Thoughts On All-Star Weekend

Just a few final thoughts on this All Star Weekend put on by the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association:

1.  First, a hearty congratulations to Braham's Rebekah Dahlman on being named Minnesota's Miss Basketball for 2013.  There were a host of other worthy candidates as well including Nia Coffey of Hopkins, Jessica January of Richfield, Tyseanna Johnson of De La Salle, and MC McGrory of Edina but, in the end, it was too tough to deny Dahlman of this honor. 

2.  One observation made by my colleague Mike Peden yesterday during our webcast of Saturday's games was that this is one of the deepest classes Minnesota has had since perhaps 2009 that included Tayler Hill.  You've got at LEAST three players who have the potential to take their games to the next level after they complete their college careers - Dahlman, Coffey, and January.  It's always a bit tricky to try and predict the future and how they'll fare at their respective college but these three definitely have a shot if things work out right for them.  I certainly hope things do for all of them and that we see them in the WNBA in the not-too-distant future.

3.  Okay, now my big gripe:  I can somewhat understand the concerns of the outstate participants and their families and friends who may have to travel a bit to come watch them play BUT the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association has GOT to do the right thing and go back to the Saturday night/Sunday afternoon format they used to have for this event.  It's true that the advent of (FINALLY!) nice weather may have kept the crowds down a bit for Saturday afternoon's games but having the first session on Saturday evening almost always tends to draw a greater crowd and more interest.  And, to be honest, there's perhaps no bigger bummer than coming out of the Saturday afternoon session between 4:30 and 5:00 P.M. on a nice day and realizing that your afternoon is pretty much shot.  I hope the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Association recognizes this and does the right thing.

4.  One other item:  What happened to the three-point shooting contests that were always a part of the All Star series?  It's supposed to be a fun event for the participants so why not have this?  Food for thought.