ECI Prospects 16s won 20 and Grew in the Process
The ECI Prospects had a great 16U season. They had highlight moments, beat some good teams, won 20 games, and all around had a great experience. Coach Tim Brandt talked with PHD about the year today. “I think the greatest…
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Continue ReadingThe ECI Prospects had a great 16U season. They had highlight moments, beat some good teams, won 20 games, and all around had a great experience. Coach Tim Brandt talked with PHD about the year today.
“I think the greatest thing about my guys was how good of friends they became,” said Brandt of his ECI group that came from seven different schools.
“The relationships these kids develop over the summer is the most fun for me to see. I had this group of kids, with the exception of a couple, for the last two years. It has been pretty amazing to see how they have grown as basketball players and as people from the end of their freshman year to the beginning of their junior years.”
Kade Amundson, Josh Sipes, and Kade Lynch all play together at Bismarck Century and of course are quite familiar with each other. Joining Ian Schafer from down the road at Bismarck High, Fargo area talents Cam Saville (Shanley), Joe Pistorius (West Fargo), and Kaleb Johnson (South), and Class B talents Jayce Archambault (Solen) and Hunter Sand (Dakota Prairie) worked well.
“This team had a lot of moments of triumph over the spring and summer, Brandt explained. “The one that sticks out in my mind was during the first Comets tournament in St. Cloud. Joe Pistorius hit a 30 footer at the buzzer to win a game. That was really exciting and it was a lot of fun to see the kids as fired up as they were.”
But as PHD has went out of their way to point this August, AAU basketball is about more than hoops and travel. It’s about bringing the state’s best hoopers together and building a bond on and off the floor.
“They grew in a lot of ways,” Brandt said. “Some guys learned how to work harder. Some guys became better defenders. Some guys became more unselfish. The good part about this group was they are all willing to be coached. That made my job a lot easier.”
Sipes is being talked about by NSIC coaches. Amundson has been talked about by college coaches for over a year. Pistorius have forced them to talk with all the big shots he’s hit in 2016. Others are on the map as well and it all started with challenges. Challenges that these kids are meeting.
“All of these guys are the best players on their respective teams and a lot of them are called on to do everything for their high school teams,” said Brandt.
“During the spring/summer when they all play together they need to find a specific roll, and that can be pretty difficult for some guys. Everyone on this team seemed to find their roll and be able to contribute that way.”
And that’s how the team came together to win 20 games including that memorable buzzer beater against the D1 Minnesota Prospects who were a top ten team in Minnesota at the 16U level.