WEEKLY ROUNDUP *Lindsay Whalen starred at Hutchinson but fame came later *We pick top 50 players in each class for girls *Transformed Timberwolves Volume 24 Issue No. 1 November 24 2017-2018 Girls No. 1 picks: Hopkins, DLS, Sauk Centre, Goodhue When we last saw the Hopkins girls basketball team, the Royals were battling Elk River in a rare clash of undefeated teams for the state Class 4A championship. Elk River’s senior-dominated lineup won that fierce duel 64-60, but Hopkins was loaded with underclass- men talent and looks like a good bet to cap- ture its seventh state title since 2004 next March. The Minnesota Bas- ketball News pre-sea- son No. 1 teams in the four classes are Hop- Goodhue, celebrating their 2017 title, is the kins, DeLaSalle, Sauk only defending champion ranked No. 1. Centre, and Goodhue. Class 4A Sauk Centre is a Traditional powerhouse Hopkins finds themselves in three-time runner-up, Sophomore star Paige familiar territory as the program to beat in AAAA. The including last year, Bueckers is one of many Royals return four starters from last year’s second- weapons for Hopkins. looking to capture place finisher. Paige Bueckers made the USA 16U Na- that first champion- tional team and traveled to Argentina for international ship. Goodhue will be looking for its third consecutive action this past summer. title. DeLaSalle hopes to recapture the glory of their three-peat of 2011-12-13. Senior veterans Angie Hammond and Raena Suggs along with junior Dlayla Chakolis are bound and deter- The MBBN girls rankings are formulated by Kevin mined to finish the season with gold around their necks. Anderson, whose assessments of his picks for No. 1 Joining the Royals for her senior season is Kira Mosley. are presented here. The complete rankings appear on Page 15. The first boys rankings, formulated by Bruce Strand, will appear next week. Continued on Page 2 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News November 24 Page 2 MBBN preseason picks include one defending champ Continued from Page 1 Class 3A Kelsey DeLaSalle made it to state last year in an upset from Peschel Section 4. The Islanders ended up in fifth place at state. of Sauk This year they enter the season as the team to beat. Centre, a The Islanders did not have a senior on the 2017 roster. senior this Senior guard Ayanna Gardner runs the high-powered year, drives against offense. DLS has size inside with junior Mary Claire Watertown- Francois, freshman sister Nora Francois along with se- Mayer at the nior Olivia Travis. state tour- Class 2A nament last March. Sauk Centre was runner up to undefeated state champ Roseau last season. This year the Mainstreeters are looking to take the final step to the pinnacle. The Street- ers guards drive the engine. Maesyn Thiesen is in her fourth year of running the show. Sisters Kelsey Peschel ter than to make it back to the top of the podium in (senior) and Tori Peschel (sophomore) bring valuable March. She will be assisted by her 6-3 sister, junior years of experience. Lexie Lodermeier, and senior Emily Benrud. The Wild- Class 1A cats’ subsection will almost be a mini-state tournament with powerhouses Lyle-Pacelli and Hayfield looking to Goodhue has won the last two Class A championships step in if Goodhue stumbles. and senior Sydney Lodermeier would like nothing bet- Dad new head coach for Caledonia & talented King sibs By Bruce Strand more time with your kids, it’s a blessing,” King said. Brad King, the father of current two Diersen, point guard on Caledonia’s 1997 state Class Caledonia stars and a budding third 2A champion team, coached the Warriors for 12 years star, has become their head coach. with a 264-81 record and state trips in 2013, 2014 (run- ner-up) and 2015 (third place). King was named in June to succeed Josh Diersen, whom he assisted for Diersen, who helps his parents and brother run a dairy five years. farm, and has two young children, told the Rochester Brad King Post-Bulletin it was his choice to step down: “This was “It’s pretty exciting,” King told the my decision. There’s a time to be with family. They’re LaCrosse Tribune. “I’ve been very fortunate to work only young once.” Diersen said he’s “very happy” for with this group of seniors in different sports and I’m King getting the job. “He’s a great guy.” excited for the opportunity to continue to do that.” King owns and operates a construction company and a King’s sons Owen and Noah each scored about 20 cabinetry shop. His sons and other players have worked points per game last year as a junior and freshman, re- for him in the summers, the LaCrosse Tribune noted. spectively, and son Eli saw significant action off the bench as a seventh grader. Owen has signed with South The Warriors were ranked No. 2 last year but got upset Dakota State for basketball.