ECI 16U Selects Russell: Season Rewind

Today, we are checking out a group of incoming juniors from ECI. We have a nice mix of East and West players, 7 are from Class A and 1 player is from Class B. This group went hard, and they played the game the right way. They improved throughout the AAU season and these players will come into the high school season ready to make some noise on their respective teams. Read below for a season recap, player comments, and a Q & A session with coach Tanner Russell.   Season Recap with coach Tanner Russell   Comets Shootout 4/2-4/3: "We went 1-3 in our first weekend. Still figuring out how to play with each other, but we had some solid minutes of playing some very good team basketball. We have a lot of talent and it was just a matter of finding the best way to use it."   Midwest Live Spring Showcase 4/23-4/24: "We went down to Nebraska and played high-caliber talent in Omaha. Although the competition was high, we started to mesh better and trust each other. Better played team basketball."   SPTS#1 4/30-5/1: "First weekend in the SPTS against most of the top teams. We had some great runs but came up short that weekend."   ECI Spring Showcase 5/14-5/15: "This was finally the culmination of all the losses. We went 3-1 on the weekend and lost in the Championship game by 2 to a very good team. We played great team basketball all weekend and it showed."   The Border Battle 5/21-5/22: "While we lost to the other ECI Selects team, we played hard all weekend. We went 2-2 and competed in every game that we played."   Great Plains Alliance 6/29-6/30: "While we played well together, we missed some shots down the line and were unable to string together more than 1 win. 2 of the 3 losses were decided by less than 5 points."   D1 Summer Classic 7/16-7/17: "If we would not have lost the first-round game, we would have had a great chance to win the tournament. Even after a first-round loss we recovered and won the consolation bracket."   Pentagon Summer Classic 7/23-7/24: "In the last tournament of the year we were short-staffed. With only 6 guys, we found a way to compete in every game."   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/ECI-3.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/ECI-3.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1539445" width="153" height="96"/></a></figure>   ECI 16U Selects Russell - ROSTER   Comments from coach Tanner Russell   [player_tooltip player_id='1540725' first='Sawyer' last='Grubb'] |5'9 G| Bismarck Legacy   "Shifty guard that can make tough shots when needed. He progressively became a better on-ball defender and a better passer as the year progressed."   [player_tooltip player_id='1168165' first='Carson' last='Eggert'] |5'10 G| Valley City   "Knock down shooter that is a threat to score from any area on the perimeter. He became a better defender and found his shot early in the season and maintained it throughout the season."   [player_tooltip player_id='1161540' first='Bode' last='Hoeg'] |6'2 G| Fargo North   "Became the leader of this squad. He is a guard that can lead his team back from any deficit. He does it through hard work and making the right plays. He became the floor general that this team needed him to become."   [player_tooltip player_id='1145145' first='Peter' last='Havelka'] |6'5 PF| Fargo Davies   Became more of a paint presence. He's not afraid to mix things up in the post and he became a better rebounder as the season progressed.   [player_tooltip player_id='1176208' first='Eli' last='Buhr'] |6'1 G| Central Cass   "Was a great shooter from the perimeter. He is a guy who can guard a shooting guard or a post."   [player_tooltip player_id='1540726' first='David' last='Schilling'] |6'3 G/F| Fargo North   "Long and athletic wing and at times, he is the best player on the court. Became a better rebounder and more of a defensive presence as the season went on."   [player_tooltip player_id='1540724' first='Kale' last='Schommer'] |6'4 G/F| Bismarck Century   "Long and athletic wing that can completely change the game by doing the things others don't want to do. He became a key piece to this team and became a lockdown post defender and rebounder when this team lacked size."   [player_tooltip player_id='1454708' first='Oliver' last='Jensen'] |6'0 G| Bimarck Century   "Athletic guard that was the best defender on this team. He could guard anybody on the court and he was not intimidated by size or strength. On the offensive end, he can produce from any level."   Q & A with coach Russell   PHD: What is your best memory from this AAU season?   Coach Russell: "The camaraderie of this group of boys. They were super fun to coach and they were very coachable. When times got tough, they never pointed fingers and they only ever talked positively to each other. They were willing to battle for each other and our record doesn't reflect the growth and competitiveness that these guys had."   PHD: Who were a few of your hardest workers?   Coach Russell: "[player_tooltip player_id='1454708' first='Oliver' last='Jensen'], [player_tooltip player_id='1540724' first='Kale' last='Schommer'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1161540' first='Bode' last='Hoeg']"   PHD: Who were your best defenders?   Coach Russell: "[player_tooltip player_id='1454708' first='Oliver' last='Jensen'], [player_tooltip player_id='1540724' first='Kale' last='Schommer'], [player_tooltip player_id='1540725' first='Sawyer' last='Grubb'], [player_tooltip player_id='1161540' first='Bode' last='Hoeg']"   PHD: Can you talk about your top rebounders?   Coach Russell: "[player_tooltip player_id='1540724' first='Kale' last='Schommer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1540726' first='David' last='Schilling']. They both had to adapt to the post position. They were both long and athletic and able to read the direction of the ball."   PHD: Who was your best shooter?   Coach Russell: "[player_tooltip player_id='1168165' first='Carson' last='Eggert']. The guys did a great job of attacking the rim and finding Carson. He was also able to shoot on ball reversals and he has a quick release that is hard to guard."   PHD: Who were your most improved players?   Coach Russell: "[player_tooltip player_id='1168165' first='Carson' last='Eggert'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1540725' first='Sawyer' last='Grubb']"   PHD: When you needed a big bucket, who was your "go-to" player?   Coach Russell: "[player_tooltip player_id='1540725' first='Sawyer' last='Grubb']. Sawyer has a knack for hitting difficult shots. He is shifty enough to get his pull-up midrange shot or a good perimeter look. This team had so much talent and ability that we w really would go to whoever was hot at the moment, but Sawyer consistently hit difficult shots."   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/ECI-3.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/ECI-3.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1539445"/></a></figure>

Today, we are checking out a group of incoming juniors from ECI. We have a nice mix of East and West players, 7 are from Class A and 1 player is from Class B. This group went hard, and they played the game the right way. They improved throughout the AAU season and these players will come into the high school season ready to make some noise on their respective teams. Read below for a season recap, player comments, and a Q & A session with coach Tanner Russell.