EDC Outlook: Questions for Contenders

<p>The season is officially underway! Class A teams in North Dakota had practice #1 on Monday. The games will be here before we know it. In the EDC there is no surefire favorite to be at the top of the conference. However, we do have many talented teams. In this article, we are going to ask a question for each team that we consider to be a contender for the top of the EDC. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/NorthDakota.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1126976" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/NorthDakota-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="187" /></a></p> <h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>EDC Contender Questions</strong></span></h3> <h5><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Fargo Davies</strong></span></h5> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Are there enough shots to go around for the Eagles</strong></span><strong>?</strong></p> <p>The Eagles have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talent. They might have the most skilled and athletic players in all of Class A. The only problem when you have so many good players is that there is only one basketball and so many shots in a game. Will they all buy-in and accept their role? I say yes and the coaching staff at Davies will have everyone on the same page. The top upperclassman for Davies will be all-star guard [player_tooltip player_id="812229" first="Ian" last="Motschenbacher"], super athlete [player_tooltip player_id="1161486" first="Alex" last="Proctor"], lightning-quick [player_tooltip player_id="1050247" first="Raymond" last="Brown"], lanky and improved [player_tooltip player_id="1273987" first="Evan" last="Van Dam"], break-out talent [player_tooltip player_id="1237689" first="Carson" last="Barta"], and the long and athletic [player_tooltip player_id="1167651" first="Max" last="Froslie"]. The top youngsters for Davies are athletic forward [player_tooltip player_id="1145145" first="Peter" last="Havelka"], playmaker [player_tooltip player_id="1161524" first="Daniel" last="Yorke"], and super-skilled [player_tooltip player_id="1169136" first="Mason" last="Klabo"]. How they all mix together will be interesting. It is going to be one heck of a year the Eagles, there is not question about that!</p> <h5><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Fargo North</strong></span></h5> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">How will the young talent blend in with the upperclassmen</span>?</strong></p> <p>The Spartans made the State Tournament last season and they will be a top team again this season. North will be loaded with talent that is young and old. It will be interesting to see how they mesh together and who accepts their role. [player_tooltip player_id="1144475" first="Jeremiah" last="Sem"] will be the best player for the Spartans. Another young player for North that will be a dynamic player is [player_tooltip player_id="1144600" first="Carter" last="Zeller"]. [player_tooltip player_id="1161540" first="Bode" last="Hoeg"] is also a talented youngster that has the potential to make an impact on varsity. The seniors for the Spartans that will be difference makers are [player_tooltip player_id="1046363" first="Jalen" last="May"], [player_tooltip player_id="812228" first="Luke" last="Loberg"], [player_tooltip player_id="1265198" first="Gunner" last="Schwartz"], [player_tooltip player_id="1135520" first="Isaac" last="Cody"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1180420" first="Nathaniel" last="Kallod"]. Check out the Spartans they are absolutely Championship contenders.</p> <h5><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Grand Forks Red River</strong></span></h5> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Are they ready to be a top team and get back to State</span>?</strong></p> <p>The Roughriders were a young team last year. They played with some of the top teams last year but could not pick up a signature win. Red River will bring back an experienced squad with loads of talent. I am predicting that the Roughriders will take the next step and be a top team this year in the EDC and they will make a State Tournament appearance. [player_tooltip player_id="1115649" first="Zach" last="Kraft"] will be the smooth PG and an elite shooter. [player_tooltip player_id="812222" first="Paine" last="Parks"] is a strong shooting guard that can shoot but also score around the basket. [player_tooltip player_id="1138811" first="Reis" last="Rowekamp"] is another great 3-point shooter and top-notch defender. [player_tooltip player_id="1138812" first="Carter" last="Byron"] is a big stout post for the Roughriders that is explosive, a tough defender, and an aggressive rebounder. [player_tooltip player_id="1050260" first="Logan" last="Arason"] is another talented forward for RR that is a versatile two-way player. Look out for the Roughriders, they have all the pieces to compete for a top spot.