 of their last 15 games. Duxbury's season high was 19 points put up against fellow low post banger Seantrel Henderson.
For Stillwater it was a great finish to the year after they lost nine of their first 13 games. The slow start was not a big surprise as the Ponies' eight-man rotation included five juniors, two sophomores, and the lone senior in guard Adam Habisch who scored in double figures 15 times while playing in 24 contests. Overall the team had talent but was short on experience, at first.
The varsity regulars the Ponies bring back include Duxbury, leading scorer Paul Franklin, Jesse George, Alex Oman, Miles Heller, and sophomore Jake Malwitz. All of these players are competing with the Minnesota Heat Elite team this spring and summer.
Click here to read the rest of this article.
MinnesotaPreps.com Senior Writer
Stillwater is likely to be a preseason top ten team next year as they bring back the vast majority of their line-up including 6-foot-8 junior center Ryan Duxbury. Ryan was the second leading scorer for Stillwater as the Ponies finished their year winning 12 of their last 15 games. Duxbury's season high was 19 points put up against fellow low post banger Seantrel Henderson.
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Michael J Much | |
For Stillwater it was a great finish to the year after they lost nine of their first 13 games. The slow start was not a big surprise as the Ponies' eight-man rotation included five juniors, two sophomores, and the lone senior in guard Adam Habisch who scored in double figures 15 times while playing in 24 contests. Overall the team had talent but was short on experience, at first.
The varsity regulars the Ponies bring back include Duxbury, leading scorer Paul Franklin, Jesse George, Alex Oman, Miles Heller, and sophomore Jake Malwitz. All of these players are competing with the Minnesota Heat Elite team this spring and summer.
Click here to read the rest of this article.
Monday, June 1, 2009
MYAS 17 D1 Spring Championship
Let's just start with player eligibility (which has been posted on our web site since January)
The 17U/11th Grade division - open to any player who is in the 11th grade and is born on or after Sept. 1, 1990.
Age Exception #1 - A player who is born on or after Sept. 1, 1991
Age Exception #2 - Players must still have high school eligibility remaining or have been accepted for admission to a Prep School
Progression of events: It was reported that one team utilized ineligible players (seniors) in their first round game. After investigation, this was proven to be true and that team subsequently had to forfeit that first game.
All of this delayed some games as things were being handled. The semi-final games began play and it was then reported that another team was using an ineligible player. As this was found out to be true near half time of that semi-final game, we agreed to allow the game to finish. That team had to forfeit their semi-final win. Some will ask why their win in the first game would count? When an eligibility situation arises we can only go back to the last game played (which was the semi-final). If we had known about the ineligible player before the start of the 2nd game, the team would have forfeited the first game.
There is one other player who has been questioned and yes, he is a senior but he was born in October of 1991. Go to Age Exception #1. Because he is born on or after Sept. 1, 1991 he is eligible to play in the 17U division.
There are young "Seniors" but if they have birthdays in June, July or August they are not eligible for the 17U division unless they meet Age Exception #2
Frustrating is the fact that we, the MYAS, take the abuse when all we do is enforce the rules that everyone is asked to follow. Ignorance of the rules is not an excuse. Just because some national tournament or AAU tournament doesn't verify the eligibility of the players and teams, doesn't mean we should run our program that way.
As an FYI to all, emails were sent out and phone conversations were had with teams in this division this week.
If you know as a coach that you have seniors on your roster, why are you playing in the 17U division. Check it out, we have a separate 19U Spring Championship being played this weekend. You should have just signed up and played in that tournament. I'm sorry for the players who were affected by all of this. It all could have been avoided if coaches would read the information available and follow the rules of our events.
Mid-Summer 17U Top 10
(Taken from Twin Cities Hoops)
Now that we're basically at the halfway point of the summer season and I've had a chance to take a look at all of the teams, here's how I'd rank them.
- Howard Pulley Black. With superstar Harrison Barnes and a big summer from Jacob Thomas, the Panthers have to be on top of the list. Chad Calcaterra has demonstrated consistent improvement over the course of the summer.
- Minnesota Pump N Run. Carlos Emory has been huge and the record of good tourney wins in St. Cloud, Denver and their own quality tournament speaks for itself despite bumps in the road in Kansas and Iowa.
- 43 Hoops Harris. Gave Pump N Run a game at the Comets tourney and had All Ohio Red down 20 in Akron at the end of April. Could get another shot at PNR in Chicago in early July. Defensively as tough as anybody in the state.
- Comets Elite-Hanson has to get strong consideration to be in that top tier as they're clearly the best of the rest as shown by a final 4 finish at the Jayhawk Invite. Nobody else from here down can go 10 deep like this group can.
- Net Gain Sports. The MASH unit of the summer with all of their injuries but a sweet 16 finish in Denver (which should have been final 8) is a nice accomplishment. Will be interesting to see what they do with Joe Hanstad back in July. What kind of depth will this squad have?
- Fury Elite. A surprisingly deep roster with Dajon Newell, Yuriy Maleshenko, Danny Geiger and LeDarian Horton to name a few notables. Not spectacular but rock solid.
- Minneapolis Redhawks. Parker Hines and Taylor Hanson lead the way. John Rowland and Cory Booker have made major contributions as role players. Final 4 at the Pump N Run tourney plus making the title game at the Super Regional give them the nod over ...
- TNL Express. 3-0 at the Comets tourney in pool play and had Pump N Run on the ropes before falling apart in the last 9 minutes of that quarterfinal. Since then, their most notable game was a loss to upstart Team Cannon in the quarters of the their Super Regional. Demonstrates why they are the Jekyll and Hyde team of this top 10 as they have the biggest variance in how they play from game to game. Will not playing in the PNR, Jayhawk, or Festival of Teams hurt them this weekend?
- Comets-Seevers. Had a rough start to the season but this team is starting to put it together. Scott Nystrom has been outstanding for them all spring. They knocked off Comets Hanson to win the Comets Clash 2 weeks ago and could get them again in the quarters this weekend at the District AAU Championships.
- Tie: Magic Black and Heat Elite. The Heat have a versatile squad and the trio of Walter Franklin, Deron Murphy and Jeff Fallat is a nice combination for Magic Black.
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