ND Phenom 17U: Star-Studded Squad
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In this article, you get the treat of hearing about a super talented 2023 team from North Dakota. They already have 5 players committed to playing college hoops. Three of the ballers are going D1 and two are going D2.…
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Continue ReadingIn this article, you get the treat of hearing about a super talented 2023 team from North Dakota. They already have 5 players committed to playing college hoops. Three of the ballers are going D1 and two are going D2. The other players on the team are also being recruited to play ball at the next level. I had the pleasure of watching this Phenom team play multiple times this spring and they did not disappoint. Every one of these guys will have a monster senior season in high school ball. Get ready for a fun season of hoops in North Dakota! Look below for much more information on ND Phenom 17U.
Season Snapshot from ND Phenom Director, Jordan Maurer
“We participated in 3 Prep Hoops Circuit Events, the 3 Sanford Pentagon Tournament Series events, the Great Plains Alliance, the Las Vegas Classic, and the Circuit On The Strip.”
“We finished 9-3 in Prep Hoops events, we lost in the Final 4 of the SPTS to a very impressive MN Fury team who was undefeated in all SPTS play, we finished 3-1 at the Great Plains Alliance, 3-2 at the Las Vegas Classic, and 2-2 at the Circuit on the Strip.”
“The biggest highlight of the season is having 5 players committed to play college basketball with 3 other players deciding which college they are going to compete for.”
ND Phenom 17U – ROSTER
Comments from Jordan Maurer
Anthony Doppler Anthony Doppler 6'4" | SG Bismarck Century | 2023 State ND (Bismarck Century) – “Is a 6’4″ University of North Dakota committed combo guard with range well beyond the college 3. He did a great job of scoring, playmaking, and boarding for our team. Anthony is selfless and plays out of position in high school with no complaints. I look forward to UND fans getting to watch him play his natural position. UND coaches and fans will love how quickly he makes decisions and how hard he competes defensively.”
Jaxon Kellogg Jaxon Kellogg 6'3" | PG Bismarck Legacy | 2023 State ND (Bismarck Legacy) – “Is a 6’3″ athlete who ran the point for us the past few seasons. What stands out about Jaxon is how competitive he is. He gets to some loose balls that other players just are not willing to get to. He is a fantastic passer and rebounder. He sacrificed getting to show his scoring prowess with our team which shows just how unselfish he is. He is mulling over several collegiate basketball and football opportunities, as he is also a stand-out linebacker.”
Ryan Erikson Ryan Erikson 6'10" | C Bismarck Century | 2023 State ND (Bismarck Century) – “Is a 6’10” University of North Dakota big who can do a bit of everything. Ryan dominates on the glass and in the paint, but has a soft perimeter touch and is an unbelievable passer. Ryan consistently rises in games against top competition. UND coaches and fans will love his work ethic on the glass and the versatility he provides offensively.“
Carson Yale Carson Yale 6'9" | PF Des Lacs Burlington | 2023 State ND (Des Lacs/Burlington) – “Is a 6’9″ Minot State University committed combo forward. Carson is one of the hardest-working players a coach will come across. He has some ability with his back to the basket, while also being able to stretch out and shoot it, and stay competitive on the glass. MSU coaches and fans will love how coachable he is and how impressive his attitude and work ethic are.“
William Ware William Ware 6'7" | SF Bismarck Century | 2023 State ND (Bismarck Century) – “Is a 6’7″ Minot State University committed forward. William is a consummate teammate. William never says a word about touches, shots, or anything of the sort. William tries to lock his guy up each game, takes and makes open shots, flushes in transition, and just plays his heart out. MSU coaches and fans will love his consistency and his ability to make big-time plays.“
Darik Dissette Darik Dissette 6'4" | SG Minot | 2023 State #300 Nation ND (Minot) – “Is a 6’4″ North Dakota State University committed power guard. Darik is a winner. Darik can score with the best of them, while taking other high-level players out of the game with his defense. His ability to be a vocal leader is special. Darik really showed that he could shoot the basketball this season for us, shooting 43% from 3 on the season. NDSU coaches and fans will love what he brings to the table defensively, and how efficient he is in everything offensively.”
