MSU men's basketball gets new look

I understood when Minnesota State men's basketball coach Matt Margenthaler signed Mike Busack of Redwood Valley in the fall.

Busack is an explosive offensive player, long and lean ... the type of player that the Mavericks' head coach usually likes.

Transfer Jayme Moten doesn't fit that bill, but the Mavericks needed a point guard so badly last season that adding Moten, a transfer from Texas-Pan American, makes sense.

The Egyptian center Assem Marei was a no-brainer that fell into Margenthaler's lap. Never turn down a talented big man, and Marei might be the best player on the team next season.

This spring, Margenthaler has added Zach Monaghan (a shooter), Gage Wooten (shooter) and Jarvis Williams (aggressive offensive player at the basket) to his roster. All make sense ... offense-first, filling specific needs for a team that struggled to score last season.

But then the ol' ball coach threw basketball's version of a curveball. This week, he added Waterville-Elysian-Morristown point guard Grant Pope, a defensive-minded player who could probably go the rest of his career without ever taking a shot.

In Margenthaler's 11 seasons as a head coach, he's never recruited a player who's primary strength was defense. Never.

There have been Mavericks who played good defense, and there were others that Margenthaler called good defenders, though that was more to deflect away from their offensive deficiencies.

Pope is the real deal, a non-stop, tough, physical guard whom you need to be aware of every time you have the basketball. He set a state record with more than 500 steals in his career, often coming off his player to double team or sneak up behind the opponent. He's also very good on the ball, as the St. Peter guard found out in the subsection championship game.

He said Monday that he's not an offensive player. Never have been. Never will.

Wow. Never heard that from one of the Mavericks, at least never when I believed it.

Does this signal a change in Margenthaler's recruiting philosophy? Certainly not.

The next player to come to Minnesota State will almost certainly be an athletic, high-flying kid who can either stroke the 3 or dunk with electricity.

But it's nice to see a player get rewarded for stopping an opponent as much as scoring.

Star-gazing at high-school basketball games

This is clearly the best time of the season for boys and girls basketball, with various playoff games bringing out the most dramatic performances by the top players.

On Monday night at Bresnan Arena, St. Peter and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown played a thrilling game of back-and-forth. The Saints took a shot early, the Bucs spent most of the game slowly getting back into the game and taking a 10-point lead in the final minutes, only to have St. Peter regain its mojo with an inspiring rally.

St. Peter's Joey Bartlett was clutch; he'll be attending Southwest Minnesota State in the fall. WEM's Grant Pope, who will walk on at Minnesota State, was his usual pesky self, making six steals that nearly propelled the underdog Bucs to a victory.

The second game between United South Central and Hayfield wasn't artistic, but you see what Winona State was looking at when they signed USC's Kyle Bauman. The 6-7 Bauman has a nice touch on a mid-range jumper, and he rebounds well.

On Wednesday, sophomore Carlie Wagner will lead New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva into the girls basketball state tournament. Though so young, she's already got the program scoring record and the eye of Division I coaches, who will also be present watching Braham's Rebekah Dahlman in the quarterfinal game.

Dahlman is averaging 35.5 points, Wagner is at 28.1 points. It should be a good team and individual matchup.

Come Thursday, the Mankato East boys will be looking to end a six-year absence from the state tournament. Waconia is a tough opponent, but East center Brody Ziegler, rumored to be headed to Gustavus Adolphus, leads a senior-dominated crew who will be trying to extend this memorable season.

At the end of every season, I try to take a few moments to reflect, and while I've usually seen quite a few entertaining games, it's usually the players that get remembered. This season, it's no different.

If you've spent any time watching the local boys and girls basketball playoffs, you've seen some impressive talent.