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…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Subscribe for access to all premium articles and rankings.
Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inThere 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!
WDA Contender Questions
Bismarck Century
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:
Connor Trahan
Connor
Trahan
6'5" | SG
Bismarck Century | 2022
State
ND
,
Anthony Doppler
Anthony
Doppler
6'4" | SG
Bismarck Century | 2023
State
ND
,
Ryan Erikson
Ryan
Erikson
6'10" | C
Bismarck Century | 2023
State
ND
,
William Ware
William
Ware
6'7" | SF
Bismarck Century | 2023
State
ND
,
Tyler Birst
Tyler
Birst
6'0" | PG
Bismarck Century | 2023
State
ND
, and
Isaiah Schafer
Isaiah
Schafer
6'1" | CG
Bismarck Century | 2024
State
#246
Nation
ND
.
Bismarck
Who will step up and compliment
Treysen Eaglestaff
Treysen
Eaglestaff
6'5" | SF
Bismarck | 2022
State
ND
?
Treysen Eaglestaff
Treysen
Eaglestaff
6'5" | SF
Bismarck | 2022
State
ND
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:
George Gillette
George
Gillette
6'2" | SG
Bismarck | 2022
State
ND
,
Ethan Stotz
Ethan
Stotz
6'1" | SF
Bismarck | 2022
State
ND
,
Cole Jahner
Cole
Jahner
6'3" | SG
Bismarck | 2023
ND
,
Gannon Swanson
Gannon
Swanson
5'10" | SG
Bismarck | 2023
ND
,
Preston Lemar
Preston
Lemar
6'2" | SG
Bismarck | 2024
State
ND
, and
Carter Henke
Carter
Henke
6'1" | SG
Bismarck | 2024
State
ND
.
Bismarck Legacy
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
Zander Albers
Zander
Albers
6'5" | PF
Bismarck Legacy | 2022
State
ND
,
Logan Wetzel
Logan
Wetzel
6'3" | SG
Bismarck Legacy | 2022
State
ND
,
Joey Buzalsky
Joey
Buzalsky
6'0" | PG
Bismarck Legacy | 2022
State
ND
,
Jaxon Kellogg
Jaxon
Kellogg
6'3" | PG
Bismarck Legacy | 2023
State
ND
,
Aiden Sagaser
Aiden
Sagaser
6'3" | SF
Bismarck Legacy | 2023
ND
,
Lucas Kupfer
Lucas
Kupfer
6'5" | SF
Bismarck Legacy | 2024
State
ND
, and
Andrew Jablonski
Andrew
Jablonski
6'4" | PF
Bismarck Legacy | 2024
State
ND
.
St. Mary’s
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
Nate Fedorchak
Nate
Fedorchak
6'1" | SG
Bismarck St. Mary's | 2022
State
ND
,
Evan Gross
Evan
Gross
6'3" | SG
Bismarck St. Mary's | 2022
State
ND
,
Garrett Bader
Garrett
Bader
6'2" | SG
Bismarck St. Mary's | 2022
State
ND
,
Nick Schumacher
Nick
Schumacher
6'1" | SG
Bismarck St. Mary's | 2022
ND
,
Ben Morman
Ben
Morman
6'10" | C
St. Mary's | 2022
State
ND
,
Maddox Doppler
Maddox
Doppler
6'5" | PF
Bismarck St. Mary's | 2023
State
ND
,
Matthew Selensky
Matthew
Selensky
6'3" | SG
Bismarck St. Mary's | 2023
ND
, and
Sam Fedorchak
Sam
Fedorchak
6'0" | PG
Bismarck St. Mary's | 2024
State
ND
.
Dickinson
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
Alex Dvorak
Alex
Dvorak
6'1" | PG
Dickinson | 2023
State
ND
.
Britton Cranston
Britton
Cranston
5'10" | SG
Dickinson | 2022
State
ND
is another player who can fill it up from deep. A few of the other shooters for Dickinson will be
Isaac Daley
Isaac
Daley
6'4" | SG
Dickinson | 2022
ND
,
Tyrese Annace
Tyrese
Annace
6'1" | SG
Dickinson | 2023
ND
,
Drew Biel
Drew
Biel
6'0" | SG
Dickinson | 2023
State
ND
,
Damon Glasser
Damon
Glasser
6'4" | SG
Dickinson | 2024
State
ND
,
Tyson Schneider
Tyson
Schneider
6'0" | SG
Dickinson | 2024
ND
,
Owen Bittner
Owen
Bittner
5'10" | SG
Dickinson | 2024
State
ND
, and
Thomas Freer
Thomas
Freer
5'7" | SG
Dickinson | 2024
ND
.
Jamestown
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:
Luke Van Berkom
Luke
Van Berkom
6'8" | PF
Jamestown | 2022
State
ND
,
Devin Beach
Devin
Beach
6'3" | SG
Jamestown | 2022
State
ND
, and
Adam Kallenbach
Adam
Kallenbach
6'0" | SG
Jamestown | 2022
State
ND
. 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.
Ryan Larson
Ryan
Larson
6'3" | SG
Jamestown | 2024
State
ND
and
Dalton Lamp
Dalton
Lamp
6'1" | SG
Jamestown | 2024
State
ND
are the top sophomores for the Blue Jays.
Minot
What will the Magicians have outside of
Eric Wentz
Eric
Wentz
6'2" | SG
Minot | 2022
State
ND
and
Darik Dissette
Darik
Dissette
6'4" | SG
Minot | 2023
State
#300
Nation
ND
?
Eric Wentz
Eric
Wentz
6'2" | SG
Minot | 2022
State
ND
and
Darik Dissette
Darik
Dissette
6'4" | SG
Minot | 2023
State
#300
Nation
ND
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.