Tate Grossman Tate Grossman 6'4" | SG Harvey/Wells County | 2023 State ND (Harvey/Wells County) – “Is a 6’4″ combo guard who can do a bit of everything. He can handle at the 1 and get consistent penetration, or he can play off ball as more of a scorer. Tate is going to make a college program happy with his commitment as his unique blend of length, strength, and skill will make him a nice addition to whichever program he decides to play for.”
Bryer Kaczynski Bryer Kaczynski 7'0" | C Wyndmere/Lidgerwood | 2023 State ND (Wyndmere/Lidgerwood) – “Is a 7’0″ long big with a 7’2′ wingspan. Bryer is just starting to become what he is going to be. He has great physical tools and is only going to get better. Bryer is a sponge and does a great job of accepting coaching. He has a chance to be a really nice college player. A collegiate strength and conditioning program is going to do him wonders.“
Q & A with ND Phenom Director, Jordan Maurer
PHD: Can you talk about a few highlights from the season?
Maurer: “The entire season was a highlight. The wins and losses, ups and downs, and how our guys responded to all of it made the season very enjoyable. The group had high expectations of themselves and of each other, at times those expectations were met and at times they were not, but their ability to maintain positivity throughout it all was probably the biggest highlight.”
PHD: Your team traveled a ton this season, do you have any fun stories from all the miles you put on?
Maurer: “There are several fun stories.”
“A local band in Indianapolis that was singing about our team in a bar/grill across the street from our hotel. In Kansas, we stayed very near the Jayhawk campus. In Atlanta, we had the opportunity to attend Six Flags and a Braves game. On our first Las Vegas trip, Trey Brandt and Joe Hurlburt came with and cheered us on. On our second Las Vegas trip, we played against a team with multiple top 100 players and then got to spend the last night together at Area 15 which was a very cool experience. It was always fun watching random people do double takes when our team would walk by, as it was almost like walking around with a group of giants.”
“Another interesting story is that in Las Vegas this past weekend, the streets were flooded. The team decided to run across the street with socks and shoes in hand to get to Outback Steakhouse in time to eat.”
“The most interesting story would have to be when our flights out of Fargo were delayed and we had to drive to Minneapolis just to be able to catch our flights to Indianapolis, and we only got there with about 25 minutes to spare.“
PHD: What style of basketball did your team play?
Maurer: “Our team plays a bit slower than some club teams. We play an inside-out, pressure-defense style of play. We were at our best when we were getting paint touches both off of post feeds & deep penetration, also when we were able to defend the 3-point line at a nice clip.”
PHD: What is your best memory from this AAU season off the court?
Maurer: “One memory that really stood out was Anthony, Darik, and Ryan all receiving their first Division 1 scholarship offer while the team watched “The Curse of La Llorona” in Indianapolis. The raw emotion and elation were amazing things to witness.“
“My personal best memory of the season was the players surprising Coach Ware and myself with handwritten notes after our season was complete. That is something that is truly special to me that I will never forget.”
PHD: What did you do as a team to get better outside of tournaments?
Maurer: “We practiced periodically and we clip and watch film both at events and remotely. North Dakota geography is what it is, so we had to get a bit creative, and HUDL helped out a lot with making that process operate efficiently.”
PHD: Your team went to 3 Prep Hoops tournaments, what did you like about those events?
Maurer: “Prep Hoops was great to work with. 4 things stood out. Communication, competition, coaches, and coverage. The staff is professional, friendly, and easy to communicate with. We played in the higher pools at each event and received good competition. We played in front of more than several handfuls of college basketball coaches. Our team received a lot of coverage and the players really enjoy that. BallerTV made it nice for parents who could not attend the games in person that wanted to watch the games live. We will continue to use the Prep Hoops Platform with our future teams. Prep Hoops did a great job.”
PHD: Can you talk about a few of your best defenders?
