WEEKLY ROUNDUP *Springfield’s Fink, Hastings’ Carlson score 2,000th *Rush City girls 14-0 with daunting defense *Two unbeatens fall Volume 24 Issue No. 9 January 26 2017-2018 Jefferson’s Cole Aldrich proves to be NBA survivor By Bruce Strand ow does a guy stick around in the NBA for eight seasons while av- eragingH a little over three points and three rebounds in his career? In Cole Aldrich’s case, local fans are happy to see him in the NBA because Nasir El-Amin of Minneapolis North drives against Roosevelt’s the 6-foot-11 center from Blooming- Eric Atson duing a 75-58 victory on Friday. ton Jefferson is one of the few Minne- Bruce Strand, Minnesota Basketball News sotans in the league (currently five), he’s by all accounts a good guy and solid citizen, and now he’s playing for 3 wins in 3 days is good the Timberwolves. But how does one earn that lofty NBA paycheck while limited, this season for instance, to prep for Mpls. North 11 games, seven points and four re- bounds total? His most productive By Bruce Strand “We do that every year. We want the seasons, for the record, were 2014-15 with the Knicks, averaging 5.5 points, he Minneapolis North boys love kids to get a feel of playing in a big tournament,” coach Larry McKen- 3.9 rebounds and 16 minutes, and challenges, and that includes 2015-16 with the Clippers, averag- playingT three games in three days, zie explained, adding that they went 3-0 in the same situation last year. ing 5.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 13.3 against quality teams. minutes. Last week, the No. 2 ranked Class The Polars (10-3), who were Class A state champions the past two “Cole is there for two real reasons,” 2A team beat Minneapolis Henry explains Terry Kunze, the Minnesota 95-53 on Thursday night and Min- years and moved up to Class 2A this year, load up the schedule with Basketball News pro and college ana- neapolis Roosevelt 75-58 on Fri- lyst. “He is a good teammate, and has day night, both at home. Then ven- as many ranked teams as they can, both in and out of state. enough experience that he can help tured to Caledonia on Saturday and them in an emergency if players go nipped the No. 4 ranked Warriors 79-77. Mpls. North: continued on page 2 Cole Aldrich: continued on page 3 Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page 2 North: 10-3 record includes 3-1 against other states Continued from page 1 ing on a pretty good team,” McKenzie said, adding that Tre’s mom, Crystal Flint, coaches the Polar girls, and his Their losses have come against Apple brother Marquis, a 2017 graduate, Valley 81-79, Eden Prairie 69-57, and plays for North Dakota Science. Corliss, Illinois, 60-59. Along with Caledonia, they have beaten Brooklyn Campbell sank 19 points, Johnson Center, South Dakota power Tea Area, 18, Odell Wilson 14, El-Amin 12 and and North Lawndale Prep of Chicago. Holloman nine against Caledonia. The On Thursday evening, they took on Polars couldn’t stop Caledonia’s King Class 2A’s top-ranked Minneahaha brothers as 2,000-point senior Owen Area in a possible state finals preview. King had 27 points and 1,000-point We’ll have a report on that next week. sophomore Noah King added 22, but nobody else got more than seven. The Polars boast two of the 26 seniors “Those King boys are as good as any- named as Mr. Basketball contenders body you’ll see,” McKenzie said. in Odell Wilson IV, barrel-chested, 6-foot-6 post averaging 19.9 points The basketball players all play foot- and 8.7 rebounds, and Tayler John- ball also, and went 10-1 this fall with son, 6-foot-3 forward averaging 17.8 conference and section champion- points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.0 steals. Tre Holloman, 8th-grade ships — before falling to eventual starter for North, rebounds state champion Caledonia 38-0 in the Others in their top eight are ju- against Roosevelt. the first round of state. So there was nior guard Eli Campbell (12.8 ppg), Bruce Strand, MN Basketball News a little revenge involved on Saturday. eighth-grade guard Tre Holloman Johnson and Odell are being recruited (9.4), junior guard Nasir El-Amin (6.4), junior forward even more for football than basketball, McKenzie said. Omar Brown (5.3), senior guard Zion Sanford (3.9) and 6-foot-8 senior center Da’Koi Hines (2.9). Along with trips to Sioux Falls to meet Tea Area, and to Chicago for the games against North