Had to put in some thoughts tonight before I knock off into dreamland about the season that has just gone down.
First, on the MIAC Womens hoops front, I just have to give another shout out to the three teams that received invitations to the NCAA Tournament - UST, SMU and Concordia. All three were very deserving in light of the fact that they survived an unbelievably tough conference schedule and came away with the records that they did. And a belated congratulations to SMU Head Coach Mandy Pearson on being named Coach of The Year for the second year in a row and SMU senior post Courtney Euerle on being named Player of The Year. It's always a team effort for sure but what Pearson has brought to the SMU program is nothing short of amazing and it's no fluke that they recorded the great record that they had which included the MIAC regular season title. I've always felt that Euerle was one of the top post players in the conference and she anchored the Cardinal front line this year. She will be greatly missed next season.
And how about Anoka Ramsey making yet another trip to the NJCAA National Tournament despite being hobbled by injuries late in the year, including the ACL injury to sophomore guard Nicole Schaub? While the Golden Rams came up short in their quest to capture yet another national title, this program is without question one of the best in the nation and Head Coach David DeWitt deserves a lot of credit for keeping this program at the high level it has been on for so many years. I think it's only fair that I recognize eventual national champion Northland out of TR Falls which came out of nowhere as the seventh seed to win the whole ball of wax. Northland Head Coach Shannon (Bolden) Nelson has taken this program far in a short time and the MCAC is going to be that much better because of it.
Oh, and let's not forget Concordia St. Paul either as they held off Emporia State this last weekend in the Division II NCAA Tournament to advance to the Elite Eight next week out in Erie, Pennsylvania. Head Coach Paul Fessler has played such a big role in keeping this program at the high level it has been at for the last decade. The Golden Bears journey is not over yet and let's hope that they can continue their run.
So let's take a quick look at the Minnesota Girls State Basketball Tournament beginning tomorrow (Tuesday 3-18) and see if we can't take a few guesses as to how things might shake out:
Class A - Minneota and Maranatha Christian as the #1 and #2 seeded teams appear to be on a collision course for the Championship Game but one team to keep your eye on may very well be Ada-Borup. Even as the #5 seed, this team has been on the big stage before and they know what it takes to win. Mountain Iron-Buhl is a longshot at the #3 seed IMHO but they can't be completely discounted, either.
Class AA - New Richland - H-E-G appears to be a solid favorite in Class AA simply because of Carly Wagner and, after last year's tournament with the way the future Minnesota Golden Gopher set this town on its ear with record-setting scoring performances, it's difficult to envision anyone having a good shot at knocking them off. One team I am hoping to get a good look at is the second-seeded Kenyon-Wannamingo team sporting a sparkling 29-1 record. I'm just curious as to how they fare this week.
Class AAA - There'll be a new champion in Class AAA as Park Center finally defeated its long-time nemesis for a chance to strut its stuff at the State Tournament. And the Pirates would be a solid, solid pick to win it all as well with Cayla McMorris leading the way. But I can't completely rule out either Fergus Falls or Minneapolis Washburn from trying to crash the party on early Saturday evening; the Millers simply because of Chase Coley. The future Iowa Hawkeye can block shots from here to Timbuktu and she may knock a few into the stands this week as well.
Class AAAA - Ah....This, as well as Class AAA, is the one I can't wait to see how it unfolds as perennial power Hopkins had its usual reservation for this week snuffed out by upstart Eden Prairie. On paper, Class AAAA appears to be wide open although many (including yours truly) believe that Eastview; seemingly having to settle for the bridesmaid's role year after year after year, likely has the inside track to winning their first-ever state title. I tend to THINK they will but it's not as easy as it seems. #2 seed Centennial and #3 see Bloomington Kennedy could both have a lot to say about who gets to play on late Saturday night and both have the tools and mechanics to get it done. Personally, I think the real team to keep your eye on is Anoka as the #5 seed. They're big, they're physical and it takes an Act of God sometimes to get into the paint against them. They've arguably had something of a roller-coaster year this season but they may be playing their best basketball at just the right time. If they can get out of tomorrow's quarterfinal game against Eden Prairie, look out.
And I'm glad to say that I'll be there covering it all again and I'm danged excited to be doing so. This should be fun. Let's get it started!!!
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