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.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Time is right for Davis to return to East football
When Eric Davis resigned as football and baseball coach at Mankato East four years ago, you knew he wasn't done coaching.
He left to take an assistant football position at Minnesota State for a couple of years, and last season, he worked as an offensive assistant with the highly successful Mankato West football team.
But as coach Dave Frisell announced his resignation Monday, saying that he was making a family decision to move to the Twin Cities where he could be closer to his mom and in-laws, Davis is the first name you think of to be the next football coach at East.
Davis was a popular coach at East from 2003-07, working with the football, boys basketball and baseball programs during that stretch. His teams were 31-19.
The Cougars have struggled the last four seasons, not because of the coach but because of diminishing talent. The program appears to be improving.
Davis will get a lot of attention over the next month as the position gets filled. There will be other candidates to emerge, though none would have the star power and light a fire in the program like Davis. He's still a teacher in the building, which makes it easier to be a coach.
It seems a foregone conclusion that Davis will be the next football coach at East. It makes a lot of sense.
He left to take an assistant football position at Minnesota State for a couple of years, and last season, he worked as an offensive assistant with the highly successful Mankato West football team.
But as coach Dave Frisell announced his resignation Monday, saying that he was making a family decision to move to the Twin Cities where he could be closer to his mom and in-laws, Davis is the first name you think of to be the next football coach at East.
Davis was a popular coach at East from 2003-07, working with the football, boys basketball and baseball programs during that stretch. His teams were 31-19.
The Cougars have struggled the last four seasons, not because of the coach but because of diminishing talent. The program appears to be improving.
Davis will get a lot of attention over the next month as the position gets filled. There will be other candidates to emerge, though none would have the star power and light a fire in the program like Davis. He's still a teacher in the building, which makes it easier to be a coach.
It seems a foregone conclusion that Davis will be the next football coach at East. It makes a lot of sense.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
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.
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.
Monday, March 5, 2012
MSU women rewarded with tournament berth
The Minnesota State women's basketball team gathered in the Johnson Alumni late Sunday night to watch the NCAA selection show, and it didn't take long for the Mavericks to discover their fate.
Minnesota State was one of the first schools shown on the brackets, producing a small cheer from the players. Soon, it was obvious that the Mavericks would be facing powerful Wayne State for the fourth time, second time at Wayne.
The program's seniors Jennie Noreen and Laura Weber had to feel some satisfaction in helping the team get back into the national tournament. Both were reserves on the historic 2009 team that won the national championship, and both had survived the struggles of the last two seasons.
This season started with four nonconference wins against lesser competition, then losses at Wayne State and Augustana, correctly predicted to be the top two teams in the Northern Sun. Ali Wilkinson the team's best player, suffered a season-ending injury that seemed likely to torpedo another season.
But the Mavericks gained some momentum through eight straight wins, and it seemed probable that this team would be a threat in the conference and region. However, the Mavericks struggled over the last month, winning some key games just to get into the Northern Sun tournament.
The Mavericks will be decided underdogs at Wayne State on Friday, but last Saturday, the Mavericks had a good game plan in the loss to Wayne State, excpet for the 20-percent shooting.
Wayne State is the better team, but it wouldn't be as big of a shock here as it would be at Wayne State if the Mavericks pull the upset.
Minnesota State was one of the first schools shown on the brackets, producing a small cheer from the players. Soon, it was obvious that the Mavericks would be facing powerful Wayne State for the fourth time, second time at Wayne.
The program's seniors Jennie Noreen and Laura Weber had to feel some satisfaction in helping the team get back into the national tournament. Both were reserves on the historic 2009 team that won the national championship, and both had survived the struggles of the last two seasons.
This season started with four nonconference wins against lesser competition, then losses at Wayne State and Augustana, correctly predicted to be the top two teams in the Northern Sun. Ali Wilkinson the team's best player, suffered a season-ending injury that seemed likely to torpedo another season.
But the Mavericks gained some momentum through eight straight wins, and it seemed probable that this team would be a threat in the conference and region. However, the Mavericks struggled over the last month, winning some key games just to get into the Northern Sun tournament.
The Mavericks will be decided underdogs at Wayne State on Friday, but last Saturday, the Mavericks had a good game plan in the loss to Wayne State, excpet for the 20-percent shooting.
Wayne State is the better team, but it wouldn't be as big of a shock here as it would be at Wayne State if the Mavericks pull the upset.
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