Lawndale and In the 79-77 win at Caledonia, Holloman delivered the Corliss, the Polars will meet a ranked Wisconsin team, winning points on two free shots with seven seconds Kaukauna, in the annual Border Battle at Stevens Point left, when fouled on a drive. on Jan. 27. And they beat an Illinois team in their own holiday tournament. So far, they’ve upheld Minneso- “Tre is something special. He is an eighth-grader, start- ta’s honor with a 3-1 record against other states. Springfield, Hastings stars reach 2,000 points pringfield junior Isaac Fink scored 41 points and been a starter alongside Fink all four years. Vogel had passed the 2,000-point marker in a 103-82 win over 21 points and 11 rebounds. MinnesotaS Valley Lutheran on Jan. 19. * * * The 6-foot-4 guard — averaging 22.5 points for the Ti- rystal Carlson of Hastings notched her 2,000th grs (13-1) in his fourth year as a starter — had been bat- point on Jan. 18 while scoring 21 points in a 54-42 tling the flu all week, but, as he told the New Ulm Jour- lossK to Tartan. The 5-foot-11 senior forward is averag- nal, he was determined to score his 2,000th at home ing 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds for the Raiders (10- because his 1,000th came on the road. 6), while her sophomore teammate Mallory Brake adds 18.4 ppg. Carlson, committed to Sioux Falls University, Needing 39 points, Fink got there by sinking two free has been a double-digit scorer since eighth grade, with shots with 3:42 left. The game was stopped. The first of a high of 21 ppg as a sophomore. She is the school’s many teammates to hug him was Tanner Vogel, who’s all-time hoops point leader for boys and girls. Pacesetter Newsletter Minnesota Basketball News January 26 Page 3 Adrich: in 8th NBA season with 7th team Continued from page 1 he led Bloomington Jefferson to the state down. He accepts his role, and he is a positive tournament and capped his prep career with a locker room influence.” 32-point, 21-rebound performance at the Tar- get Center. The Jaguars lost a heartbreaker to Few players No. 12 to 15 on an NBA roster Apple Valley 68-66. That was the year Buffalo see the floor often, and if such a player is un- was Class 4A champion. happy and a negative influence, he’s harder to keep, said Kunze, a former Gopher, European After amassing 1,607 points and 1,226 re- pro and college coach who watches the NBA bounds for the Jaguars, he was Metro Player zealously. “It takes a special person to accept of the Year for the Pioneer Press and Star-Tri- that role and still work his butt off in practice bune, and a Mr. Basketball finalist, although without animosity,” Kunze said. “These types that award went to Hopkins’ Blake Hoffarber. of players with size can hang on in the league Rivals.com ranked Aldrich No. 30 overall and for years. Aldrich is living proof.” No. 6 among centers in the nation. He picked one of the best programs, Kansas. Aldrich, 29, has played for seven NBA teams. In two seasons with Oklahoma City, he shut- Aldrich was part of an NCAA champion at tled between OKC and their D-League team in Kansas his first season. Although he played sparingly behind three NBA draft picks, he Tulsa. In the 2012-13 season, he suited up with Cole Aldrich Toronto, Houston, and Sacramento. That was had an excellent Final Four semifinal against followed by two seasons as a New York Knick, North Carolina -- 16 minutes, eight rebounds, one with the Los Angeles Clippers and the last two with seven points and four blocked shots. As a sophomore, the Timberwolves. Aldrich averaged 14.9 points and 11 rebounds and made All-Big Twelve first team. He averaged 11.3 points and In 328 NBA games, Aldrich has notched 1,050 points 9.8 rebounds as a junior. In three seasons, he was on the and 1,117 rebounds while shooting 53 percent on field winning team in all 55 home games. Always an excellent goals and 75 percent at the line. His most productive NBA student, he was named CoSIDA Basketball Academic All- game was a 21-point, 18-rebound, five-steal effort with American of the year by ESPN The Magazine in 2010. the Clippers in a 102-99 win over Utah on April 8, 2016. In January of that same season he logged 19 points and In the 2010 NBA draft, he was the 11th pick, by New Or- seven rebounds in a 104-90 win over Miami. leans, and traded to Oklahoma City the same day, starting an NBA tenure now in its eighth year.