Pentagon Schoolers 15U Short: Team Dissection

Today we are looking at another Schooler team. This squad is coached by Ben Short who is one of the best up-and-coming coaches in South Dakota. This 15U Schoolers squad started out a bit slow but really turned it on and played well later in the season. There are a bunch of young players on this team to get excited about and they will be serious high school players in no time. Read below for the Pentagon Schoolers 15U roster, player comments and Q & A with coach Short.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/PentagonSchoolers.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/PentagonSchoolers.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1535846" width="154" height="96"/></a></figure>   Schoolers 15U Roster   [player_tooltip player_id="1535880" first="Jack" last="Kloth"] |6'1 G| Dell Rapids   He Long and lengthy athlete. This Quarrier knows the game of basketball really well and he plays with a high basketball IQ. Kloth is a knock-down shooter when left open and he can impact the game with his jumper. Dell Rapids will be loaded this year and Jack will only get better playing against stiff competition in practice all season. Expect him to gain great experience while being part of a highly successful Quarrier team this winter.   [player_tooltip player_id="1535881" first="Carter" last="Tetzlaff"] |5'11 G| West Central   A productive offensive player for the Schoolers. Carter took a huge leap this summer in his progression. Tetzlaff has always been a threat from the 3pt line. With his unlimited range, opponents must pick him up defensively well past the NBA line. He stepped up defensively this summer as well, Carter has good instincts on when to gamble in the passing lanes. He came up with a lot of well-timed steals for Coach Short's team this summer. What he has worked the most on this summer is finishing differently and creatively around the rim. This has turned Carter into a dual threat on the offensive end.   [player_tooltip player_id="1377249" first="Jackson" last="Eisemann"] |5'11 G| Mobridge-Pollack   He was a huge part of the Schoolers turnaround this summer. Jackson had a game during the Hardwood Classic where he went off for 25+ points. From there on out his confidence was through the roof. The lefty is a crafty finisher around the rim, and a knock-down three-point shooter if given the space. Eisemann improved his leadership and his consistency in shooting & passing. He flies around the court and makes smart plays. Jackson's hoops IQ is approaching a 9 out of 10. Expect huge things from Eisemann in his sophomore season.   [player_tooltip player_id="1535882" first="Bradyn" last="Stansbury"] |5'10 SG| Harrisburg   He is another player that is part of a great high school program and it shows. Bradyn is a hard-working guard and he played his tail off for the Schoolers. Stansbury plays solid defense and he is a really good rebounder for his size. Bradyn is a high-IQ basketball kid that is ready to compete whenever he steps onto the court. Stansbury will keep improving his overall game day-in and day-out against fierce competition in the Tiger program.   [player_tooltip player_id="1535883" first="Park" last="Sinclair"] |6'0 G| Kimball/White Lake   He was another gritty and hard worker for the Schoolers. Park immediately came up to his coach and asked what his role should be on the team. This immediately stood out, few 15-year-old athletes are willing or even want to have that conversation, which was super impressive on his part. Besides the communication aspect, Sinclair worked his tail off defensively. Park is a versatile athlete, he was asked to guard point guards full court one possession and then battle in the paint against players 6+ inches taller than him the next. Sinclair never complained, he likely looked forward to the challenge!   [player_tooltip player_id="1535884" first="Jens" last="Hansen"] |5'7 G| Irene-Wakonda   He was one of the hardest workers for the Schoolers and this Eagle ran the point for coach Short's team. Hansen is the type of player that is super competitive and he wants to succeed so bad that his coach had to remind him sometimes to take it easy on himself. That will/drive was contagious with his teammates and it helped push the Schoolers through several close games. Jens is a vocal leader on the court as well as during timeouts, sharing what he saw with his teammates and coach on the sidelines. Hansen was the cause of a lot of offensive runs because of his own communication and defense. Jens willed himself to difficult finishes at the rim and he capitalized at the line.   [player_tooltip player_id="1535885" first="Max" last="Miller"] |5'10 SG| Platte-Geddes   He is a lefty guard that is strong and plays physically. Miller uses this to his advantage by finishing through contact and scoring at the rim. With his physical play, Miller is able to guard both wings and smaller post players. That versatility allows him to be a mismatch most of the time.   [player_tooltip player_id="1535886" first="Nick" last="Hanson"] |6'6 PF| Viborg-Hurley   This BIG man was the best rebounder for the Schoolers. Hanson stands 6'6" with arms that seem to go on forever. He does an unbelievable job of staying straight up defensively, making shots difficult, and ultimately allowing him to block shots while almost never being in foul trouble. Nick has amazing hands for a kid his size, which allows him to secure rebounds, and quickly get outlet passes to his wings. Hanson had several games this summer with 20+ rebounds.   [player_tooltip player_id="1535887" first="Rafe" last="Goettertz"] |6'3 SF| Viborg Hurley   He is a gritty post player for the Schoolers, Rafe never backed down to an opponent all season long. His strength/physicality on both offense and defense made him a tough overall player. Rafe can also stretch the court by popping out past the 3-point line to hit shots and keep the defense honest.   Q & A with coach Ben Short   PHD: What is your best memory from this AAU season?   Coach Short: "Seeing it “click” for these guys about halfway through the summer. All 9 guys were working their tails off. Not only on the weekend tournaments but at our practices, their own open gyms, individual workouts, team camps, etc. It was the tournament following the dead week in July we came out and beat a team that had previously torched us by 20+ points. From there on out the guys took that momentum and either won or lost the game we did by just a couple of possessions here and there."   PHD: Can you talk about a time your team overcame adversity?   Coach Short: "This whole summer the guys were battling injuries. A couple of back injuries, an ankle injury, and several guys being sick. Required the others to step up and step out of their own comfort zone for their own success but ultimately for the success of the team. The guys understood it was out of what we could control and battled and played hard no matter who was on the court."   PHD: Who improved the most over the season?   Coach Short: "The guys probably got tired of me saying this during the summer but our entire group as a whole improved drastically. How we started our summer AAU season verse how we finished it was night and day. Losing to teams by 20+ points regularly during the months of May and early June to being very competitive and finishing the summer at the Pentagon Summer Jam going 3-1 against stiff opponents. I kept on reminding them of the purpose of Schooler Basketball; winning is fun but the thing to remember is that you are all here to become better basketball players and young men for when the high school season comes around when the games matter. I can't wait to see what these guys accomplish this upcoming year!"   PHD: Who was your "go-to" player when you needed a big bucket?   Coach Short: "Depending on the scenario, [player_tooltip player_id="1377249" first="Jackson" last="Eisemann"] because of his creativity and ability to get to the rim, or [player_tooltip player_id="1535886" first="Nick" last="Hanson"], because of the fact that if he has his defender sealed on the block, he has the size length, and ability to finish over most anyone."   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/PentagonSchoolers.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/08/PentagonSchoolers.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1535846"/></a></figure>

Today we are looking at another Schooler team. This squad is coached by Ben Short who is one of the best up-and-coming coaches in South Dakota. This 15U Schoolers squad started out a bit slow but really turned it on and played well later in the season. There are a bunch of young players on this team to get excited about and they will be serious high school players in no time. Read below for the Pentagon Schoolers 15U roster, player comments and Q & A with coach Short.