By Matt Krumrie
MaxPreps.com
STARTING FIVE
1. State Champs Crowned: The 2007-08 season concluded last weekend with the state tournament. Four champs were crowned: Minnetonka (4A), Benilde-St. Margaret’s (3A), New London-Spicer (2A) and Ellsworth (1A).
2. State Scoring Record Set: Ellsworth’s Cody Schilling set the Minnesota state boys basketball career scoring record at this year’s state tournament. Schilling finished his career with 3,428 points, breaking the previous record of 3,366 points set by Isaiah Dahlman of Braham in 2006. Dahlman now plays at Michigan State. Schilling is undecided on his college plans but his options include Division II national champion Winona State, Augustana of South Dakota, or Minnesota, where he has been offered the chance to walk-on by coach Tubby Smith.
3. Mr. Basketball Finalist Named: The field of Mr. Basketball finalists has been narrowed to five. Among the five to be honored at a banquet April 27 are: Anthony Tucker, Minnetonka; Schilling; Jordan Taylor and Armond Battle of Benilde-St. Margaret’s, and Jared Berrgern of Princeton.
4. Third-Place Winners: Four teams left the state tournament with wins, and claimed third-place finishes at the 2008 Boys State basketball tournament. They were: St. Cloud Tech (4A), Willmar (3A), Maple River (2A), and Cass-Lake Bena (1A).
5. All-Star Series Set: The Minnesota State Coaches Association All-Star Series is being held this weekend at St. Cloud State University and Concordia-St. Paul. Among the 40 players participating nine have committed to Division I schools, seven to Division II schools and three to Division III.
THREE TO WATCH
1. Royce White, Hopkins: That’s right, the 6-foot-7 junior has enrolled at big school power Hopkins. White, who averaged over 20 points per game for DeLaSalle this season and is attracting major interest from a number of Division I schools, has enrolled at Hopkins and will play for Ken Novak’s Royals next season. White was expelled from DeLaSalle for disciplinary reasons in the middle of the 2007-08 season. His family has moved to the Hopkins district, it was reported, and White is expected to be eligible for the entire 2008-09 season.
2. Mike Bruesewitz, Henry Sibley: The 6-8 Wisconsin signee was a force for big school runner-up Sibley all season, and should be one of the top players in the state next season. He’s athletic, strong and can play inside and out. There were times in the state final against Minnetonka where Bruesewitz brought the ball up court after Sibley guard Peter Leslie was knocked out with a concussion. Still, the big man is best suited down low, and will be a fun player to watch next season. Bruesewitz has committed to Wisconsin.
3. New Mercy Rule: The Minnesota State High School League approved a new mercy rule to go in effect with the 2008-09 season. The rule will go into effect if a team has a 35-point or more lead in the final nine minutes of a varsity game. Those final nine minutes will be running time. The clock will go back to normal time if the lead is cut to less than 35.
TWO HOT TOO HANDLE
1. Jordan Taylor, Benilde-St. Margaret’s: The state’s Gatorade Player of the Year and Wisconsin recruit was at his best in the state tournament. He scored 43 points in a AAA quarterfinal win over Como Park last week, and made six free throws in the final minutes and finished with 20 points to help secure the Red Knights' 57-52 win over St. Thomas Academy and a state title.
2. New London-Spicer: The 2A champs went 33-1 this season and defeated Crosby-Ironton 59-51 to win the state title. Skylar Wachter led the Wildcats with 19 points in the championship game win, while teammate Erik Tengwall added 11 points and Chris Tengwall had 14 rebounds.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
1,279 – Career points scored by Henry Sibley guard Peter Leslie, a boys basketball record at the Mendota Heights school. The previous record was held by Trevor Mbwake, a 6-8 forward who now plays at Marquette.
80 – Points scored in three games for Minnesota Transitions guard Virgil Baker. Transitions lost to Ellsworth in the 1A state championship game. In addition to averaging almost 27 points per game Baker made 19 of 26 free throws and averaged just over 6 rebounds per game.
63 – Shooting percentage of St. Cloud Tech guard Nate Wolters. Wolters led Tech to a third-place finish in Class 3A, a 29-3 record and averaged 21.2 points per game, five rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals per game.
27 – Points scored by Minnetonka’s Anthony Tucker in the Skippers’ 4A state title win Saturday. Tucker, guard Andy Burns and forward C.J. Erickson were named to the 4A All-Tournament team.
22 – Points Minnetonka trailed by in the first half in the 4A state finals before coming back to defeat Henry Sibley 68-59.
13 – Free throws made by Ellsworth’s Schilling in the Panthers’ 81-69 win over Minnesota Transitions in the state title game. He attempted 16 free throws and finished with a game-high 31 points.