</p> <h5><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Shanley</strong></span></h5> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Can the Kraft brothers take them to the promised land</span>?</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1123122" first="Tyler" last="Kraft"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1128188" first="Conner" last="Kraft"] will be two of the best players in the EDC. The Deacons were competitive last season but came up short in big games. With a year of solid varsity experience and a great spring/summer of AAU ball, I think Shanley will have the chance to do something special this season. Shanley has other solid guys, but Tyler and Conner will be the star players. Tyler is a big guard that that is an incredible shooter. Tyler can also slash and make plays at the rim. Since last spring Conner has seen his stock rise in a huge way. College programs from across the country have shown interest in the big man, and for good reason. Conner is long and very athletic. He finishes above the rim, slashes extremely well, shoots it smoothly from the perimeter, boards up amazingly, and has the potential to be a lockdown defender. Other solid players for Shanley will be [player_tooltip player_id="1317328" first="Carter" last="Jaeger"], [player_tooltip player_id="1135486" first="Anthony" last="Wanner"], [player_tooltip player_id="1265199" first="Jaxon" last="Paul"], [player_tooltip player_id="1213170" first="Vuciri" last="Hakim"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1207499" first="Kaden" last="Christmann"]. The Deacons are for real!</p> <h5><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>West Fargo</strong></span></h5> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Is the Packer "Big 3" enough firepower for a return to the State Tournament</span>? </strong></p> <p>The reigning State Champs are ready for a return to the State Tournament. The Packers lost two key pieces for last year’s team but they return two key pieces as well. [player_tooltip player_id="1161460" first="Nick" last="Carlson"] will be a new starter and a break-out player this year. Carlson is long, skilled, and he plays with a ton of energy. Nick will be one of the best shot blockers in the State and he will likely produce a double-double every night. [player_tooltip player_id="812231" first="Brett" last="Limke"] and [player_tooltip player_id="812219" first="Carson" last="Hegerle"] are the top returning starters for West Fargo. Limke will be one of the best PG’s in ND, he is a cool customer and an elite shooter. Hegerle is a phenomenal athlete and a dynamic scorer. Who else will step up for West Fargo? The top 3 guys will provide the bulk of the offense. [player_tooltip player_id="1046355" first="Parker" last="Nelson"] will be another returning player that is a strong athlete. After that, it will be interesting to see who gets playing time and what kind of depth the Packers will have. It is going to be a fun season!</p> <h5><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>West Fargo Sheyenne</strong></span></h5> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">How will the "new look" Mustangs compete against the top teams</span>?</strong></p> <p>The Mustangs were the best team in Class A for most of last season and they had a huge win streak. They came up short in the State Tournament but the Mustangs had a great season. Sheyenne lost a huge amount of talent, size, and athletes due to graduation. However, this talented program does not rebuild, they reload. [player_tooltip player_id="1046354" first="Michael" last="Nhial"] and [player_tooltip player_id="812221" first="Dominic" last="Dosmann"] played good minutes on varsity last season and they will be two of the better players for Sheyenne. They will provide length, scoring, rebounding, and rim protecting. [player_tooltip player_id="1133064" first="Kaleb" last="Larson"] will be the sniper for the Mustangs. The rest of the Sheyenne players will be athletic, and skilled, but mostly unproven at the varsity level. Here are the other top guys for Sheyenne: [player_tooltip player_id="1133224" first="Zander" last="Newton"], [player_tooltip player_id="1133065" first="James" last="Hagen"], [player_tooltip player_id="1273975" first="Derrick" last="Lobbo"], [player_tooltip player_id="1141526" first="Karter" last="Menz"], <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="812234" first="Trent" last="Freih"]</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1310077" first="David" last="Kanega"]</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id="1141521" first="Dylan" last="Beyl"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1217679" first="Race" last="Wilson"]. I think the Mustangs are going to surprise you this season!</p>