Way-Too-Early Team Preview: New Rockford-Sheyenne
The Rockets were a top-10 team in Class B all year and pulled off an upset against Four Winds/Minnewaukan to get to the state tournament. They didn’t waste the opportunity there, winning two games after an opening round loss to…
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Continue ReadingThe Rockets were a top-10 team in Class B all year and pulled off an upset against Four Winds/Minnewaukan to get to the state tournament. They didn’t waste the opportunity there, winning two games after an opening round loss to Bishop Ryan to take home the consolation finish. With two double-figure scorers back in the fold, New Rockford-Sheyenne should be strong again in 2019-20.
GO-TO GUY: Bo Belquist
An all-region nod from a year ago, Belquist is one of the best guards in Class B. He’s going to play football at UND after high school, but before he goes on his way, he’ll have one more winter to terrorize opposing backcourts on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot guard averaged 16 points, four assists and more than two steals per game a year ago and he’ll have a chance to put up bigger numbers this year as the clear go-to guy.
BREAKOUT CANDIDATE: Evan Ulrich
Ulrich saw sparing minutes a year ago but looked solid playing with ND Phenom over the summer and should give the Rockets a presence inside that they didn’t have last year. At 6-foot-7, Ulrich has the size, strength, motor and scoring touch to chase double-double type numbers and hold down the fort on the defensive end.
QUESTION: Will the Rockets have depth?
As good as New Rockford was a year ago, the Rockets relied mostly on six guys. That’s not incredibly uncommon for Class B teams (or a lot of high school teams) but with just three guys bringing back significant experience from a year ago, there are going to be a lot of minute up for grabs for guys who haven’t proven themselves at the varsity level.
OUTLOOK
The Rockets have solid returners joining Belquist in Hunter Thompson (13 points and six rebounds in 2018-19) and Nathan Holzwarth plus some young talent that should be capable of filling in new roles. After experiencing a lot of success in multiple sports, this Rockets athletic program has a culture of winning. Don’t expect that to stop next winter.