WDA Outlook: Questions for Contenders

There is no heavy favorite in the WDA this season. However, some people think that Bismarck Century has the most talent and pieces to make a deep run. Many teams lost a large amount of talent last year because of graduation. In this article, we are going to ask a question for each team that we consider to be a Championship Contender. Let the speculation begin... Oh yeah, the 1st practice of the season starts today! <h3>WDA Contender Questions</h3> <h5>Bismarck Century</h5> How will they handle the high expectations? In my opinion, the Patriots should be ranked #1 in the Preseason Polls. They have it all! Century has size, length, shooters, rebounders, ball handlers, and creators. Will there be enough shots to go around? They are very talented, I just hope everyone stays happy with how many shots they are getting. The main Patriots played plenty of varsity minutes last season but they will still be a young team and they did not make the State Tournament. However, I am predicting that the Patriots are back in the Big Dance this year and the favorite to win it. These players will buy into their roles and do what is best for the team. Here are the top Patriots: [player_tooltip player_id="812232" first="Connor" last="Trahan"], [player_tooltip player_id="1048689" first="Anthony" last="Doppler"], [player_tooltip player_id="1050245" first="Ryan" last="Erikson"], [player_tooltip player_id="1050255" first="William" last="Ware"], [player_tooltip player_id="1139254" first="Tyler" last="Birst"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1111175" first="Isaiah" last="Schafer"]. <h5>Bismarck</h5> Who will step up and compliment [player_tooltip player_id="1046352" first="Treysen" last="Eaglestaff"]? [player_tooltip player_id="1046352" first="Treysen" last="Eaglestaff"] will be the most gifted offensive player in Class A this season. Do you think the Demons have enough firepower around him to beat the top teams? Bismarck has a deep rotation with many players. The Demons might not need one player to step up, it can be a team effort. When they play 10-12 players in a game, they can all chip in. Treysen is going to be a stud and I would not be surprised if he averages over 30+ points a night. Here are a few names that will help chip in on the offensive end for Bismarck: [player_tooltip player_id="1136404" first="George" last="Gillette"], [player_tooltip player_id="1135881" first="Ethan" last="Stotz"], [player_tooltip player_id="1141138" first="Cole" last="Jahner"], [player_tooltip player_id="1169979" first="Gannon" last="Swanson"], [player_tooltip player_id="1144489" first="Preston" last="Lemar"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1167964" first="Carter" last="Henke"]. <h5>Bismarck Legacy</h5> Can the Sabers score with the other powers of the WDA? The Sabers will be long and athletic. Kupfer was a scoring machine for Legacy last season. They lost him to graduation. I wonder who will step into that role for the Sabers? Maybe it will be a balanced scoring effort. Legacy should be a solid defensive team, so they might not have to outscore teams if they can hold them down with their defense. Some of the top scoring options for the Sabers will be [player_tooltip player_id="1046353" first="Zander" last="Albers"], [player_tooltip player_id="812225" first="Logan" last="Wetzel"], [player_tooltip player_id="812223" first="Joey" last="Buzalsky"], [player_tooltip player_id="1050251" first="Jaxon" last="Kellogg"], [player_tooltip player_id="1170009" first="Aiden" last="Sagaser"], [player_tooltip player_id="1168192" first="Lucas" last="Kupfer"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1168187" first="Andrew" last="Jablonski"]. <h4>St. Mary’s </h4> Can the Saints rely solely on guard play? The Saint’s will be ready to contend for a top spot. They will have a deep backcourt with multiple guys that can play fast and hit 3-pointers. I wonder if they will have enough size and if they can score enough points with only perimeter players? The Saints do have some length, so they do have the potential to score in the paint. St. Mary’s can potentially spread the floor in the half-court offense and rely on 3-pointers and slashing to the basket for points. The top Saints will be [player_tooltip player_id="1046367" first="Nate" last="Fedorchak"], [player_tooltip player_id="1046359" first="Evan" last="Gross"], [player_tooltip player_id="1135509" first="Garrett" last="Bader"], [player_tooltip player_id="1046361" first="Nick" last="Schumacher"], [player_tooltip player_id="1165553" first="Ben" last="Morman"], [player_tooltip player_id="1139266" first="Maddox" last="Doppler"], [player_tooltip player_id="1162332" first="Matthew" last="Selensky"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1164081" first="Sam" last="Fedorchak"]. <h5>Dickinson</h5> Can they shoot 3-pointers consistently all season? The Midgets will not have much size. However, they will have multiple guards that can score points in a hurry. I think the Midgets might live and die by the 3-pointer. They will be able to beat anyone on any given night when everyone is hitting. There might be some tough nights if they are not falling, but Dickinson has many shooters, so they may never have an off night as a team. The top shooter and playmaker will be [player_tooltip player_id="1050249" first="Alex" last="Dvorak"]. [player_tooltip player_id="1133066" first="Britton" last="Cranston"] is another player who can fill it up from deep. A few of the other shooters for Dickinson will be [player_tooltip player_id="1135885" first="Isaac" last="Daley"], [player_tooltip player_id="1162410" first="Tyrese" last="Annace"], [player_tooltip player_id="1162309" first="Drew" last="Biel"], [player_tooltip player_id="1144491" first="Damon" last="Glasser"], [player_tooltip player_id="1163448" first="Tyson" last="Schneider"], [player_tooltip player_id="1163488" first="Owen" last="Bittner"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1163504" first="Thomas" last="Freer"]. <h5>Jamestown</h5> Who will be leaders for the Blue Jays? The Blue Jays lost leadership, ball handling, scoring, and athleticism to graduation. This does not mean it will be a down year for Jamestown it will just be a new-look team. Who will step up and lead the charge? Here are candidates for the Blue Jay players: [player_tooltip player_id="1131172" first="Luke" last="Van Berkom"], [player_tooltip player_id="1046365" first="Devin" last="Beach"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1135496" first="Adam" last="Kallenbach"]. Van Berkom will be the size and a vital post presence. Beach will be an athletic 2-way player. Kallenbach will be another nice athlete who will be a playmaker and potential leading scorer. Jamestown also has a couple of young players that could play a role on varsity if they get a chance. [player_tooltip player_id="1144483" first="Ryan" last="Larson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1161538" first="Dalton" last="Lamp"] are the top sophomores for the Blue Jays. <h5>Minot</h5> What will the Magicians have outside of [player_tooltip player_id="1111173" first="Eric" last="Wentz"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1050246" first="Darik" last="Dissette"]? [player_tooltip player_id="1111173" first="Eric" last="Wentz"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1050246" first="Darik" last="Dissette"] are good enough players to be selected as All-State Players at the end of the season. Will that be enough for Minot? The Magicians lost the best point guard in North Dakota last year to graduation. The Magi will need someone to step up as the floor general. Wentz and Dissette could both average over 20 points per game this season. Also, they are both elite defenders. Minot will be competitive in every game, but can they beat the top teams with just two big names? Only time will tell. Minot will have plenty of options on who can step up. We will just have to wait and see who those players will be.