Sacred Hoops 2024 Kahler: Weekend Recap

This was Sacred Hoops first tournament of the AAU season and it certainly did not look like it! They went 4-0 at Battle At The Lakes. When I was watching, Sacred Hoops was playing with great energy and they were outworking the opposing team. Coach Greg Kahler has a talented squad and they took care of business. Read below for game results, stats, player comments, and quotes from coach Kahler, [player_tooltip player_id="1270361" first="Lane" last="Tietz"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1266275" first="Nic" last="Marshall"]. <h4>Battle At The Lakes Scores/Results</h4> W 67-56 vs. REAL PHENOM 2024 Moffit2 W 80-73 vs. Powerhouse MN 2024-1 W 52-37 vs. MADISON SPARTANS BASKETBALL 2024 Black W 67-53 vs. Minnesota Heat 2024 Hoyt <h4>Notable Numbers</h4> Team: 67 ppg [player_tooltip player_id="1270361" first="Lane" last="Tietz"]: 20 ppg, 3 apg [player_tooltip player_id="1266275" first="Nic" last="Marshall"]: 19 ppg, 5 rpg [player_tooltip player_id="1415229" first="Tage" last="Ortman"]: 10 ppg, 6 rpg [player_tooltip player_id="1452187" first="Brandon" last="Kjetland"]: 8 rpg [player_tooltip player_id="1270651" first="Trey" last="Maaland"]: 5 ppg, 4 apg Jason Fisher: 3 ppg, 4 rpg <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1452177" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/sacredhoops-crop-1170x769-1652203532-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <h4>Player Comments from Battle At The Lakes</h4> #10 [player_tooltip player_id="1270361" first="Lane" last="Tietz"] |6’0 G| Groton He had a great weekend offensively. Lane didn’t get to play last summer due to shoulder surgery. Sacred Hoops was more than happy to have Tietz back. I think if he proved anything this weekend, it’s that he is more than just a shooter. Lane is an elite playmaker from all 3 levels on the floor. He did a great job finding rhythm shots and finishing at the rim through contact. I think one thing that will always go unnoticed from Tietz is his leadership on both ends of the floor. Lane is constantly communicating and he controls the floor. Tietz blew up on Saturday night and went off for 31 points. #2 [player_tooltip player_id="1266275" first="Nic" last="Marshall"] |6’1 G| White River Nic was really tough this weekend. He was exceptional at getting into the lane and finishing at the rim. Marshall has a really nice fadeaway game and really pushes the ball well in transition. I was really impressed with how well he rebounded this weekend. With his older brother graduating from White River this year, Nic is going to have to expand his role. This is a big summer for his growth. Nic is super skilled with a great feel for the game. #21 [player_tooltip player_id="1415229" first="Tage" last="Ortman"] |6-0 G| Canistota Tage is one of the most dynamic players that coach Kahler has ever coached. His speed and athleticism make him really tough to guard. He did a great job of finding his mid-range shot, running in transition, and getting to the rim off ball reversals and kick-outs. Tage is an elite on-ball defender and he is not afraid to meet someone at the rim with his elite jumping ability. You will have to check this kid out, he is a special athlete. #0 [player_tooltip player_id="1270651" first="Trey" last="Maaland"] |6-0 G| Deuel Trey impacts winning in so many ways. All weekend long he was exceptional at executing the little things. Sacred Hoops plays a smaller lineup, so Trey is sometimes stuck guarding bigger guys. He is a super tough and competitive kid that accepts those challenges. This weekend, Maaland won most of his battles. It was easy to see that Trey is a hard-working player. #24 [player_tooltip player_id="1452187" first="Brandon" last="Kjetland"] |6’4 PF| Canistota This big fella had a really good weekend. It was my first time seeing the big man and I love his game. His size plugs the lane and Brandon takes away avenues on the way to the rim. He uses his big size to bounce people out of his way to collect rebounds. Sacred Hoops uses his size to hammer defenders on ball screens. He helps guards get free from the screen. Kjetland scores around the rim on putbacks and from dimes that his teammates dish. He is a physical finisher that will not let a little contact bother him. #3 Nate Tchida |5-10 G| Sisseton He was an absolute menace defensively. Nate will not jump out on the stat sheet from this weekend, but Sacred Hoops would not have been as successful without him. Nate truly pushed himself to his limits this weekend and he made winning sacrifices every game. This kid will do whatever it takes to win. Tchida is a team-first player that will do whatever it takes to win. Jason Fisher |6-4 F| Sisseton He was impressive this weekend and this was Fisher’s first AAU experience. He picked a great weekend to start! He adapted quickly to the environment and the style of play. Jason did a nice job of rebounding and he led Sacred Hoops in blocked shots. His length led to multiple turnovers as well. Expect Fisher to keep improving every weekend. #4 Logan Wright |6’3 G| White River Logan did what he needed to do for Sacred Hoops. He knocked down open shots, defended really well, and Wright had great vision in finding an open man on offense. Logan did a nice job of being an active screener and cutter this weekend. Wright is a hard worker that has improved quite a bit in the last year. Expect that to keep happening. #23 [player_tooltip player_id="1415234" first="Jake" last="Kuhl"] |6-10 F| Irene-Wakonda Jake is an excellent communicator for Sacred Hoop. He is always talking, barking out what’s coming, and his energy really helped Sacred Hoops defensively. Kuhl has a long wingspan which he uses to help protect the rim. Jake is another player that will be constantly improving by leaps and bounds this summer. