Breakout Players to Watch: Gopher Conference
The Gopher Conference has been one of the most competitive small-school conferences in southern Minnesota for a long time now. Maple River’s emerged as a Class 2A contender on a yearly basis, New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown have both enjoyed big…
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Continue ReadingThe Gopher Conference has been one of the most competitive small-school conferences in southern Minnesota for a long time now. Maple River’s emerged as a Class 2A contender on a yearly basis, New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva and Waterville-Elysian-Morristown have both enjoyed big success and return perhaps the top individual players in the conference and even teams like Bethlehem Academy and United South Central could be in for strong seasons after suffering down seasons a year ago.
There are plenty of big-name individuals in the conference like Zac Olson from WEM, Oakley Baker from NRHEG, USC’s Ryan Kloos and Maple River’s Cole Sohre garnering a lot of the attention from their opposition. But those guys aren’t the only ones that will be asked to make a big impact in the 2016-17 season.
Here are some players who could potentially break out and emerge as top-level players in the conference this upcoming season:
Benji Lundberg – 2018 – NRHEG
Lundberg is one of several guys who the Panthers could look to for scoring next to Oakley Baker this upcoming season. NRHEG graduated John Cole who was the No. 2 guy in the Panthers attack a season ago and while Lundberg doesn’t have near the physical presence Cole did, his ability to stretch the defense with his outside shooting will be a major weapon for a team that could legitimately win the Gopher.
Lundberg averaged about seven points per game last year as a Sophomore and should join Baker, Tyler Raimann, Chad Agrimson and Sam Prigge in the starting lineup this year. With Baker drawing heavy attention from opposing defenses on the outside and Raimann drawing attention in the paint, Lundberg should have ample opportunity to pour in points from the perimeter and his ability to stretch the defense could help provide those guys with extra room to operate.
While the Panthers struggled at times to find a consistent production after Baker a year ago, they’ll have options this season for when teams load up to slow him down. Lundberg will be one of those guys and it wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up as the team’s second leading scorer.
Jack Clark – 2019 – Bethlehem Academy
Clark might not necessarily break out in the sense that he sees a big increase in playing time or statistical output, rather he’s a guy that might make a bigger overall impact on his team and establish himself as one of the top five or six players in the conference. As a freshman, Clark averaged 14 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists for a young Cardinals team.
A strong and steady point guard, Clark is a natural slasher and excels in transition. His outside shot is developing and at times last season he forced the issue too often. A year of experience and physical development should erase those issues. He’s to the talent to put up 16 points and 5-6 assists per game as a sophomore.
The Cardinals return all five starters from a year ago and enter the first year with head coach Eric Hildebrandt. After winning just nine games last season, passing up Maple River, WEM and NRHEG seems unlikely but it wouldn’t come as a shock to see them come close to doubling their win total from a year ago. Clark’s emergence from a good player to one of the best players is a big reason for that optimism.
Logan Sendle – 2017 – WEM
Sendle’s numbers as a junior don’t stand out much but his impact on the game was big for a Buccaneers team that won 25 games. Sendle took less than five shots per game as a junior and averaged about six points and five assists but with WEM graduating three of the main six players including their second and third leading scorers, on top of WEM’s star forward Zac Olson potentially out until Christmas with a knee injury, Sendle could easily double that scoring average while maintaining a solid assist rate.
A pesky on-ball defender, Sendle is a guy people hate playing against and love playing with. He’s long and quick and while his aggressiveness would theoretically land him in foul trouble, he’s a smart defender and picks his spots really well, which allows him to stay on the floor 30-plus minutes per night. He’s a good shooter, connecting on 39 percent of his 3-pointers a year ago while shooting 48 percent from the field and generally sure-handed with the ball. The Bucs offense is pretty free-flowing and Sendle will have opportunities to either look for his shot off the bounce, drive and kick to a host of capable shooters or play two-man game with Olson.
If WEM is going to contend in the Gopher this upcoming season, Sendle will have to pick up the slack offensively while continuing to defend at a high level.
Ethan Sindelir – 2018 – Maple River
Sindelir started for an Eagles team that won 27 games and went to the state tournament so calling him a breakout player might be a tad inaccurate. But after taking a back seat to Will Keller and Brandon Sohre, Sindelir should get more recognition this upcoming season.
Sindelir is cut from a similar cloth to Sendle in that he’s a pest and a pain to play against. At 6-foot-3, he’s strong enough to guard a lot of face up post players and quick enough to switch and defend guys on the wing. He’s an in-your-face guy who’s always using leverage for position. He’s active on the glass and hasn’t shown a lot of regard for his own body in pursuit of loose balls. He’s a try-hard — in a good way.
He won’t be a featured offensive player — though the Eagles don’t really run an offense that “features” anybody — but his value offensively comes from his ability to score and contribute without needing the ball in his hands. Cole Sohre and Jeff Lewis figure to take on the larger scoring roles but Sindelir is capable of putting up 8-11 points and five rebounds while playing tough defense for an Eagles team that should contend in the Gopher.