“Anytime you get to spend in the section finals by Lake City 55-51. Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News November 24 Page 3 Whalen, great Gopher and pro, was under the radar at Hutch By Bruce Strand they don’t stand out in particular above a litany of other past stars in the state. She scored 1,996 points, hit dou- Lindsay Whalen is a the greatest female player Min- ble figures 82 straight games, posted 21 triple-doubles, nesota ever produced, but her legend didn’t start taking and averaged 20.1 points through her career, with a hold until after high school. high game of 35. The captivating point guard had a With the Tigers, her coach was stellar prep career at Hutchinson Andy Rostberg, better known but never reached a state tourna- for football (all-state quarter- ment, nor was she a first-team back on a state champ team for all-state pick or a Miss Basket- Hutch and now their football ball finalist. She missed half her coach). Her most talented team- senior year with an ankle injury. mate was Kelly Brinkman, a year older, who went on to Iowa “Hutch folks knew she was a spe- State as a distance runner. cial talent,” said Chad Urdahl, who covered the Tigers then for “Time and time again, he (Rost- the Hutchinson Leader, “but I berg) would just roll his eyes in don’t think anyone could have disbelief over her athleticism,” predicted the career she’s had.” recalls Urdahl, who now does public information for the state If these were deep disappoint- House of Representatives. “She ments for the teenage Whalen, and Brinkman just broke teams, she has certainly earned some and would put up 10 points in consolation in the 17 years since. the blink of an eye.” This summer, she captured her Lindsay Whalen is shown here in a Just like she did later at the U of fourth WNBA championship Hutchinson Leader photo, recovering with the Lynx. Her resume in- a tipped ball in a section tournament. M, Whalen was great box office cludes leading the Gophers to for the Tigers.“When we played their only Final Four while trans- boy/girl double headers,” Rost- forming U of M women’s hoops into a hot ticket; mak- berg said, “we had to play the girls’ games later and set ing first-team All-America; playing in the Olympics out chairs because of the crowds we would get.” and collecting a gold medal; and winning more games than any player in WNBA history. The Tigers’ problem was that they had no height and were vulnerable to tall teams like Worthington, who It’s fortunate that the Gophers saw something in Wha- ended her last two seasons. len that was overlooked by the committees doling out high school honors at the time. (So did Iowa, but Wha- Whalen was a freshman sensation on a so-so team that len turned down the Hawkeyes when she heard that lost in the section quarterfinals to Waseca 63-59. But they had Bears games on TV rather than the Vikings.) she got within one game of “state” as a soph and junior. Whalen’s high school stats are impressive, although Continued on Page 4 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News November 24 Page 4 Whalen: no state trips, but 4 WNBA titles Continued from Page 3 Also picked ahead of Whalen as Miss BB finalists were Hana Peltjo of Osseo, The Tigers were 22-2 her sophomore who became a two-time Ivy League year with a 22-game streak that ended player of the year at Harvard (23.7 in the Section 2AA finals against No. 2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game as a ranked Mankato East 69-56. Whalen had senior) and went on to three seasons of 26 points and Brinkman 15, but Manka- pro ball in Europe; Jenny Brenden, who to East shot 22-for-36, led by Kristen scored 2,279 points for Sauk Rapids- Kachelmyer (27 points) and Jennifer Rice, then played for Penn State, where Mitchell (26). she was a 3-point threat off the bench; Randi Wirt, who tallied 1,793 points The Tigers got closer her junior year, los- and 1,578 rebounds for New Prague, ing to top-seeded Worthington 58-54 in and went on to Colorado, not starting the section finals. Twenty-five of those until her senior year, then becoming an points came from Whalen. The Tigers assistant coach there; and Kate Town- took an 11-0 lead, but could not hold on, ley, leader of Cretin-Derham Hall’s shooting just 28 percent.