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1452312" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/kahlersacredhoops-crop-1170x769-1652209826-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <h4>Q & A with coach Greg Kahler and players [player_tooltip player_id="1270361" first="Lane" last="Tietz"] & [player_tooltip player_id="1266275" first="Nic" last="Marshall"]</h4> PHD: How do you feel the weekend went overall for your team? Coach Kahler: "We had a really good weekend for growth. It was our first tournament playing together, and coming in I knew we would experience our growing pains. But the boys showed a lot of toughness and discipline and competed at a very high level. We’re going to hang our hat on pushing the ball in transition and defending teams tough. I thought we did a great job of controlling those 2 attributes. We faced adversity well. We have what I call the “Win Anyway” mentality. To define that, it means no matter the circumstances, the opponent, how we’re playing, etc… we’re not going to make excuses. We’re going to play our game and simply try and win anyway." PHD: What are a couple of highlights from the weekend? Coach Kahler: "Biggest highlight I think was how quickly the boys built their chemistry and how that translated game to game. We only got better as the weekend progressed. During our first game vs Real Phenom MN we mounted a 12-0 run scoring everything in transition. That really was our spark to get rolling and it carried over into our next game. Defense is never glamorous to viewers, but the way we scrapped and fought was definitely a sight to see." PHD: What are a few things your team needs to work on heading into the next tournament? Coach Kahler: "We start 4 guards so rebounding is a major key for us. [player_tooltip player_id="1270651" first="Trey" last="Maaland"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1415229" first="Tage" last="Ortman"] do a great job actively crashing for boards. We had some sloppy turnovers. In large part due to how fast we play. Once we hammer out those details we will be okay." PHD: Who were a couple of your hardest workers from Battle At The Lakes and what did they do well? Coach Kahler: "Defensively this weekend [player_tooltip player_id="1415229" first="Tage" last="Ortman"], [player_tooltip player_id="1270651" first="Trey" last="Maaland"], and Nate Tchida really defended tough. They were very disruptive and forced a lot of turnovers for us. Jason Fisher and [player_tooltip player_id="1452187" first="Brandon" last="Kjetland"] did a great job rebounding the ball. They understand we’re undersized, so their main focus is to clean up missed shots. All in all, everyone worked really hard. [player_tooltip player_id="1270361" first="Lane" last="Tietz"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1266275" first="Nic" last="Marshall"] were really effective in the open floor. Finding our transition runners and having a major impact on us offensively." [player_tooltip player_id="1270361" first="Lane" last="Tietz"] comments on the weekend "It was a great feeling just to be back in the AAU season after missing all of last summer due to shoulder surgery. We had some rough spots in the first game learning how to play with each other but everything started to click in that 2nd game. Coach Kahler was putting my teammates and I in positions for us to score and get good looks. Once my first couple of shots went in my teammates did a great job of finding me and playing scrappy defense. I’ve talked to a lot of other high-level players about what you should be thinking in-game, and all of them say you have to have the next play mentality and just control what you can control. Don’t overcomplicate things and just react to what’s in front of you. We had a great first tournament and we can’t wait to build off of it for the rest of the AAU season!" [player_tooltip player_id="1266275" first="Nic" last="Marshall"] comments on the weekend "We had a great weekend! I feel like we all played really well together and have great chemistry already for this early in the season. I’m impressed with our overall team defense. During a few dry shooting spells our defense caused some transition layups for us. Coach K brings the energy! He is completely in it with us and it shows by the effort our team gives. Coach wants the best for us, he wants us to be the best we can be. I love to compete, I’m vocal and I’ve been working hard on rebounding better. My biggest strength would probably be my Playmaking ability and my mid-range game."