Maurer: “ Darik Dissette Darik Dissette 6'4" | SG Minot | 2023 State #300 Nation ND , Jaxon Kellogg Jaxon Kellogg 6'3" | PG Bismarck Legacy | 2023 State ND , and William Ware William Ware 6'7" | SF Bismarck Century | 2023 State ND all stand out.”
“Darik is the best defensive communicator I have ever been around. We recently played against a player who is committed to Duke and Darik was able to keep him in front and consistently get contests in that match-up. I am confident that Darik can basically guard anyone. He has great instincts while being fundamentally sound, strong, long, and very athletic. Darik is different than what we are used to seeing in North Dakota. Much different.”
“Jaxon is the ultimate 50/50 ball guy. Jaxon will dive cross court between 2 or 3 people to get to a loose ball. His effort is second to none in situations like that. In April against a tough MN Select team, in a tight match up, Jaxon came up with 2 dives in the last minute of the game to secure a win for our team.”
“William is very well taught, while also being super long and athletic. He had the luxury of playing for Coach Ware for his entire life and Coach Ware stresses being competitive defensively at all times. William does both the big things like getting blocks, getting steals, taking charges, and the little things like contesting shots, boxing out, and rotating, all at a very high level, while also being very switchable.”
PHD: Who was your best rebounder and why?
Maurer: “ Ryan Erikson Ryan Erikson 6'10" | C Bismarck Century | 2023 State ND . Ryan does an elite-level job of consistently getting box-outs and finding the ball. Rebounding is a pure effort thing, and Ryan has an outside chance of being the first player in Class A ND history to get to 1000 rebounds. It is a tall task at about 15.7 boards a game. That said, Ryan has made a habit out of proving people wrong.”
PHD: Can you talk about a time when you overcame adversity?
Maurer: “We were struggling as a group on a 5 game losing streak. The team responded after some hard realities and ran off a June, July, and August to be proud of. We lost some games in those months, but only to really upper-level teams.“
“ Carson Yale Carson Yale 6'9" | PF Des Lacs Burlington | 2023 State ND overcame adversity as an individual. He missed his entire junior season of basketball, came back with less athletic ability than he was used to having, but plugged along and found himself playing some really nice basketball down the stretch.”
PHD: Who improved the most over the season?
Maurer: “ Bryer Kaczynski Bryer Kaczynski 7'0" | C Wyndmere/Lidgerwood | 2023 State ND improved as the season went on. He is so raw but his work ethic has always been there. He started to understand our defensive concepts better as the season went along and became more comfortable in his role. He is going to make a college happy. He tries to do exactly what coaches tell him to do.”
“ Tate Grossman Tate Grossman 6'4" | SG Harvey/Wells County | 2023 State ND saw tremendous improvement from start to finish. He was a bit timid playing with a new group right off the bat, but as the season went on, his decision-making as far as when to attack, when to shoot, or when to move it improved tremendously.”
PHD: What does ND Phenom pride itself on?
Maurer: “I had the opportunity to work with Sarah and Doran Schwartz for several years before a job opportunity relocated their family to Kansas City. They showed me how important it is to embrace competition and to compete. I try to inculcate that mentality into the mind of each player in the program. Compete. Why not you?“
“Every basketball team is going to have starters and reserves. Players compete for minutes.”
“Every year, there is going to be scholarship money available. Players compete for that money.”
“Every game has a winner and a loser. Teams compete for that win.”
“Someone is going to start. Why not you?“
“Someone is going to get that scholarship. Why not you?“
“Someone is going to be in the NBA. Why not you?“
“Someone is going to get that job. Why not you?“
“Someone is going to get that promotion. Why not you?“
“We are from North Dakota. The deck may feel stacked against us in basketball. It does not matter. Compete for what you want in life. Someone is going to get it. Why not you?“
“I pride the North Dakota Phenom on trying to instill the “embrace competition” mentality in our players and then as a program, doing the things necessary to put the players in situations where they have an opportunity to show the results of their hard work in front of the people (coaches) that can take them on the next stage of their journey in life.”